Highway 403 in Hamilton reopens after hours-long closure

After a closure for several hours on Tuesday, Highway 403 around Hamilton has reopened, Hamilton police said shortly before midnight. 

All roads impacted by the closure have reopened, police said on social media site X. 

The highway was closed both ways between Highway 6 North and Main Street as early as 3 p.m. as Hamilton police conducted an investigation in the area, OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said earlier in the day. Police were "dealing with someone in crisis," he added. 

Hamilton police said King Street West had also been closed westbound at Dundurn Street South. Burlington OPP assisted with the road closure.

'Huge traffic nightmare'

The closure came right as rush hour was getting under way. For Hamilton resident Scott Mills, that meant he was unable to pick up his child from school as planned.

"I live on Hamilton East Mountain and my kid goes to school up in Carlisle-Flamborough area. I was supposed to pick him up at school in time to get him to his basketball game," he told CBC Hamilton.

"I tried another way and it was all clogged up. It took me an hour and a half to get somewhere that should take 25 minutes."

His son got a ride instead with his school principal, Mills said. "Even the alternate routes were just jammed. The only friend was Google maps." 

Mills said he was left wondering what the cause of the closure was, before he read the police update later in the evening and had a better understanding.

"I am a guy in the know and I was in the dark about what was going on. It's a huge, huge traffic nightmare to have the road closed at that spot."