County Road 49 to be ready to rubble Tuesday

SEPT. 6: “Rubblization” of County Road 49 is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Sept. 8 now that the specialized equipment has arrived from the United States.

This work was slated to get underway earlier this summer; however, work visa issues impacted the contractor’s ability to bring both the specialized equipment and operating crew into Canada.

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

The municipality, in an update, reports:

Crews are to start at County Road 15 (Northport Road) and work their way south. Crews will be on site Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The contractor intends to rehabilitate County Road 49 in sections approximately 1- 2 kilometres in length:

A minimum of one lane of traffic, operating under alternating directions, is to be maintained at all times.
The rubblizing machine will break up the concrete in one lane for approximately 1 – 2 kilometres.

Crews will come behind to compact and level out the road, followed by a layer of new granular material.

When that lane of road is complete, crews will turn and work back in the other direction and repeat the process on the adjacent lane. Once both lanes have been rubblized and a new layer of granular material has been placed, the base lift of asphalt will be placed over both lanes.

Drivers can expect delays of between 5 to 10 minutes. Both lanes of traffic will re-open at the end each construction day and on weekends. Calcium chloride will be applied to the gravel sections of the road to suppress the dust.

What residents can expect during construction
Residents and drivers might notice:
A machine breaking the existing concrete into rubble.
Rollers compacting the roadway.
Trucks and paving crews placing new asphalt.
Unpleasant odors from the asphalt that could last up to several hours.
A smoother road surface once construction is complete.

Culvert replacement work continues Replacement of culverts and waterproofing of existing concrete box culverts will continue to progress toward Picton.

During the culvert work, there will be single-lane closures in the vicinity of the work from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Temporary traffic signals will help maintain the flow of traffic and minimize delays.
The municipality reminds drivers that a temporary 60 km/h speed limit is in effect throughout the construction zone. Please follow posted signage and reduce your speed when approaching road cuts.
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.

Traffic update
With a 5- to 10-minute wait expected during the major rehabilitation work, using the alternate route instead of staying on County Road 49 may provide little to no advantage for commuters.

However, the municipality recognizes that some drivers may use or continue to use County Roads 5 and 15 as an alternate. Staff have notified the OPP about the possibility of increased traffic on these roads, and the local police have agreed to provide additional traffic law enforcement during rehabilitation.

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.