UPDATE, 4pm:
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Western Freeway could be closed until midnight tonight, as the clean-up effort following this morning's crash continues.
Ballarat Divisional Commander Jason Templar said police, SES and CFA were continuing to recover items discarded from the bus during the crash, including luggage.
"As you can imagine with a scene like that and the impact, there's debris spread around quite a large distance, that will take some time," he said.
"We'll retrieve all those items and return them to the school within 24 hours so they can be picked up by the students."
He warned the Melbourne-bound lanes of the Western Freeway could be closed until midnight, and urged motorists to seek alternatives.
"That will continue probably through to midnight, there'll still be road closures in place across the highway until that's concluded," he said.
VicRoads has asked motorists to plan ahead as the detours will add significant travel time to their journey.
Motorists are asked to follow the detour signs rather than GPS instructions. Several drivers have found themselves on unsuitable roads because of inaccurate GPS directions.
EARLIER, 1pm:
Motorists looking to head into Melbourne for the extra-long weekend are being urged to plan ahead, after a truck and bus crash on the Western Freeway earlier this morning.
The incoming lane towards Melbourne has been completely closed off, starting at Ballan, as emergency services investigate and clean up the remains of the incident.
VicRoads has urged motorists leaving Ballarat to diver via Geelong using the Midland Highway.
The diversion could add up to an extra half-an-hour to an hour to the trip, and motorist are urged to expect heavy traffic on main roadways in the area.
Police have local detours in place through Pentland Hills and Bacchus Marsh, although there are significant delays and motorists are encouraged to avoid the area.
The closure is under the control of Victoria Police. The Western Freeway will re-open once investigations are complete and it is safe to do so.
Real-time traffic conditions are available at traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au or via the VicTraffic mobile app. The latest public transport information and network status is available at ptv.vic.gov.au or in the PTV mobile app.
Have you tried The Courier's app? It can be downloaded here.
