A trail of apples caused traffic chaos when a fruit truck jack-knifed on the Monash Freeway on Thursday morning, bringing the busy arterial to a halt.
The truck slammed into a glass soundwall on the freeway’s inbound lane just near the Church Street bridge, in South Yarra, about 4.30am.
Apples and other debris were strewn about 100 metres along the freeway, forcing all lanes to be closed.
Traffic was diverted off the freeway at Toorak Road.
Heavy haulage and salvage crews were called to clear the debris, while an excavator was brought in to empty remaining fruit from the truck so it could be towed away, a VicRoads spokeswoman said.
Two lanes were reopened about 6.30am but motorists experienced heavy delays through the morning peak, with traffic backed up as far as Chadstone.
Police said they interviewed the truck’s driver but no charges had been laid.
“The driver, a 40-year-old man from from Narre Warren, was interviewed by police and released pending further inquiries,” a spokeswoman said.
Two left-hand lanes on the freeway remains closed at 8.30am as crews from CityLink and the truck company worked to clear the remaining debris, the VicRoads spokeswoman said.
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Monash freeway apples. One lane getting through @7NewsMelbourne @3AW693 pic.twitter.com/Vr7yel9xf0
— Chris Martin (@thechrismartin7) July 16, 2014
