Long weekend rolls in along with Highway 400 traffic

The long weekend rush has rolled in The rush to head north for the civic holiday long weekend has officially kicked off.

After a police investigation closed a segment of Highway 400 on Thursday, traffic was back up to its typical volume for a Friday before a long weekend.

Thursday's closure was due to reports of a suspicious vehicle that may have had to be contained and cleared of suspected explosives before being towed away. The highway was reopened three hours later.

"They were able to deal with it quickly and investigate," said Constable Robert Tihor from the OPP's Highway Safety Division. "[It was] determined it was not a dangerous device, and then the highway opened as soon as possible."

With Highway 400 reopened, plenty of cars from all across Southern Ontario headed North and stopped by Barrie's ONroute.

There was also plenty of boat traffic in the water, particularly in the South Basin of Georgian Bay near Penetanguishene.

The OPP is reminding the public that officers will be out in full force on the roads and waterways and that they will be looking for alcohol in both cars and boats.

"You cannot consume alcohol on your way on any vessel that is privately owned," said Constable Jamie Stamp from the marine unit of the OPP's Southern Georgian Bay detachment. "The only vessels you can consume alcohol on your way is one that has a liquor license."

The OPP also reminds drivers to exercise patience while going to their weekend destination.