Washoe County RTC and SNC Virginia Street Project Team to accelerate construction operations

The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Washoe County and Sierra Nevada Construction (SNC) are accelerating construction operations on Virginia Street following the Nevada governor's mandate for business closures.

Virginia Street is now closed to traffic from Mary Street and Center Street (roundabout construction) to Mt. Rose Street.

Traffic will be detoured to Holcomb Avenue. There will be no through traffic for this section of Virginia Street, but side streets will remain open so people can access essential businesses and pick up their to-go food orders from Midtown restaurants. This closure will be effective 24/7 until April 17, 2020. This date is based on businesses potentially re-opening, per the governor’s mandate. Traffic will continue to be one-way southbound on Virginia Street from Liberty Street to Center Street. After April 17, traffic between Mary Street/Center Street to Mt. Rose Street will be one-way, southbound only until construction is complete in that section.

The project team received inquiries from business owners asking if accelerating construction during this time was possible. The project team reached out to Midtown business owners within the project boundaries between Mt. Rose Street and the Mary Street/Center Street intersection to determine if they would support the closure of Virginia Street within this section to accelerate construction activities. RTC says business owners expressed strong support of the plan to expedite construction operations, which will result in early completion of this section, and may result in an earlier completion date for the overall Virginia Street Project.

Crews have already started the removal of the roadway’s deteriorated asphalt on Virginia Street. Construction operations have progressed to close Virginia Street between Mt. Rose Street and Mary Street/Center Street. Closing Virginia Street to all traffic in this section allows crews to remove the entire roadway at once, instead of half of the roadway at a time. These construction operations were originally scheduled for late April. SNC anticipates this may result in a five- to six-week time savings for this segment of the project.

Adjusting the schedule and resources to complete removals now, while most businesses are closed, will result in fewer impacts when businesses are able to reopen. The project team will work with businesses to accommodate deliveries from their vendors, customers to pick-up to go orders and safely access businesses.

Transit Detour

RTC’s Route 1, RAPID Virginia Line, and UNR-Midtown Direct will detour northbound on Holcomb Avenue and Center Street, and southbound on Liberty Street to California Avenue to Forest Street to Mt. Rose Street.

Support Midtown Businesses

RTC and SNC says they appreciate the support and cooperation from business owners, city of Reno, Nev., and first responders to implement accelerated construction operations to deliver this project on or ahead of schedule.

About the Virginia Street Project

The Virginia Street Bus RAPID Transit Extension Project will improve safety and provide better access, enhanced transit service and improved mobility. This includes extending the RAPID Virginia Line from Midtown to the University of Nevada, Reno. The project represents an $87-million investment in the community.

The project is funded with fuel tax revenue, sales tax revenue and federal funds.