Twelve Mile Creek: Traffic chaos north of Newcastle as truck spills diesel

One of the state’s busiest roads has been brought to a near standstill for most of Monday after a two-truck crash led to one wedging itself in the median strip and leaking thousands of litres of diesel.

Truck stuck on median strip on Pacific Hwy north of Newcastle.

One of the state’s busiest roads has been brought to a near standstill for most of Monday after a two-truck crash led to one wedging itself in the median strip and leaking thousands of litres of diesel.

The situation began to unfold about 7am on Monday near Twelve Mile Creek on the Pacific Highway north of Newcastle with commuters travelling north and south heavily impacted deep into the afternoon.

Commuters have suffered delays of more than an hour through the area due to the incident with a Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman telling this publication roughly “8000l” had been spilt.

Commuters banked up on the Pacific Highway, north of Newcastle.

TWELVE MILE CREEK: There's been a crash involving two trucks on the Pacific Hwy at The Bucketts Way. Heavy northbound traffic is starting to build. Exercise caution and expect some delays.

— Live Traffic NSW (@LiveTrafficNSW) October 13, 2024

Early reports indicated none of the diesel had entered nearby waterways, however, the spokesman later said a portion had leaked into the nearby creek. He said he was unsure “how much” had flown into the creek.

FRNSW crews attended the scene as part of a “multi-agency response” with its Hazmat team also on site.

The spokesman said crews are still monitoring the situation with Live Traffic NSW confirming all northbound lanes were closed due to the crash.

It is unclear as to when all lanes will be reopened with northbound traffic using a southbound lane to continue travel.