Traffic on Highway 49 south of Grass Valley was held up as long as half an hour Wednesday as the intersection at Lime Kiln Road was paved. (Photo by John Hart)

Paving work at Highway 49 and Lime Kiln Road stopped traffic for as long as a half-hour Wednesday, and officials said to expect more delays into next week.

The asphalt work is part of a traffic-light installation project at the intersection, and the project could be completed by the end of the month, Caltrans spokesman Mark Dinger said.

Motorists approaching the intersection were forced to stop for up to 30 minutes at a time. When the northbound traffic proceeded, the southbound traffic stopped, and vice versa.

"Today was real bad. Tomorrow should go smoother," said Lt. Paul Vinson of the California Highway Patrol.

Vinson said crew workers told him today's delays should last 10 to 12 minutes. The crews are working between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The paving should be done by the end of today, Dinger said, and there will be two-lane traffic Friday, when crews begin striping the intersection. The striping could last until about Wednesday, Dinger said.

When the work is finished, that stretch of highway will have two lanes in each direction.

The work forced rescuers to change their plans on at least one call.

Nevada County Consolidated Fire District was called to a reported traffic accident south of its station, which is near La Barr Meadows Road, but a Higgins Corner crew wound up going instead, because of the jam.

The accident did not involve injuries.

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