M1 closure: Hundreds of cars stranded with flat tyres, traffic delays for those headed towards Sydney
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Hundreds of vehicles have been left stranded with flat tyres after a truck spilled metal debris across the southbound lanes of the M1 motorway on the NSW Central Coast early Friday morning, causing major traffic delays.
The incident happened around 5am near Palmdale, just north of Ourimbah, when a southbound truck lost part of its metal load
Sharp metal shards were scattered along more than 20 kilometres of the motorway, puncturing the tyres of unsuspecting drivers.
All southbound lanes of the M1 have been closed closed between Ourimbah and Mount White. Northbound lanes remain open.
All southbound motorists are being diverted onto the Pacific Highway at Ourimbah.
The shards were scattered along more than 20km of the southbound lanes, slashing the tyres of hundreds of vehicles driven by unsuspecting motorists.
Transport for NSW confirmed that hundreds of vehicles were affected, with some suffering multiple tyre punctures.
Around 25 kilometres of the motorway was closed while crews worked to clear the debris.
Chaos on the M1: A truck spill leaves hundreds stranded with flat tyres - debris stretches over 25km
Emergency crews are responding as debris causes traffic havoc up to Mooney Mooney Bridge
One tow truck driver said she had had a busy morning transporting cars back and forth to tyre repair shops.
'It's been non-stop,' Nicole of Central Coast Auto Recovery told AAP from the highway.
'I've towed six cars by myself so far and we're taking them all to Gosford tyre shops - just lots of flat tyres.'
A clean-up operation comprised of emergency crews and sweepers was underway on Friday morning.
'It's a very intricate clean-up operation of the road at the moment to make sure future vehicles aren't affected with any debris,' a Transport Management Centre spokesperson said.
'It's a bit of a slow effort before reopening the motorway from Ourimbah to Mount White'
Dozens of tow trucks have been dispatched to more than 200 drivers, NRMA spokesman Katrina Usman said.
'Our patrols are able to fix (single punctures) on the side of the road,' she said.
'But for cars with multiple wheels damaged, we've provided tows ... as of this morning, it was nearly two hours (to wait) for roadside assistance or a tow truck.'
GPS mapping shows just how major the delays (in red) are on the M1 on Friday morning
The incident occured Palmdale, north of Ourimbah, and debris were said to have scattered across every lane for more than 25 kilometres down to Mount White
'Thank God that no one's had a major accident or anything.'
Drivers of B-double trucks were advised to park up until the motorway reopens.
Other drivers are advised to use the old Pacific Highway instead.
The trucking company behind the metal spill apologised and pledged to foot the bill for impacted drivers
'We're very sorry for all the concern,' Daniel Falconer of NJ Ashton Group told 2GB.
'It seems to be an accident and we're very sorry and thank God no-one's had a major accident,' he said.
'The pins on the back of the truck were locked, confirmed by the police, so it's just a mechanical error of some sort.
'We don't know exactly how it's come out the back of the truck, it's just been seeping out by the looks of it over a couple of kilometres.'
Mr Falconer said the company had been 'doing this for about three or four years and we've never had a problem with it'.
Footage showed the traffic congestion on the M1 on Friday morning
The driver involved, 46, who has more than 20 years' experience, is helping police with their inquiries.
'He's devastated. He can't understand how it's happened,' Mr Falconer said.
'The same truck driver has been doing the same run for three or four weeks and we haven't had a problem.'
The company's mechanics are on the scene trying to help as many people as possible and Mr Falconer said NJ Ashton Group's insurance company would foot the bill.
Anyone affected should get in touch with NJ Ashton Group who are based in Horsley Park in Sydney's west.
