Highway 401 reopens in Etobicoke after overnight crashes jams traffic for hours

Ontario Provincial Police uniform with a side patch logo (CP24 file photo).

A stretch of Highway 401 in Etobicoke was shut down for several hours late last night into the early hours of the morning following multiple collisions.

In a post to social media, the Ontario Provincial Police first reported a crash at around 12:08 a.m. In the post, officials noted that multiple eastbound lanes of Highway 401 at Martin Grove Road were blocked because of a collision, with emergency crews responding at the scene.

Just before 1 a.m., police then closed Highway 401 eastbound at Eglinton Avenue West as the investigation continued. They did not however, provide any information on the extent of injuries or what led up to the collision.

A short time later, by 1:50 a.m., officers said the eastbound express lanes remained closed at Dixon Road, with traffic being diverted into the collector lanes and forced to exit at Eglinton Avenue West.

Police then revealed another collision on Highway 401 westbound at Highway 427 that blocked two lanes and added to delays in the area.

Drivers were warned to expect lengthy closures and urged them to avoid the area and use alternate routes.

At around 4:55 a.m., westbound lanes at Highway 427 reopened, while the eastbound closure at Eglinton Avenue West remained in place for the ongoing investigation.

All lanes on Highway 401 eastbound reopened shortly after 5:15 a.m., police said.