2km back up on HWY 401 to enter a shopping centre in Ontario

Shoppers headed to an Ontario outlet mall are causing backups along a major Ontario highway this afternoon (Oct. 12).

According to reports, westbound traffic on Highway 401 through Milton and Halton Hills has come to a standstill, with traffic backed up into Mississauga.

The destination is Toronto Premium Outlets, with drivers trying to access the exit ramps at James Snow Parkway and Trafalgar Road.

A collision on the James Snow ramp that closed all exit lanes for 90 minutes also contributed to the traffic pile-up.

One driver headed in the opposite direction said the lineup of cars in the longest he has ever witnessed on this stretch of the highway.

At its peak traffic at around 3pm the back up was around 2km long west bound on Highway 401.

“Can’t believe this many people need to go shopping today,” was his comment on X. “Must be a sale or something.”

Toronto Premium Outlets is a high-end fashion mall with 800,000 sq-ft of shopping space with stores such as Armani, Burberry, Coach, Jimmy Choo and Prada.

The outlet mall is open until 7 p.m. today.

Those who can’t get into their favourite store today and try again tomorrow, as Toronto Premium Outlets is open from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving Monday.