BETHEL — Once again, work on State Route 17B in Bethel has started, and detours are already in place.

According to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), the construction started in March 2020 and will replace deteriorated structures that carry State Route 17B over the Monagaup River and Creamery Brook.

Moreover, according to the NYSDOT website, the work will not be complete until the summer of 2021.

Detours have been made in front of the used car dealership, Seven X Motors, and Brother Bruno's restaurant.

Co-Owner and Shop Manager Eric Alleva said the construction had taken away a large portion of his business's front road space. Also, Alleva said the noise and the dirt from the road work make it hard for him to do business.

Alleva said since last year the construction work has disrupted the visibility and accessibility to his business.

“You can't really drive in the parking lot; it's blocked off with machinery equipment,” said Alleva.

However, Alleva said he anticipated the road work and started to build a new location just up the road from his current spot. He would like to complete the building to that new lot, which he said would triple his inventory, but it is still awaiting approval from the NYSDOT.

“It's a total of 19 acres and 975 feet of road frontage. It's killer and the location is excellent,” said Alleva.

David Ryan of KSS Engineering, who is handling the proposal for Seven X Motors, said he has been in constant contact with the NYSDOT.

While Alleva has been able to pivot his business to another location, he has watched his neighbor from across the road, Brother Bruno's be “decimated” by the construction.

Lisa, who did not want to give her last name, from Brother Bruno's said with COVID-19 PAUSE allowing them to do only take-out, and with the ongoing construction, it has been “devastating.”

State Route 17B has been diverted and now flows through the parking lot of the restaurant.

Construction throughout the region has been stopped due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

However, some construction can continue if deemed essential, and according to Scott Cook, Public Information Specialist for NYSDOT for Region 9, “DOT and DOT employees have been deemed essential workers, as are the contractors who work for us, therefore, we are moving ahead with projects and permits.”

Bethel Town Supervisor Dan Sturm said, “It is a much-needed infrastructure repair that will serve our town for a long time, and we were lucky to have been awarded this multi-million dollar project here at the state's expense.”

According to NYSDOT, the current cost for the project is $6.5 million.

Sturm added, “They were good enough to postpone the work for our 2019 Woodstock Anniversary year, and it seems this is a pretty good time to get it done.”