The Sierra Street Bridge has carried traffic over the Truckee River since 1937. RTC Washoe says it is in poor condition and near the end of its service life. Its shallow foundations are vulnerable to scour, and its piers catch debris, which has been linked to past flood-related closures. The RTC project page puts the replacement at $39,434,145.
For people who use downtown, the change that matters most is where they'll walk. According to the project FAQ, utility work starts in early 2027, the bridge closes for construction in March 2027, and the work wraps up in 2028. That makes the holiday season, the monthly Wine Walks and the restaurants that opened along First Street this fall the last ones on the riverfront as it's laid out now.
What March 2027 Takes Off the Map
RTC's park-impact notice spells out which parts of the Downtown Reno Riverwalk close and for how long.
- North bank: About 0.14 miles of the Riverwalk between West Street Plaza and South Virginia Street closes for roughly two years. Pedestrians and cyclists will detour along part of West 1st Street. The notice says the detour adds no distance but may take a little longer.
- South bank: About 340 feet between Rainbow Street and the east side of Sierra Street closes for roughly two years. The rest of the park stays open.
- The bridge itself: The Sierra Street span and the road approaches on each end close. Cars, buses, pedestrians and cyclists all detour to nearby streets.
- The river: Whitewater park users can't use the Sierra Street takeout during construction. Signs will send them to the east end of Wingfield Park or to West Street Plaza instead, and City Plaza will serve as an emergency exit.
Work in the river channel is limited to July 1 through October 31, and permitting agencies may stretch that to June through November. During those months, the river runs through a smaller part of the channel. RTC estimates 18 to 24 months of construction. Its designer and contractor are looking for ways to cut that to 12 to 18 months. The work can't start until the Arlington Avenue Bridges Project is finished.
RTC also says every business near the work zone will stay open and accessible during construction.
The Eddy Closed Before the Barricades Went Up
One downtown spot has already closed. The Eddy's owners set November 8, 2026 as their last day, and News 4 reported the reason they gave in their statement:
"a direct result of the negative business impacts looming from RTC's Sierra Street Bridge project slated to run April 2027 thru Summer 2028, and the land Owner's unwillingness to renew our ground lease at reasonable terms."
Their timeline is a month later than RTC's. The agency's FAQ says the bridge closes in March 2027.
Earlier in 2026, The Eddy had proposed leasing City Plaza, also known as Believe Plaza, for five years at $1 a year to run a private outdoor entertainment venue. News 4 reported that the owners withdrew the proposal in July 2026, citing procedural and legal considerations.
So City Plaza stays a public plaza, and that matters for the holidays. A This Is Reno column listed the plaza's regular events, among them the Menorah Lighting, the Christmas Tree Lighting and the Holiday Lights Festival. It also noted that three city plans adopted since 2023 all call for an improved public plaza with open space. City Plaza sits downstream of Sierra Street and isn't in either closure. During construction, it's the river's emergency exit.
The Winter Calendar Still Runs on the Old Route
All of downtown's scheduled riverfront events between now and February fall before the March closure.
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Wine Walk | Riverwalk District | 2 to 5 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Holiday Lights Festival | City Plaza, 10 N. Virginia St. | Entertainment at 4 p.m. |
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Holiday Lights Festival | City Plaza | Entertainment at 4 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Holiday Lights Festival | City Plaza | Entertainment at 4 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Holiday Lights Festival | City Plaza | Entertainment at 4 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Wine Walk | Riverwalk District | 2 to 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Jan. 16 | Wine Walk | Riverwalk District | 2 to 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 20 | Wine Walk | Riverwalk District | 2 to 5 p.m. |
The Reno Gazette Journal lists the Holiday Lights Festival as free. The Wine Walk is a monthly event run by Riverwalk Merchants Association businesses along the river and nearby downtown streets. Check times on renoriver.org before you go.
The February 20 Wine Walk is the last one on this calendar. It's about a month ahead of RTC's planned March closure.
Sunday, Nov. 29, Along Virginia Street
The festival's opening day falls on a Sunday with two other events within a few blocks of the river. In order:
- 1 p.m.: Sierra Nevada Ballet's "Peanutcracker — The Story in a Nutshell," a shortened version of "The Nutcracker" for young kids, at the Pioneer Center, 100 S. Virginia St. Tickets are $15 to $25. A second show is at 5 p.m.
- 4 p.m.: Holiday Lights Festival entertainment begins at City Plaza, 10 N. Virginia St.
- 7 p.m.: Afroman at Revenant Music Hall, 211 N. Virginia St.
Revenant is a nightclub and live music venue in the former Virginia Street Brewhouse and Knitting Factory space. Its upcoming shows include Walker & Royce on Nov. 20, SIDEQUEST on Nov. 28, Jakota Wass and Huckleberry Road on Dec. 4, and EAZYBAKED on New Year's Eve. The Dec. 4 show is the night before the festival's second weekend begins.
First Street Is Gaining Tenants
Starting in 2027, part of West 1st Street becomes the north-bank Riverwalk detour. First Street has already picked up two new restaurants this fall.
Guadalajara Grill opened its second location at 180 E. First St., near the ballpark. This Is Reno reported that the family-owned Mexican restaurant started in Fernley in 2021. Before Guadalajara Grill, the building housed King Sushi, and before that Vistro. Longtime downtown visitors will know it by its bright orange paint. If you live out toward Fernley, you may already know the restaurant from its first location.
One West Kitchen opened Oct. 1 on West 1st Street, with its storefront on Ralston Street between First and Second, in the former Schwarmageddon space. According to Edible Reno-Tahoe, the menu covers burgers, sandwiches, salads and appetizers, plus specials such as Beef Saltado, fajitas and an Umami Bowl.
Neither restaurant sits on the detour stretch between West Street Plaza and Virginia Street. Both are on the street that will take more of downtown's foot traffic while the north bank is closed.
What Comes Back in 2028
When the project is finished, the bridge will look and work differently. According to RTC:
- Sidewalks widen from about 8 feet to 10 feet, and a curved overlook at mid-span gives people a place to stop and look at the river out of the walkway.
- Bulb-outs at the Riverwalk crossings on both ends shorten the crosswalks. The north crossing gets flashing crosswalk lights.
- Parking comes off the west edge of the bridge deck, and the bridge is designed for the 20 mph speed limit in Sierra Street's pedestrian safety zone.
- The whitewater takeout moves from the southwest corner to an ADA-compliant ramp at the southeast corner. The ramp is 6 feet wide and runs about 7 feet past the bridge face so paddlers can see it from upstream. The southwest ramp becomes a gated maintenance access for the Cochran Ditch.
- RTC's August 2026 release says the design includes Art Deco-inspired details.
RTC says it will share more details on closures, detours and access before construction starts. Until March, the Riverwalk, the Sierra Street crossing and the takeout under the 1937 bridge all stay as they are.
Wondering how a two-year closure will affect getting around your corner of downtown or the Riverwalk? Faught Group follows projects like this one across Northern Nevada and can go over what the Sierra Street work means for your block. Schedule a Meeting and we'll walk through it with you.
