Traffic chaos on M50
There is traffic chaos on Dublin's M50 motorway this afternoon.
A lorry has jack-knifed between the Finglas and Blanchardstown exits.
Traffic is completely blocked southbound and is causing delays back to Finglas.
It is expected that delays will get worse.
The HGV cordon in Dublin city centre has been lifted to help ease the situation.
“At 12:30pm a crash involving two trucks and two cars blocked the southbound carriage of the motorway completely,” said AA Roadwatch Controller Nicola Hudson.
“We received a constant stream of phonecalls from drivers over the next two hours, many of whom were totally stuck on the M50 between J5 Finglas and the jack-knifed truck until 2:30pm when one lane finally reopened.”
Traffic diversions were implemented on the M50 southbound at J4 Ballymun and there were restrictions for drivers on the N2 Finglas Rd and the N3 Navan Rd.
“The HGV city cordon was lifted to facilitate truck drivers who were unable to use the M50, and we saw an immediate impact on traffic volumes in the Swords Rd and North Wall Quay from 1:30pm,” said AA Roadwatch Controller Nicola Hudson.
“All of the alerts provided to the radio stations, urged drivers to avoid the M50, with warnings for evening rush hour.”
All lanes are expected to be open before 4pm but that could be subject to change.
Throughout this time, the city centre remained unaffected and there were no major problems for drivers on the N7 Naas Rd and the N4 Lucan Rd.
M50 northbound traffic was slow due to onlookers passing the scene on the other side of the road but there were no blockages.
