TIJUANA - Dozens of motorists and buses traveling to Mexicali were stuck in a highway pass at La Rumorosa for more than two hours at midday Thursday in temperatures that reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit as crews repaired the pavement.

With no warning from authorities, drivers had to stop and wait in the punishing heat in La Rumorosa, a curving mountain road about 70 miles east of Tijuana. Some of them expressed their outrage through social media.

"They are fixing the street at 12 p.m., it's been 1 hr and 20 min in the middle of Rumorosa…. Don't they work at night?!" Gaby Gómez posted to her Facebook page.

Around 3 p.m., the lane that descends toward the Laguna Salada reopened and traffic began to flow, authorities reported.

Enrique Moran White, the administrator of La Rumorosa, said the long wait was caused by a "complication" during the work done on the damaged asphalt of a curve.

"It was a job that should have taken 15 or 20 minutes, but we had a complication with the machinery," the official said.

He said there was urgency in doing the repair at that hour because the curve showed serious damage.

"Our goal is to prevent accidents and that stretch of highway needed to be repaired quickly."

He said he understood the travelers' frustration and said that all repair work will be suspended until after the peak vacation season ends.

Information from Alexandra Mendoza was used in this news.

Andrea.garcia@sandiegored.com