MELBOURNE, Australia — Peak-hour traffic ground to a complete halt this morning after a heavy commercial truck rolled over at one of Melbourne’s busiest arterial junctions, right outside the popular DFO South Wharf shopping precinct.

The incident has triggered massive gridlock across the inner city, leaving thousands of motorists stranded and heavily impacting key commuter corridors connecting the CBD to the southern suburbs.

Emergency services were called to the scene at the intersection of Normanby Road and Montague Street—just a stone's throw from the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and DFO South Wharf—following reports that a large rigid truck had tipped onto its side while navigating the busy junction.

Victoria Police, ambulance crews, and Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) arrived swiftly to secure the area. The driver of the truck was assessed at the scene by paramedics and miraculously escaped with only minor injuries.

However, the sheer size of the vehicle meant it completely blocked multiple lanes, turning the surrounding intersection into an impassable bottleneck. Firefighters worked to contain a minor fuel leak from the ruptured tank of the heavy vehicle to prevent further environmental or safety hazards.

Striking at the peak of the morning rush hour, the crash caused immediate gridlock as traffic backed up for kilometers. The disruption triggered a massive domino effect across surrounding arterials: the West Gate Freeway (M1) faced severe delays on off-ramps feeding into the city and South Melbourne, while Montague Street was completely closed in both directions near the accident site.

Consequently, motorists trying to bypass the chaos flooded Wurundjeri Way and Olympic Boulevard, resulting in heavy, bumper-to-bumper congestion.

The Department of Transport issued an urgent alert, advising drivers to completely avoid the South Wharf area and use Kings Way or City Road as alternative routes into the city center. Public transport users were not spared either, with local bus routes forced to divert and tram services along nearby corridors experiencing minor delays.

Heavy-duty tow trucks and specialized salvage crews have been deployed to the intersection to begin the complex task of uprighting and removing the rolled vehicle. Officials warn that the recovery process will take several hours due to the truck's weight and the necessity of safely clearing scattered debris from the roadway.

"We are urging all motorists to be patient and avoid the area if possible," a traffic management spokesperson said. "The intersection is a vital artery for the city, and we are working as quickly as possible to safely clear the scene, but delays will persist well into the afternoon."

An investigation into the exact cause of the rollover is currently underway, with authorities looking into whether shifting cargo, speed, or mechanical failure played a role in the accident.