CR49 rehabilitation project

Working group seeks provincial and federal support

Enough is enough,” says Mayor Steve Ferguson. He was speaking about County Road 49, the 1998 gift from the provincial government that keeps on taking. The road is a ribbon of deteriorating concrete that links the County to Highway 401 in the northeast quadrant. It was built in 1966 and transferred to the municipality during amalgamation in 1998. At that time, the road was nearing the end of its design life, and the province provided a small sum of money for its upkeep. The municipal government of the day knew it was not going to be enough, and in 2002 tried to return the road back to the province. Despite constant repair, to the tune of an average of $3,500 per week, the road continues to deteriorate. Pieces of broken concrete litter the shoulders, and the asphalt patchwork makes for a spine-jarring drive into and out of the County. The road was named the worst road in Ontario in 2016. Recently, Council passed a motion by Councillor Chris Braney to create a working group to lobby the federal and provincial to provide funds for a complete rehabilitation of County Road 49.

The road is one of the busiest entry points to the County, with an average of 6,000 vehicles daily, including approximately 300 heavy transport trucks. Traffic is expected to increase with the completion of the Skyway Bridge rehabilitation and the scope of planned residential development in the County. The CR49 Working Group comprises councillors Braney, David Harrison, Brad Nieman, Phil St-Jean and Mayor Ferguson. They are exploring ideas to support the rehabilitation of CR49. One idea is the creation of a community benefit fund, with support from businesses and residents, to finance the municipality’s share of the estimated $29.5 million cost. “We call on the provincial and federal governments to step up immediately and financially support this ‘shovel-ready’ project, which is the rehabilitation of County Road 49. We have attended, collectively over the years, numerous meetings with ministers and staff over the state of this road. This is no way to welcome the tens of thousands of visitors who come to the County from the north and the east. We need to take steps to fix this road immediately for the sake of our economy,” said Ferguson during a media event held last Wednesday at the intersection of Fish Lake Road and CR49. A steady stream of traffic, including several heavy transport trucks, careered by as the mayor and councillors spoke. By coincidence or design, a maintenance crew worked nearby to fill cracks and holes in the road surface with cold-mix asphalt.

Councillor Chris Braney outlines the goal of the CR49 Working Group at a media event held last Wednesday at the corner of Fish Lake Road and CR49.

Councillor Braney said the road is a vital link for the agricultural sector as well as the commercial sector, and noted that it is a route of many of the 800,000 visitors to Sandbanks Provincial Park. “Rehabilitation of this road is critical,” he said. “Patching this road is no longer going to cut it. The municipality spends an incredible amount of money each year to patch this road. The Working Group is on a mission to get this road fixed. We are considering new and unique ways to advocate for this road, with the ultimate goal of getting the upper levels of government involved. This is a road the supports all residents and all areas of the County. The road is an embarrassment. The province marks us as a big tourism sector, yet people are coming in using this road and it’s quite appalling. It’s a safety issue. It needs to be fixed, and we’re not going to take ‘no’ for an answer.”

Mayor Ferguson added that doing the same thing over and over again will not lead to different results. “We are going to try this approach and hopefully there will be buy-in from our businesses and the public. It’s not going to happen overnight, but I’m optimistic that we can really get something done,” he said.

The current road surface is in generally poor condition. There are joint and slab failures, and severe cracking. While there are some sections that appear unbroken, the surface has become polished due to constant traffic. Maintenance crews assess and repair the surface weekly, at a minimum, as weather conditions allow. Winter storm effects will reduce the frequency of inspection and patching. The County has invested in a feasibility study and a design study to ensure the rehabilitation project is ready for tendering if, or when, funding from the federal and provincial levels of government becomes available.