Hwy 400 reopens ahead of evening drive, hot spots remain

Thursday, April 23, 2015, 3:59 PM - Two of southern Ontario's busiest roadways re-opened Thursday afternoon after icy conditions overnight led to a tractor-trailer jack-knife that killed one woman. The on-going cleanup is not expected to impact the Thursday evening commute.

The accident occurred around 2 a.m. ET Thursday morning in the Mapleview Drive area, just south of Barrie, Ont. The truck was travelling northbound when it hit the centre wall and crashed into a vehicle traveling southbound, killing the 46-year-old female driver of the vehicle.

All lanes of the highway were closed from Mapleview Drive to Highway 89, reopening at 1:45 p.m.

There were two separate collisions that occurred on the 400 series during the overnight hours.

The driver of the tractor-trailer involved in the fatal sustained minor injuries. The cause of the crash has yet to be determined, although police say weather may have played a factor.

With temperatures still hovering around the 0^oC mark in the GTA, it is possible that ice can still develop on the roads. Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of OPP noted that salt trucks and snow plows are still on standby.

"I've already seen the salters come through here once already. Given there are less snow events that we are dealing with, usually they (MTO) can manage it. I know there is a ramp up and ramp down with resources through November and March, but they kind of tier it down," he said.

"We've all got spring on our minds, just last week I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, but we need to remember that weather is still unpredictable. We still get a lot of streamers coming across the lake, especially in this area just south of Barrie," said Sgt. Schmidt. "Just drive according to road conditions, focus on the road, be prepared for longer travel times and when you see snow coming down, be careful."