County Road 49 rubblization delayed due to visa issues

UPDATE AUG 11: Rubblization of County Road 49 has been delayed. Work visa issues have impacted the contractor’s ability to bring both the specialized equipment and operating crew into Canada.

Despite the schedule change, the municipality states its contractor, R.W. Tomlinson Ltd., still plans to complete rubblization and the first two lifts of asphalt this construction season. The final surface lift is to be placed next year, as originally planned.

The municipality’s report today note culvert replacement operations, which began at the Bay of Quinte Skyway Bridge, have now advanced south of Bethesda Road.

Once the culvert replacement work is complete, the contractor will begin excavating and waterproofing the existing concrete box culverts to extend their service life.

The municipality continues to monitor and maintain areas where the concrete has been cut out and removed for the cross-culvert replacement. “Bump ahead” signs are installed near the road cuts.

A temporary 60 km/h speed limit is in effect throughout the construction zone. Follow posted signage and reduce speed when approaching road cuts.

County residents and visitors have endured decades of rough rides down County Road 49 and spent years asking the County and upper levels of government to “just fix the road!”

Finally work is under way – but the process will require more patience.

“I get it: no one likes to sit in traffic, especially in the summer. You have places to go and people to see. However, with some small sacrifices from drivers, we are going to end up with a massive gain for Prince Edward County,” said Mayor Ferguson.

The County’s contractor, R.W. Tomlinson Ltd., is first replacing culverts and single lane closures will continue.

The specialized machine that will “rubblize” the road is tentatively scheduled to arrive in the County on Aug. 9 with work to begin the next day.

Rubblization is a road rehabilitation technique which involves breaking the existing concrete road into small pieces and leaving them in place, creating a strong foundation for the new asphalt road.

Crews plan to start at County Road 15 (Northport Road) and work their way south. A minimum of one lane of traffic, operating under alternating directions, is to be maintained at all times throughout construction.

Drivers can expect delays of between five to 10 minutes as the contractor works to rehabilitate two kilometres of road at a time.

The municipality notes staff explored breaking the project into smaller sections to shorten wait times but learned drivers would only save a little time, while the project would take longer, and could prevent the entire 18.6 km road from receiving new asphalt in 2026.

“We know it’s an aggressive timeline, but we owe it to the people of Prince Edward County to get as much of the road done as possible during this construction season. Like everyone else, I am tired of dodging potholes on County Road 49. Let’s make them disappear in 2026,” added Ferguson.

In March, 2026, the Province of Ontario announced funding of up to $44,500,000 for the rehabilitation project. This funding includes a municipal contribution of $7,805,700 for the 1.1 km urban section of the Picton Main Street Phase 3 project.

Council awarded the tender in May for $18,679,000 plus applicable taxes.

Opened in 1966, County Road 49 spans 18.4 kilometres, of which 17.3 kilometres is concrete pavement. The road connects Picton with the Bay of Quinte Skyway Bridge, one of the largest entry-points into the municipality from Highway 401. County Road 49 consistently ranks as one of the worst roads in Ontario by the Canadian Automobile Association.