All eastbound lanes of the Gardiner Expressway reopened Tuesday morning after police determined that the danger of falling ice had passed.
The highway was closed Monday morning when baseball-sized chunks of ice began falling on the roadway. Large sheets of ice were also seen flying over the highway, carried by high winds.
Ice formed on the world's tallest freestanding structure late last week during a freezing rain storm. On Monday, high winds sheered large sheets of ice from the side of the tower, raining it down on the expressway below.
Closing the highway for a second day Tuesday morning resulted in traffic chaos as people made their way into the city during the rush hour.
Traffic backed up for miles along the Gardiner as police detoured traffic off the expressway.
An overnight fatal accident complicated the situation. A limosine had collided with the rear-end of a tractor trailer, reportedly killing the car's driver.
Police closed westbound lanes as far as Jameson Avenue to investigate. The lanes were re-opened to traffic around 9:30 a.m., further easing the traffic strain.
The CN Tower's massive concrete column is still covered in many places with large sheets of ice. Formations of this kind are uncommon for the tower. Officials at the tourist attraction say there is little they can do except wait for Mother Nature to take care of the problem.
High winds had been peeling the ice away from the building, but the winds subsided and police decided just before 9 a.m. to allow traffic to use the Gardiner again.
