Motorists are in the midst of a horror evening commute after a semi-trailer loaded with boxes of soap rolled on the Western Ring Road.
Two trucks and a car were involved in a massive collision on the Western Ring Road at Glenroy about 10.30am on Tuesday, leaving the semi-trailer loaded with soap lying on its side in the middle of the road.
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Rolled over truck blocks four lanes on the Western Ring Road
Traffic has been brought to a stand still for several kilometres due to a rolled over truck on the Western Ring Road.
VicRoads finally managed to right the truck about 4.30pm – six hours after the crash.
However, by 7pm two lanes remained closed Greensborough-bound at the site of the accident near Pascoe Vale Road, with only two open.
🇦🇺 Heading to #Melbourne on freeway is basically walking pace from start of Tulla. Out bound same south RingRoad. #victraffic @JimmyTraffic pic.twitter.com/3d2XlM1eG5
— Emergency.Life (@Emergency_Life) May 30, 2017
Traffic controllers are warning the road is likely to be blocked long into the evening peak.
The ramp from the Tullamarine Freeway onto the Western Ring Road Greensborough-bound has also been shut.
The closure of the key arterial route has gridlocked large parts of Melbourne's western road network.
There is a 5.5-kilometre queue on the Calder Freeway Greensborough-bound, and there are also delays on the Tullamarine Freeway northbound and southbound, a VicRoads spokeswoman said.
The truck will need to be unloaded by hand, due to the weight of the cargo.
Police estimated on Tuesday morning the road could be closed for up to eight hours.
"VicRoads advises motorists to plan their journey home tonight as though the Western Ring Road will remain closed Greensborough-bound, into the evening peak," the spokesman said.
"If you're heading to the airport we recommend exiting the Western Ring Road at Airport Drive, as there are delays approaching the Tullamarine Freeway."
VicRoads said it did not know when the road would reopen, saying the scene was under the control of police.
The crash created a giant bottleneck in the city's northwest, with morning delays spilling out onto the Tullamarine and Calder freeways, Melrose Drive and Sharps Road.
Traffic to Melbourne Airport was also heavy and at least one bus service, the route 902 between Chelsea and Airport West, ran 30 minutes behind schedule.
One frustrated road user described the Ring Road as "a mess" on Twitter.
It is unclear what caused the smash and police are asking for witnesses to come forward.
The truck driver was injured in the crash and has been taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital in a stable condition.
WESTERN RING RD - The truck has been righted & left lane is open. There's a mess on site & crews are working hard to clear lanes #victraffic pic.twitter.com/jTnY3wNlSA
— VicTraffic (@VicTraffic) May 30, 2017
Truck rollover on the Ring Road near Pascoe Vale Rd turnoff outbound. Fortunately no serious injuries. @9NewsMelb pic.twitter.com/4pU1Fe8ub2
— Kate McGrath (@KateMcG6) May 30, 2017
From 30/05/2017 11AM-2PM,All 902 services to Chelsea bound only running up to 30 minutes late due to an accident on the Western ring Road.GM
— Transdev Melbourne (@Transdev_Melb) May 30, 2017