City recovers from heavy flooding
DVP re-opens, GO Transit service affected on the Richmond Hill line
It was a wild and wet night, but Toronto's transportation system is starting to recover after heavy rains caused flooding and havoc for drivers and transit users Wednesday night.
A sudden downpour brought bands of heavy rainfall that dropped 50 millimetres of precipitation in some areas. The localized storms flooded a few roadways, including the Don Valley Parkway, and halted service to one subway station. Firefighters had to rescue at least two stranded drivers near Leslie Street and Eglinton Avenue.
Here are the latest updates as of Thursday morning:
The rains caused rapid flooding in creeks and rivers, resulting in flooding in low-lying areas, the authority said. It warned against driving in low-lying roadways, particularly underpasses.
At the height of the rainstorm the Don Valley Parkway was closed from Bloor Street/Danforth Avenue to the lakeshore, with Ontario Transport Ministry cameras showing pools of water filling lanes in both directions at Dundas Street.
Subway trains were bypassing Lawrence station for two hours due to flooding there, but service was restored at about 11:15 p.m.
TTC buses that normally head eastbound on Eglinton Avenue had to divert to avoid flooding in the Don River watershed at Leslie Street.
Firefighters were called to the area to rescue two people trapped in their cars in the parking lot of Wilket Creek Park.
"The water came up so fast, the cars became trapped and actually started to move along with the water flow," fire platoon chief Peter Rose said.
The fire crews deployed inflatable boats and headed out on the water to throw life jackets and ropes to the drivers.
"They were able to pull the people from the cars and bring them back up," Rose said.