Melbourne’s western corridor experienced significant traffic disruption on Thursday morning after a serious collision on the M80 Ring Road near Boundary Road in Laverton North brought Altona-bound lanes to a complete halt.
The incident, which drew Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, and Transport Victoria’s Incident Response Service to the scene, created a ripple effect of congestion that stretched well beyond the immediate crash site.
The collision forced authorities to close all Altona-bound lanes on the M80, with all traffic being redirected off the freeway via the Boundary Road exit.
Drivers were then able to re-enter the freeway using the Altona-bound entry ramp, though the detour added considerable time to already busy morning commutes. The full closure remained in place while emergency services worked to make the scene safe, and tow trucks were deployed to remove the vehicles involved.
Delays Push Past 70 Minutes as Surrounding Roads Buckle
As the situation developed through the morning, delays on the M80 Ring Road and the Western Freeway climbed beyond 70 minutes, with no immediate sign of relief for frustrated commuters.
The congestion quickly spread to surrounding roads, with Fitzgerald Road, Boundary Road, and several streets through Sunshine all becoming heavily congested as drivers sought alternative routes away from the freeway.
Transport authorities urged motorists to allow extra time and to detour as widely around the affected area as conditions allowed. For those already on the M80, several alternative routes were put forward.
Drivers were advised to consider exiting at Ballarat Road and making their way through Sunshine, or leaving the freeway at Fitzgerald Road and using Boundary Road to either return to the M80 further along or connect to Geelong Road.
Another option suggested was taking Fitzgerald Road and using Kororoit Creek Road to access the Princes Freeway, bypassing the worst of the congestion entirely.
Partial Reopening Brings Some Relief
By 9.10 am, two Altona-bound lanes had been partially reopened to traffic, offering some relief to the long queue of vehicles that had built up behind the incident.
However, authorities were clear that a full reopening of all lanes would only happen once tow trucks had removed every vehicle from the scene and it was confirmed safe to do so. Motorists were still advised to proceed with caution and to continue allowing extra travel time.
The morning’s chaos was compounded by a separate incident on another section of the same road. Two middle lanes of the M80 Ring Road were also reported closed in the Greensborough-bound direction following a collision involving a truck near Keilor Park Drive.
Emergency services attended that scene as well, with speed limits reduced to 40km/h and overhead signals activated. Motorists passing through that stretch were asked to obey all overhead signals and exercise caution.
The dual incidents effectively put pressure on the M80 from multiple directions during peak hour, leaving commuters across Melbourne’s west with few easy options for getting to their destinations on time.
Authorities continued to monitor the situation and encouraged drivers to check live traffic updates before heading out and to consider delaying non-essential travel until conditions improved.
