The Truckee River Flood Management Authority held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new
pedestrian bridge over the Truckee River on Bridge St. in Wadsworth on August 8.
TRFMA Executive Director George Robison said the old bridge was built in 1952 and is nearing
the end of its usable lifespan and is becoming unsafe. He said the bridge will help mitigate
flooding because its arched shape will be higher in the middle.
“It’s really simple in that this bridge is really tight against the river,” Robison said. “We have one
photo where in the 1997 flood, we have a photo where it shows water going over the top of that
thing. So, what happens is it acts like of like a jam and it backs up water up.”
Robison said preconstruction work and fabrication of the bridge is already underway. The bridge
will be pre-constructed then transported to the site for installation. Robison said the removal of
the old bridge and installation of the new one will be done during a five-week period from late
June to early August next summer.
In addition to the 1997 flood, Robison said similar events happened in 1986 and 2005.
“I don’t know what it did in the 50s, but there were two large floods in the 1950s,” Robison said.
“It’s not a matter of if it’s going to flood, it’s when, and how big it’s going to be.”
The cost of the bridge is estimated at $2.4 million. It will be longer than the current bridge and
the pathway over the river will be about 10 feet wide.
The Truckee River Flood Management Authority is a joint effort among the cities of Reno and
Sparks, Washoe County and other organizations. Robison said that collaborative effort is what
makes the bridge possible.
“It’s a culmination of building consensus and making sure everybody understands what we’re
doing and making sure we’re taking care of everybody, not just doing a bridge project in a
vacuum,” he said.
Sparks City Councilman Donald Abbot, a member of the TRFMA Board of Directors, said in
addition to flood mitigation, the project is also about connecting the entire community of
Wadsworth.
“It’s an exciting time that we get to do a great project that’s a win for Wadsworth, also a win for
some of us upstream and it’s a win for our entire community when we look at flood mitigation as
well as safety,” Abbott said.
Pyramid Lake Tribal Council member Nate Dunn said the tribe is grateful to be included I the
project.
“This project is a major contribution to our community as well as the health and safety for the
residents of Wadsworth,” Dunn said.
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