New Bridges for Downtown Reno

It's a done deal that all six of Reno's downtown bridges across the Truckee River will be replaced. If you were here in 1997 or 2005, you know that the existing spans are impediments to the flow of flood waters, causing it to back up and spread through the city rather than freely flowing out of town and spreading over unpopulated and undeveloped areas to the east. The big question now is deciding what form the new bridges will take, how they will look, and the cost. Because it is the oldest and in worst shape, the Virginia Street Bridge would be replaced first. The others are at Booth, Lake, Center, and Sierra Streets, and Arlington Avenue.

The third in a series of public workshops, part of the Truckee River Bridges Visioning Project sponsored by the City of Reno and the Truckee River Flood Project, will be held on Tuesday, October 21, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It will be at the McKinley Arts & Culture Center, 925 Riverside Drive in Reno. The goal of this workshop is to present refined concepts for replacing the downtown bridges and to obtain public input regarding structure types and desired level of flood protection. This is your chance to both learn about the various options and to have a say in how the project is ultimately built. For more information, contact Kerri Lanza, P.E., Senior Civil Engineer, City of Reno, at (775) 334-2683.