Easter long weekend traffic a grind in every direction

Two hour journeys stretched into five-hour marathons for Sydneysiders fleeing the city for Easter as traffic snags hit north, south and west of the city.

Horror holiday traffic caused headaches for motorists in almost every direction heading out of Sydney on Good Friday as thousands attempted to leave for the long weekend.

Drivers heading north, south and west faced extensive delays with accidents and breakdowns worsening traffic including a multi-car crash on the M1 near Church St.

One motorist who contacted The Daily Telegraph said she had left Sydney Airport for Nelson Bay at midday but spent three hours driving to the start of the M1.

Another, Georgia Parnell, 23, said it took her and her partner five hours to travel from Riverstone to the Blue Mountains instead of the usual two.

“It’s definitely worse than previous years. On the M4 to Blackheath it’s been bumper-to-bumper and at a complete standstill,” Ms Parnell said.

Easter traffic has been bumper-to-bumper heading north on the M1 at Mount Ku-ring-gai. Picture: Tim Hunter

Heavy traffic backed up for kilometres heading north on the Pacific Hwy in Mount Ku-ring-gai. Picture: Damian Shaw

The high volume of holiday traffic choked the M1 for most of the day, with the northbound ramp to the NorthConnex at Pennant Hills Rd closing following an accident.

Gordon to Wahroonga and roads near Carlingford remained heavy all day.

A spokesman for the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) said at 5pm most routes across the city were finally beginning to move “very well”, with the gridlock finally easing across most of the state.

By 6.15pm, westbound traffic on the Great Western Hwy was still heavy between Wentworth Falls and Blackheath, while delays eased between Woodford and Hazelbrook, as well as between Bullaburra and Wentworth Falls.

“There still will be some people who head away tomorrow (Saturday) but it probably won’t be as bad,” the spokesman said.

Heavy Easter traffic northbound along the M1 Pacific motorway early on Friday. Picture: 7News

Traffic heading north on the M1 was at a slow crawl most of Friday. Picture: Damian Shaw

Motorists struck heavy delays as early as 8am due to the high volume of holiday-makers heading out of the city.

The Hume Hwy at 11am had a 50km traffic jam and remained clogged south of Campbelltown to Bargo for southbound lanes until late in the afternoon.

Accidents and breakdowns worsened snags on the M1 where traffic crawled for a 40km stretch between Hornsby and Brooklyn, worsening in the afternoon after a multi-vehicle accident near Church St at Mount Ku-ring-gai.

In the west, congestion started easing on the Great Western Hwy near Penrith by 5pm, but was heavy at Katoomba for westbound drivers crossing the Blue Mountains.

Hawkesbury traffic heading north on the M1 on Friday morning. Picture: 7News

SIX INJURED IN CRASH

Six people were injured in a multi-vehicle accident near Nelson Bay after a truck and Toyota ute collided on Nelson Bay Rd about 9.30am.

The female driver of the ute and one female passenger were seriously injured and flown to John Hunter Hospital, where they remain in a serious condition.

Three other passengers were treated for minor injuries at the scene, while the truck driver was taken to hospital for mandatory testing and treatment of his own minor injuries

Nelson Bay Rd between Gan Gan Rd (west) and Gan Gan Rd (east) was still closed at 2.30pm with drivers advised to use alternative routes.

With lots of people on the roads for the holidays, be sure to check all the latest information before you head out at https://t.co/Cfei5XOwwgpic.twitter.com/BpJXB4DgJu

— Live Traffic Sydney (@LiveTrafficSyd) April 2, 2021

TRAFFIC DELAYS AT 6.15PM

SYDNEY

• Northbound traffic has eased on the Pacific Hwy between Pymble and Wahroonga.

• Southbound traffic has eased on the Hume Motorway between Campbelltown and Douglas Park but remains heavy from Wilton to Bargo.

• Southbound traffic has eased on the Princes Hwy through Engadine.

NORTH AND HUNTER

• Northbound traffic has eased on the M1 Pacific Motorway between Wahroonga and Cowan but remains heavy from the Hawkesbury River Bridge to Calga.

• Northbound traffic has eased on the New England Hwy through Tarro.

SOUTH COAST

• Southbound traffic remains heavy on the Princes Hwy through Jaspers Brush - allow around 15 minutes extra travel time.

• Southbound traffic has eased on the Princes Hwy approaching Milton.

BLUE MOUNTAINS

• Westbound traffic remains heavy on the Great Western Hwy from Woodford to Hazelbrook and from Bullaburra to Blackheath – allow more than an hour’s extra travel time.

• Bells Line of Rd remains closed between Bell and Mount Tomah due to the recent extreme weather.

Motorists are also reminded that other roads are still closed in other parts of the state after the recent weather.