QEW lane closures may continue into Friday for truck fire cleanup

Traffic in Hamilton is a mess for commuters Thursday and it might continue into Friday.

An overnight truck fire that caused the closure of the QEW Toronto-bound lanes remained closed through the morning rush hour, with one lane opening for traffic just after 10 a.m. At the same time, live traffic maps on city streets and arteries are showing slow downs across Hamilton.

The HSR reported on Thursday morning in a tweet that many westbound bus routes in the city were experiencing delays due to the closure of the QEW and that heavy traffic is impacting service.

OPP announced in a tweeted at 10:12 a.m. that the left lane opened to traffic. The two right lanes and shoulder remain closed.

The Ministry of Transportation's 511 traffic Twitter account said the two right lanes and shoulder of the QEW Toronto-bound lanes would likely continue to be closed until Friday as clean up and repairs to the highway after the truck fire continue.

In a tweet at 3:37 a.m., OPP first reported a fire on the QEW at North Shore Boulevard had caused the full closure of the Toronto-bound lanes.

Police later updated the tweet and said the Burlington OPP are investigating a truck fire where a load of batteries in the trailer had burned, causing the closure of the highway. The tweet also said the reopening time of the QEW was unknown and that there were no injuries reported.

The blockage on the QEW created backups on the highway into Hamilton as far east as Nikola Tesla Boulevard, according to the 511 traffic website.

HSR is asking that you leave extra time for travel because of the delays.

Jennifer Moore is an editorial assistant at The Spectator in Hamilton. Reach her via email: jmoore@thespec.com