Work to pave a half-mile of Highway 525 in Clinton has been put on hold until a new liquid asphalt supplier is found, the state Department of Transportation said Friday.

The current supplier of liquid asphalt, Tesoro, announced it will no longer supply the material due to changes in its refinery process. Liquid asphalt is the black, thick liquid used to bind the components of asphalt together.

The Department of Transportation and its contractor, Krieg Construction, are working to find a new supplier and hope to finish the paving project before fall.

Work on the South End’s main traveling corridor had started Monday, July 21. The state had planned to wrap up work by today.

Transportation officials said roughly half of the paving is complete and the road is open and smooth through the work zone.

Crews will return between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Monday to stripe the portion that has been completed.

Before paving can resume, the contractor on the project must submit a new mix design to the state for testing and approval, which could take a few weeks or more to complete. Officials warn, however, that the turnaround time for approval can take longer this time of year because of the volume of paving going on around Washington.