BRISBANE-bound motorists are being warned to expect delays on the M1 after the northbound lanes were forced to close for more than an hour.
A car crash brought all northern lanes to a screeching halt at 12pm, with drivers told to get off the motorway at Exit 34 and travel through Meadowbrook to avoid the accident.
At 1.20pm, when the road had reopened, traffic was still backed up for eight kilometres past Exit 41 at Ormeau but conditions are now clearing quickly.
Police said it will take some time for conditions to completely return to normal, with delays still expected.
A spokeswoman urged drivers to allow extra time.
Earlier a ute collided with a guard rail and flipped across all lanes of the motorway, bringing traffic to a standstill.
There were attempts to allow cars to filter through the left hand lane but there was too much debris on the road and the lane remained closed for some time.
By 12.30pm delays stretched back to the Yatala Pie Shop, with motorists told to allow an extra 24 minutes to get through the five kilometre stretch.
Emergency crews at the scene directed traffic off the motorway.
The driver, a man in his 20s, was transported to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in a stable condition after being treated by paramedics on site.