BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

There is traffic bedlam on the New England Highway north of Muswellbrook this morning, following an earlier truck fire.

A b-double caught alight near Burtons Lane around 4:10am, with crews managing to extinguish the blaze at about 7am.

Motorists are currently able to pass in one direction at a time, with stop slow signs in operation.

A tow truck is on scene, but Dave Wright from the Transport Management Centre says it is expected cleanup efforts may take a while yet.

“During truck fires, we get things like bitumen melting, and when bitumen melts it becomes unsafe for drivers and motorbike riders so often we have to re-pave the area it’s burnt, it could be a diesel spill,” he explained, “there often is a lot of elements to a truck fire over just extinguishing it and opening everything up.”

– Jessica Rouse, Journalist 2NM AM 98.1