Reno is located along the Truckee River in the Truckee River Valley. During the period of the California Gold Rush the area which is presently occupied by Reno was located on the California Trail. What is now presently Reno can be seen near the communities of Onieda and Sloute Bridge on the 1863 DeGroot's Map of Nevada Territory along the California Trail. Sloute Bridge had been constructed in 1859 by Charles W. Fuller as part of a connecting stage route from the California Trail to Virginia City. Fuller sold his bridge in 1861 to Myron C. Lake who renamed it to Lake's Crossing. Being at the junction of two major stage roads Lake's Crossing began to develop into a small community.
Nevada obtained Statehood during October of 1864 largely off the prospects of the mining booms associated with the Comstock Lode. During the construction the Central Pacific Railroad (First Transcontinental Railroad) circa 1863-69 numerous sidings were established to services trains. During 1863 Myron C. Lake deeded some of his land to the Central Pacific Railroad to build a siding. The Central Pacific Railroad established a siding at Lake's Crossing known as Reno during the Spring of 1868.
Reno siding was named after United States Army Officer Jesse Lee Reno. The community would become the Washoe County Seat during 1871 and would incorporate as a City on March 16, 1903. Reno can be seen on the 1873 Bancroft's Map of California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona along the Central Pacific Railroad at the Truckee River.
During 1905 the Virginia Street Bridge (a double arch concrete structure) would be built at the Truckee River in downtown Reno. This span was the then fifth structure to bridge the Truckee River along Virginia Street and came to be known as the "Wedding Ring Bridge." The nickname was spawned after Reno came to be known as the "Divorce Capital of the World" in 1906. This nickname originated due to the proliferation no-fault divorces following the legalization of gambling in the city.
The Virginia Street Bridge can be seen as it was featured in the 1913 book titled "The Concrete Bridge." The Virginia Street Bridge is noted be eighty feet wide and the same width as the rest of the street.
During 1912 Indiana Businessman Carl G. Fisher conceptualized the Lincoln Highway as a major transcontinental Auto Trail. The Lincoln Highway was formally dedicated on October 31, 1913. The highway was aligned west of Fallon via split branches over the Sierra Nevada range.
The Lincoln Highway Association map depicts the early alignment within Reno. The Northern Branch can be seen entering Reno westbound on 4th Street. The highway jogged through downtown via Virginia Street where it met a connector spur to the Pioneer Branch (South Lincoln Highway) at Commercial Row. The Northern Branch west of Virginia Street is shown following Commercial Row, Sierra Street, 3rd Street and 4th Street to depart the city towards Verdi.
During November of 1926 the US Route System was approved by the American Association of State Highway Officials ("AASHO"). US Route 40 can be seen aligned over top the northern Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway through Reno on the 1927 National Map Company Sectional Map. Early US Route 40 appears to have inherited the existing alignments of the Northern Lincoln Highway (and Victory Highway after 1920) through Reno which included the jog on Virginia Street between 4th Street and Commercial Row.
During 1929 the Nevada State Highways would be assigned Sign Route Numbers. Virginia Street in Reno north of 4th Street was assigned to the corridor of Nevada State Route 9. South of 4th Street the corridor was assigned as part of Nevada State Route 3. Both can be seen passing through Reno via Virginia Street on the 1929 Nevada Department of Highways map.
During 1934 US Route 395 was extended to from Laurier, Washington south to San Diego, California. The alignment of US Route 395 was routed through Nevada via Nevada State Routes 9 and 3 on Virginia Street in Reno. The first acknowledgement of US Route 395 being extended through Nevada appears in a September 1934 California Division of Highways letter to AASHO describing the US Routes of California.
On September 14, 1953, the AASHO Executive Secretary announced in a letter to map makers the commissioning of US Route 40 Alternate between Reno west to Dixon, California. The highway was intended to provide a winter alternative to Donner Pass via the Feather River Highway (then California State Route 24). US Route 40 Alternate began at Virginia Street and 4th Street in Reno. The highway departed the city with northbound US Route 395 along Virginia Street towards the California state line near Plumas Junction.
