MOTORISTS, for once, have a legitimate reason to blame Emerald traffic for making them late to work.

Early morning traffic currently resembles that often found in larger cities as motorists coming from the south side of town face a wait of up to half an hour to reach the Emerald CBD.

Yesterday solicitors referred to the traffic situation in the Emerald Magistrate's Court as the reason why their clients were not there at 9am.

The commuter chaos has been caused by the John Gay Bridge being closed due to flooding and police were asking motorists to remain patient during this time and be courteous to other drivers.

"Due to the close of the John Gay Bridge which is beyond anyone's control, everyone is required to use the Vince Lester Bridge which has caused a bottleneck in traffic for people attempting to get from the eastern side to the west side of town," acting officer-in-charge Sergeant Terry McCullough said.

"Police urge motorists to be patient and considerate with each other at this time."

Sgt McCullough encouraged motorists to avoid using the Gregory Hwy at peak time in the morning or to allow extra time for travel.