IRWIN TWP, Venango County — A six-mile stretch of westbound lanes of Interstate 80 was closed Thursday just north of Butler County due to a tractor-trailer accident.

Three tractor-trailers were involved in the crash, which occurred about 9:15 a.m. in the westbound lanes near mile-marker 31.

State Police in Franklin said a rig driven by Andrew J. Torres, 28, of Tiverton, R.I., failed to see slow moving traffic and struck a rig driven by Jeffrey L. Jacobs, 49, of Rowlett, Texas.

Torres’ truck went off the side of I-80 and rolled over after striking Jacob’s vehicle.

Another rig, driven by Christine J. Cully, 48, of Hurleyville, N.Y., jackknifed and struck Jacobs’ truck after Cully attempted to stop for the accident.

Cully’s truck blocked both westbound lanes. No one was injured but three trucks were towed by Hovis Towing.

The westbound lanes between Exit 35 in Clintonville and Exit 29 to Barkeyville were closed for several hours while crews cleared the wreck.

Joe Fitzgerald, Marion Township Volunteer Fire Company chief, whose company managed the road closing, said emergency responders dealt with “a tremendous amount of heavy traffic.”

Traffic from I-80 was redirected off Exit 35 up Route 308 to Route 208, which goes to Route 8 in Barkeyville.

“It was nonstop trucks,” said Raeman Hanna, owner of Hanna Music Supply at the corner of routes 208 and 8. Hanna said he lives along Route 208 about a mile away from Clintonville.

“It took a while to get to work,” he said, adding the stream of trucks was only beginning to dwindle about 4 p.m.

Perhaps the heaviest traffic was in Clintonville as traffic was directed around the intersection of routes 308 and 208.

A worker with the Clintonville Market said traffic was backed up in both directions through the borough in the afternoon.

She said it didn’t seem like the weather with scattered snow showers caused any other problems.

“The roads are just a little covered,” she said.