Flooding closes major Toronto-area roads amid torrential downpour

Flooding prompted the closure of major roads in the Greater Toronto Area following severe rainfall on Tuesday.

Stretches of the Don Valley Parkway, a keyhighway running from the north part of the city into downtown,are closed in both directions. Stretches of the highway were under brown water by Tuesday afternoon and multiple stranded vehicles could be seen abandoned in the lanes, with water having risen up past their headlights in some cases.

Southbound lanes of the DVP are closed from Bayview/Bloor to the Gardiner Expressway, while northbound lanes are closed from the Gardiner Expressway to Dundas Street, according to the city. Toronto police saythe entrance to the DVPfrom the Don Roadway is also closed.

Crews were seen on Tuesday night cleaning mud off the roadway.

On another major artery, Highway 410, Ontario Provincial Police Const. Scott Stratton said, "The water was as high as the tops of the vehicles."

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The local fire department was out on an inflatable boat paddling to vehicles stranded on the highway, he said.

"In some cases, the water is halfway up the window, but in other cases, it's completely submerged," said Stratton.

The conditions caused major disruptions to transit ahead of and during rush hour, though many have now resolved.

Here's what you need to know:

TTC and GO Transit disruptions

The Toronto Transit Commission says subway service is gradually being restored, but there are still multiple surface diversions and delays due to flooding and pooling.

A full list of service disruptions can be found on the TTCwebsite.

• TTC, Line 2: No service between Islingtonand Jane stations. Shuttle buses are operating. There was no service at Glencairn station due to power failure on Tuesday night.

GO Transit warned customers in the afternoon: "Delays, cancellations, and modifications are expected."

The regional transit agency said all of its corridors are open for scheduled service butthere weresignificant "residual delays" across the network earlier in the day.

All stations that experienced earlier flooding have reopened, including Long Branch GO and Exhibition GO on the Lakeshore West line.

WATCH | Street became a river, Toronto resident says:

What it was like to drive through Toronto's flooded streets

2 months ago

Duration 2:34

Emma Badame describes what it was like to drive from Toronto to nearby Mississauga as flooding intensified in areas like the Don Valley Parkway that saw more than 50 cars stranded.

Major road closures

• Highway 410, southbound from Highway 401 to Highway407, isexpected to be closed for 24 hours.

• Highway 401, eastbound ramp to Mavis Road.

• Convair DrivebetweenBritannia Road E. andFlightline Drive. Pearson Airport says the road will be closed for two daysto allow water to clear anda roadway safety assessment to be done.

• Gardiner Expressway between Jarvis Street and the Don Valley Parkway.

• Bayview Avenuefrom River Street to Pottery Road in both directions.

• Park Lawn ramp to the Gardiner Expressway.

Heading to the airport?

• With the Highway 410 closure, anyone travelling to the Toronto Pearson International Airport is urged to plan ahead to take an alternate route as some leave extra time for the commute.

• Some roads around the airport continue to be closed. "However, roads leading into the terminals have not been impacted, and parking garages remain open," the airport says.

• Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport: Pedestrian tunnel will remain closed until Tuesday as the airport bringsitssystems back online following the power outage in Toronto.Ferry operations continue to operate normally and are providingaccess to and from the airport.

Scenes of the flooded Don Valley Parkway