Motorists describe traffic chaos as cars stranded on M1 to Sydney after damage from metal shards
In short:
Motorists say a large number of cars were left stuck on the side of the road after being damaged by metal shards that spilled from a truck.
The NRMA says it is getting hundreds of calls from motorists across Sydney for help.
A trucking company based in Sydney's west has admitted it was their truck that accidentally dropped the debris.
Motorists have described the chaos caused by hundreds of vehicles being damaged by shards of metal that spilled from a truck along a vast stretch of the country's busiest roads.
Drivers were left stranded and waiting for help after their tyres were pierced by the debris from a truck on the M1 southbound from the NSW Central Coast to Sydney on Friday morning.
Some vehicles suffered multiple tyre punctures between Palmdale and the Mooney Mooney Bridge after 5am.
A truck carrying metal debris lost its load. (ABC News)
The motorway clean-up has taken all day. (ABC News)
An almost 30-kilometre section of the motorway was closed between Ourimbah and the Calga Interchange, with the clean-up expected to take all day.
The southbound lanes reopened on Friday afternoon, according to Transport for NSW.
Roger told 702 ABC Radio Sydney he got onto the freeway at Kariong and felt the debris under his tyres.
"There was a warning sign of debris on the Mooney Mooney Bridge," he said.
"Driving across the bridge it felt like I was going over a bed of gravel and from that point on there was virtually non-stop cars pulled over on the side of the road."
Roger said he was able to change the tyre himself several kilometres down the motorway.
"I got as far as Berowra and I had one flat tyre. So lucky, as the people next to me had two tyres affected and had to wait for help."
Some motorists suffered multiple punctures. (ABC News)
One driver told ABC Radio Central Coast he saw around 20 to 30 cars stranded on the M1, all with their hazard lights on and tyres flat. However, his car didn't escape unscathed having two of his tyres busted by the debris.
"It's just a disaster at the moment…I am just waiting for a tow truck hopefully get me back to Gosford so I can get my two tyres sorted out," he said.
Hundreds of cars have had their tyres shredded. (ABC News)
Shabby said he managed to escape damage while driving southbound this morning dozens of other vehicles were stuck by the side of the road.
"I heard the problem was at Ourimbah further north, so maybe I was lucky because I got on to the M1 at Gosford, so maybe a lot of the debris had not trailed down that far."
All southbound motorists are being diverted onto the Pacific Highway at Ourimbah. (ABC News)
He said he then drove slowly in case he had a flat tyre.
"I got out when I got to Wahroonga (Sydney's north) and just checked my poor tyres. They were still round, still black and still up, so thank goodness they survived."
Travelling north, a caller named Janet told 702 ABC Radio Sydney she was amazed how many cars were affected.
"We could just see all of these cars pulled over and we thought obviously it's the southbound. Those poor darlings were just stranded."
Problems not over yet
NRMA Roadside manager Simon Denic said the situation was worsening as people realised they had tyre damage.
"Hundreds of motorists have been affected in the area but now we are also getting calls for help further across Sydney,"he said.
Mr Denic said even if people could not see damage now, they should still have their tyres checked just in case.
"Motorists have pulled up at their destination and can see damage with a potentially slowly deflating tyre."
An almost 30-kilometres stretch of the motorway is closed. (ABC News)
Simone told 702 ABC Radio Sydney she was struck in traffic trying to head south from the Central Coast and get onto the M1.
"We are stuck on Peats Ridge Road, a trip that normally takes 30 minutes and we are in gridlock for two hours."
The trucking company NJ Ashton, based in Sydney's west, has admitted it was their truck that accidentally dropped the debris and has set up a website for affected motorists, saying "all reasonable costs are covered under our [insurance] policy".
General manager Daniel Falconer said the driver loaded his vehicle late yesterday.
"Just little bits of steel … so we're talking tonnes, 40 tonnes of it in the back of our truck … it's called flock, so it's just like scrap metal and we transport the material."
Mr Falconer said investigations were ongoing into what happened.
"The pins holding the trailer gate were secure, so it's a mystery how it came to spill."