NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A multiple tractor-trailer crash spilled hazardous material and caused traffic chaos for more than five hours on I-20 in North Augusta.

The westbound lanes were closed for several miles from just after 10 a.m. until about 3:17 p.m.

Right after the wreck, authorities said the Exit 5 on-ramp was closing "for the foreseeable future." Then westbound traffic came to a standstill. Drivers were exiting their vehicles and standing on the side of the interstate, since they weren't able to move.

For a few minutes around 12:20 p.m., allowed a few cars to slowly make their way through one lane next to the crash. But it was a drop in the bucket compared to the hundreds of vehicles in a backup between Ridge Road and West Martintown Road.

The one-lane reopening occurred after sand had been poured around 11:30 a.m., covering and absorbing what looked like motor oil smeared across the pavement at Mile Marker 4.

PHOTO GALLERY | I-20 CLOSURE IN AIKEN COUNTY:

It's not clear how the crash unfolded, but one truck rolled over onto its side on the pavement and another was in the median with heavy damage to the front end. One of the trucks was carrying building materials and the other was apparently carrying food and beverages.

A vehicle carrier truck also appeared to have been involved in some way.

We did not see any paramedics or EMS vehicles or personnel. However, we did see nearly a dozen men working to clear the debris.

Just after 3:15 p.m., South Carolina Department of Transportation traffic cameras showed the barricade moving away and the first vehicles traveling slowly forward through the stretch that had been closed.

The mess came a day after another accident shut down westbound I-20 in Aiken County.

That crash blocked all westbound lanes of Interstate 20 and backed up traffic for quite a distance Thursday.

The crash happened around 3:45 p.m. Thursday on westbound Interstate 20 at Bettis Academy Road.

The car rolled onto its side on the shoulder of the highway.