

Rachael D'Amore, CP24.com





The express lanes of Highway 401 have been closed at the northbound Highway 400 exit ramp after a transport truck tipped over this morning.

At one point, the incident caused all eastbound lanes on both the collectors and express routes to shut down but Ontario Provincial Police reopened the collector lanes shortly after 9:30 a.m.

The truck tipped over shortly before 8:30 a.m. at the end of the eastbound Highway 401 ramp at Highway 400 heading north.

Video from the scene shows the truck leaning against the guardrail, over Highway 401.

“This truck was coming on the 401 eastbound ramp to 400 northbound. It’s loaded with rolls of paper. As it came around this ramp, the items inside shifted and it rolled onto the cement wall,” OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt told CP24. “They pulled it down slightly from the wall but that is why the express lanes were closed, just to make sure, out of caution, that nothing was going to fall down to the roadway below.”

Schmidt said other nearby roads and ramps are also dealing with heavy traffic as a result of the closure.

“Black Creek Drive – a lot of traffic is overwhelming that ramp as well, he said.

It will likely be another two hours before the ramp is completely cleared.

“Hopefully we’ll have the express lanes reopened a little bit before that,” Schmidt added.

For the time being, police have opened a relief ramp from eastbound Highway 401 express to northbound Highway 400.

Schmidt said the driver of the truck suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital as a precaution.