Highway 403 in Hamilton reopened after hours-long closure

Highway 403 was closed for several hours around Hamilton Tuesday so police could respond to a "sensitive" situation that required "empathy and care," they said.

Hamilton police told CBC Hamilton on Wednesday its Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team (MCRRT) was involved as the highway was closed in both directions during rush hour and into the evening.

The 403 and some surrounding roads between Highway 6 North and Main Street were closed as early as 3 p.m. Tuesday and reopened shortly before midnight. 

OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said on Tuesday Burlington OPP was assisting with the road closures as police were "dealing with someone in crisis."

'Incidents like these have no time limits:' police

Hamilton police said the long road closure was necessary to "to safely isolate and contain the area, evacuate bystanders, and begin sensitive negotiations." 

The MCRRT, which is made up of police officers and mental health professionals, were involved in the situation, police said. The team "ensures a compassionate, coordinated response to some of the community's most complex and sensitive situations," public information officer Adam Kimber said in an email statement to CBC Hamilton. 

"The MCRRT team worked closely with trained negotiators to create a calm, controlled environment that prioritized the safety and dignity of everyone involved. We acknowledge that many members of the public were frustrated by the resulting traffic delays and the impact on their commute home. We understand and appreciate those concerns. However, incidents like these have no time limits," he wrote. 

"From the outset, our top priority is always to protect life. That means protecting the individual in crisis, the public, and our officers from the potential of tragedy and the lasting struggles that can follow. We will always take the time needed to resolve these situations safely, with empathy and care."

'Huge traffic nightmare'

The closure came right as rush hour was getting under way.

For Hamilton resident Scott Mills, that meant he was unable to pick up his child from school as planned.

"I live on Hamilton East Mountain and my kid goes to school up in Carlisle-Flamborough area. I was supposed to pick him up at school in time to get him to his basketball game," he told CBC Hamilton Tuesday night.

"I tried another way and it was all clogged up. It took me an hour and a half to get somewhere that should take 25 minutes."

Mills said he was left wondering what the cause of the closure was, before he read the police update later in the evening and had a better understanding.

"I am a guy in the know and I was in the dark about what was going on. It's a huge, huge traffic nightmare to have the road closed at that spot." 

His son got a ride instead with his school principal, Mills said. "Even the alternate routes were just jammed. The only friend was Google maps."