Highway 401 closed east of Toronto after series of collisions involving 50 vehicles
Written by The Canadian Press on January 27, 2026
Ontario Provincial Police say a series of collisions involving about 50 vehicles on Tuesday morning forced a prolonged closure of Highway 401 in both directions east of Toronto.
Police say there is no indication that the crashes caused life-threatening or serious injuries, but some minor injuries were reported.
As of mid-afternoon, the highway remained closed in the Quinte West area between between Shannonville Road in Shannonville, Ont., and County Road 30 in Brighton, Ont.
OPP said crews were working towards reopening the highway as quickly as possible, and driveable vehicles were being cleared from the westbound lanes of the highway while tow trucks gathered nearby.
An emergency detour route was activated and a warming centre was made available at the Trenton Arena for stranded motorists as emergency services crews checked on stranded vehicles.
The collisions took place as the area around Toronto continues to recover from a major winter storm that saw record-breaking snowfall on Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2026.
The Canadian Press