TUESDAY’S traffic chaos after the closure of southbound lanes of the Tugun bypass showed how well it worked, according to the state’s road authority.

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Department closed the Pacific Highway after a chemical spill from a truck early Tuesday morning.

The road was closed for about 10 hours while emergency services cleaned up the site.

Drivers caught up in the road closure were diverted to the Gold Coast Highway and rejoined the bypass at Kennedy Drive, Tweed Heads.

The detour caused lengthy delays and congestion on the detour route and surrounding streets.

A Transport and Main Roads spokesman said without the Tugun bypass, delays of up to 30 minutes on the Gold Coast Highway would be common by 2017.

“Today’s (Tuesday) incident showed a clear picture of the amount of congestion if the Tugun bypass were not built,” the spokesman said.

“Today’s unique incident was cleared more quickly than expected given the hazardous substance, and the bypass was reopened prior to the afternoon peak hour.”

State member for Currumbin Jann Stuckey was a long-time critic of the way the State Government had handled management of the M1 in her electorate.

“It’s all well and good to say it (chemical spill) doesn’t happen very often, but the fact is it did happen,” Ms Stuckey said.

“The trouble was people didn’t have the option to choose another route because there were none.

“We needed an interchange at Boyd St, but the State Government scrapped that idea in 2002.”

The bypass was opened in 2008 at a cost of $543m.