Sydney traffic: M8 Motorway closed in both directions, Traffic backs up for kilometres

A major Sydney road has been thrown into chaos after roadworks finished late, causing both lanes of traffic to be closed.

The M8 Motorway closed in both directions between the St Peters Interchange and King Georges Road at Beverley Hills about 5am on Tuesday after overnight roadworks finished late.

The delayed finish was a result of a fire sprinkler malfunction during planned overnight maintenance work which caused water to flood the road, a Transport Management Centre spokesperson said.

Traffic has finally started to ease as of 10am after cars backed up more than 30km to Ingleburn in south-west Sydney for more than two hours.

One lane reopened in each direction on the M8 Motorway just before 8am, but traffic remains at a near standstill an hour later.

A reduced speed limit of 40km/h is in place while maintenance crews clear water from the road.

 Motorway crews remain on site and drivers are told to follow their directions and allow extra travel time as traffic is still heavy on the approach.

“Motorists should continue to exercise caution through the area,” a TMC spokesperson said.

Aerial photographs show cars piled up from Ingleburn to St Peters, creating a headache for commuters heading to work on Tuesday morning.

A commuter called into 2GB radio station to say he had been forced to slow down to just 15km/h on the 80km/h road.

“There’s gonna be a lot of angry people...it’s bumper to bumper...i’m going 15km/h and about to stop again,” he said.

Motorists are advised to consider using the M5 East Motorway between Beverley Hills & Arncliffe or the M4-M8 Link between Haberfield and St Peters is open.

They are being urged to allow extra travel time and expect delays.

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