Repairs to bridge will close section of Reno’s main drag

RENO -- A section of downtown Reno's main drag will be closed for nearly a month while repairs are made to a historic Truckee River bridge.

Beginning today, Virginia Street will be closed to all traffic from Mill Street to First Street because of repairs to the 102-year-old Virginia Street Bridge.

The Nevada Department of Transportation discovered problems with the bridge during a routine inspection.

City officials said repair work will help minimize further damage to the bridge during high river flows. The closure is expected to last until Nov. 16.

Plans call for the bridge to be replaced in the next several years as part of a flood-control project. The concrete bridge acts as a bottleneck during floods, causing water to spread through the downtown.

The bridge became legendary after it was portrayed by Hollywood and the news media as the site where people tossed wedding rings into the Truckee River after securing divorces at the nearby courthouse.

While the practice may have started as a publicity stunt when Reno was the nation's divorce capital, there's evidence that some divorcées threw rings into the river from it, according to state Archivist Guy Rocha.