Crews continue to work around the clock to rubblize and reconstruct County Road 49.

By the end of the current construction season, Tomlinson Group expect two of three runs of asphalt to be laid on County Road 49. The third and final run is slated for Spring 2027.

Councillors were invited to the construction site for a behind the scenes look at the cost efficient process.

“We’re essentially reusing broken concrete as the base material as opposed to a more traditional method where we would break concrete up into smaller pieces and then haul it off. Breaking the concrete up as opposed to hauling it off is cost effective, and it saves time,” said Garrett Osborne, Active Manager of Engineering for Prince Edward County.

Unlike traditional machines which break the pavement with repeated impact, the rubblizer uses vibration to break the concrete into gravel sized pieces. The machine makes multiple passes, slowly recycling the roadway in real time. After the process is finished and asphalt has been laid, the surface level of the road will rise by four inches.

The machine finishes around one kilometre a day. Tomlinson crews have been working 12 hour days, seven days a week in an effort to keep on project timelines. Along one stretch of road, rubblization is complete and crews have begun laying asphalt.

County Road 49 has been featured as one of CAA’s list of Ontario’s Worst Roads, coming in as high as third in 2025. Mayor Steve Ferguson was happy to report the project is expected to finish early next year.

“This is the Eastern gateway to the County, so It’s very important,” Ferguson said. “The road was first constructed in the 1960s and it has essentially been deteriorating since then.”