Province kicks in nearly $20M to fix County Road 49
Administrator | Jan 24, 2025 | Comments 0
The funds to fix County Road 49 are more than half way in place as the province announced Friday afternoon it would contribute nearly $20 million toward the rehabilitation project last estimated to cost $52.3 million.
“Today we are formally coming to the table to fix County Road 49,” said Tyler Allsopp, Bay of Quinte’s MPP. “…providing Prince Edward County 19.993 million dollars to support rehabilitation efforts. This funding will support surface reconstruction and help the County to leverage additional funding sources.”
In October, Chief Administrative Officer Marcia Wallace told council she was pleased staff was able to think differently, and find a way to match the County’s need to fix CR49 to the provincial funding application requirement to enable housing.
Wallace noted the housing component was key, and as stated in the application, “County Road 49 (including the final phase of Picton Main Street which represents the urban section) will enable over 2,000 housing units on the east side of Picton over the next 10 to 15 years.”
Thankful for the provincial funding to get one step closer to fixing what has become known as one of the worst roads in the province thanks to the province, County Mayor Steve Ferguson noted it is now “vital that the federal government join with us and financially support this project that is essential for the continued economic growth, safety and well-being of our community.”
“Mayors and councillors going back many, many years have lobbied for support rehabilitating County Road 49, particularly Mayor Robert Quaiff, and Sophiasburgh councillor Bill Roberts. They all travelled up and down the road many times with ministers and their staff on various occasions,” said Fergsuon. “Our former MPP Todd Smith conducted many of those rides… where they got to experience first-hand the horrible condition of County Road 49.”
The municipality also tried – more than once – to return the road to the province due to the costs to attempt to maintain it (approximately $182,000 annually). In 2023 the County Road 49 Working Group also sought donations, making the road a “project of community interest” for fundraising purposes. No donations were received.
The road has average daily traffic volumes of approximately 6,000 vehicles, with peak traffic occurring during morning and evening rush hours. This includes commercial and industrial traffic, with heavy trucks accounting for about 5 per cent of the total traffic.
The total cost to rehabilitate County Road 49, including the urban portion, also known as phase 3 reconstruction of Picton Main Street, is $52.3 million. This total includes a 25 per cent contingency ($10.4 million) that the province required the municipality to include when it applied to the Housing-Enabling Core Servicing Fund.
Provincial portion (38.2%):
— $19,993,424.94 from the Housing-Enabling Core Services Fund
Municipal portion (14.9%):
— $7.8 million, which was approved in the 2024 budget, for reconstructing the road surface of the urban portion of County Road 49 (phase 3 Picton Main Street reconstruction)
Unfunded portion (46.9%):
— $24.5 million, which the municipality needs to fund through federal government sources and/or private sector partners
Mayor Ferguson and the County Road 49 Working Group will continue to advocate at the federal government level for additional funding to bridge the gap.
“The municipality is currently carrying the heavy financial burden of maintaining, upgrading, and replacing aging infrastructure,” Mayor Ferguson says. “The taxpayers cannot afford to shoulder anymore of the cost for rehabilitating County Road 49. That’s why it’s critical the federal government step up and support this project.”
Opened in 1966, County Road 49 spans 18.4 kilometres, of which 17.3 kilometres is concrete pavement. The road connects Picton, the municipality’s largest settlement area, with the Bay of Quinte Skyway Bridge, one of the largest entry-points into the municipality from Highway 401. The Province of Ontario downloaded the roadway to the County in 1998. County Road 49 has reached the end of its natural lifespan. It consistently ranks as one of the worst roads in Ontario by CAA.
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