Route 602 (Burkes Pond Road) over Burke’s Mill Stream in Gloucester was closed to traffic last week after an annual inspection found additional deterioration of the bridge’s steel beams. The bridge will be closed for more than a year.

Construction for the replacement bridge is expected to begin in January and be completed late next fall, according to Virginia Department of Transportation spokesperson Kelly Hannon. The closure requires motorists to take a detour through that area. Hannon said the route is approximately 6½ miles long and motorists should anticipate an additional travel time of almost 10 minutes.

The detour had already been planned, Hannon said, but now motorists will have to take the alternate route for an additional four months. The bridge was scheduled to be closed in January 2015 for a $1.3 million replacement project.

However, Hannon said that VDOT engineers determined the bridge had to be closed immediately for motorist safety.

“Due to t...