The northbound and southbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway in downtown Toronto have reopened to traffic following flooding in the area overnight.
Parts of the highway had to be closed Thursday night after the Don River overflowed and flooded the roadway.
Toronto police posted a hazard on their Twitter account at 10:50 p.m. saying water levels were rising because of rain. Police warned there could be ponding at north and south ends of the DVP.
Just before midnight, police said the highway was closed south of Richmond Street East and north of the Gardiner Expressway to allow City of Toronto staff to clear catch basins and assess the flooding.
Both the northbound and southbound lanes reopened to traffic at 6 a.m. Friday.
Toronto police said they received reports of flooding on part of Bayview Avenue, south of Dundas Street East. The road was subsequently closed in both directions from River Street.
Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA) issued a flood warning at 12:35 a.m. Friday and officials urged people to use “extreme caution” around natural bodies of water.
“Parts of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) have already received approximately 10 millimetres of rain Thursday evening. This rainfall, in combination with increased temperatures causing snowmelt, [has] resulted in increased water levels in the rivers and streams in the TRCA’s jurisdiction,” the warning said in part.
“Due to the snowmelt in the region and the forecasted rainfall amounts, all rivers within the GTA will be experiencing higher flows and water levels, resulting in hazardous conditions. The water levels in many of TRCA’s watercourses are still rising and have yet to peak, including the Don River.”
The rainfall comes after Environment Canada issued a special weather statement earlier in the day warning of heavier rainfall in the evening.
READ MORE: Special weather statement issued for Greater Toronto Area with mild, rainy day ahead
Meanwhile, Toronto police were called to multiple collisions involving vehicles and pedestrians Thursday afternoon and evening.
The traffic services unit said on Twitter just before 7:30 p.m. that 10 pedestrians and a cyclist were struck in under a two-hour period.
A police spokesperson later told Global News officers are investigating to see if weather was a contributing factor the collisions.
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