KNOX — Temporarily closed on the Knox side for a bridge repair, Bozenkill Road is expected to reopen the week of July 20, said Mary Rozak, spokeswoman for the Albany County executive.

For more than three months, travelers between Altamont and Knox have had to take a mile-long detour.

Bozenkill Road stretches from Knox Cave Road, in Knox, to Western Avenue, in Altamont, for an approximate distance of 8 miles. 

The $1,020,710.50 repair was centered around the bridge’s prestressed concrete box beam, which was “deteriorated to the point that replacement was necessary,” Rozak wrote in an email; the project also features some improvements to the abutments.

She said the concrete box beam was replaced with a steel I-beam structure.

“Construction was originally scheduled for spring/summer 2019,” Rozak wrote; “however delays in steel beam fabrication made it necessary to postpone construction until 2020.”

Construction commenced on April 14, with the road having been closed the day prior. All the while, travelers on that road had to settle for a more roundabout path to their destination. 

Assuming a resident didn’t know about the closure and was rerouted from the intersection of Bozenkill and Knox Cave roads, the nearest alternate path to Altamont would be a winding one along a few different roads, adding another mile to the commute.

“There were probably thousands of residents affected by this closure,” said Knox resident Robert Price, a member of the Knox Planning Board. “I was there the day [construction] started. From an engineering perspective — and that’s what I do for a living — it seems like this took too long.” 

But for any headaches travelers may have endured — “barring any unforeseen circumstances,” Rozak said — those troubles will soon be water under the bridge.