US Route 40 Alternate was decommissioned by AASHO on June 2, 1964. The highway was requested to be deleted via a concurrent application between the California Division of Highways and Nevada Department of Highways. The instigator for the deletion was the 1964 California State Highway Renumbering. Upon approval the corridor of Virginia Street in Reno reverted to solely being US Route 395.
On May 8, 1972, the Nevada State Highway Department requested US Route 395 be partially relocated onto the then incomplete North/South Freeway in Reno. A secondary request was made to assign Virginia Street north of Interstate 80 as US Route 395 Business. The AASHO Executive Committee deferred approval due to the North/South Freeway not having a completion date planned until 1979. The segment nearing open north of Interstate 80 was approved to be signed as US Route 395 Temporary. In 1976 the entirety of US Route 395 Business was dual assigned as Nevada State Route 430.
The
1976-1977 Official Highway Map of Nevada displays US Route 395 Temporary using Kietzke Lane (Nevada State Route 667) from the end of the North/South Freeway to mainline US Route 395 at Virginia Street near Peckham Lane.
The North/South Freeway south of Interstate 80 in Reno to Virginia Street was approved by the Federal Highway Administration as chargeable Interstate 580 on August 18, 1978. The AASHTO Executive Committee also approved the designation on October 28, 1978.
On December 10, 1980, the 1905 era Virginia Street Bridge would be added to the National Register of Historic Places. The structure had entered the realm of popular culture after appearing movies such as Reno (1939) and The Misfits (1961).
On May 17, 1982, the Nevada Department of Transportation submitted a request to relocate US Route 395 on Virginia Street south Interstate 80 onto Interstate 580. A secondary request was made to formally establish US Route 395 Business on Virginia Street within the then Reno city limits. Both requests were approved by the AASHTO Executive Committee on June 29, 1982.
The newly realigned US Route 395 and officially designated US Route 395 Business both appear on the
1983-1984 Official Highway Map of Nevada. US Route 395 Temporary is shown to be deleted from Kietzke Lane.
On November 2, 1984, the Nevada Department of Transportation submitted an application to AASHTO to extend the designation of Interstate 580 south to Arrowhead Drive in Carson City via the planned US Route 395 freeway. The extension was approved during December 8, 1984, AASHTO Executive Committee meeting. The completion continuation segment of the US Route 395 freeway south of Virginia Street was then projected to open in 2000.
The US Route 395 freeway extended to South Virginia Street (now Exit 29) in Reno by 1986. This was followed by the freeway reaching Nevada State Route 431 (Mount Rose Highway) in 1996. On May 31, 2001, AASHTO approved a Nevada Department of Transportation request to extend the US Route 395 Business route south on Virginia Street to Nevada State Route 431.
By 2001 state maintenance of US Route 395 Business/Nevada State Route was dropped between Plumb Lane and Interstate 80 in Reno. Signage of US Route 395 Business within downtown Reno was largely dropped as it was made more pedestrian friendly, but the corridor was never deleted via AASHTO application. Nevada State Route 430 was truncated to the South Virginia Street interchange during 2006. The southern segment of Nevada State Route 430 was truncated to Patriot Boulevard in 2008 whereas the north segment was truncated to North McCarren Boulevard.
Within Carson City the first segment of the US Route 395 freeway opened between North Carson Street and East William Drive in 2006. The corridor was extended south to Fairview Drive in 2009. During August 2012 the Carson City segment would be connected north to the Reno segment following the completion of the Galena Creek Bridge. Upon being connected to Carson City the Nevada Department of Transportation would begin to finally dual sign the US Route 395 and Interstate 580.
During December 2011 in the lead up to the linking of the freeway segments between Reno and Carson City the Nevada Department of Transportation submitted a request to AASHTO to designate US Route 395 Alternate. US Route 395 Alternate was intended to begin at the Patriot Boulevard interchange (formerly the south segment of Nevada State Route 430) in Reno and extend south to the Eastlake Boulevard interchange.
During 2016 the 1905 era Virginia Street Bridge was replaced. The 1905 structure was deemed to be choke point for water on the Truckee River and could not be salvaged. The 2016 structure is a through arch design which is 169.6 feet long.
During August 2017 the remaining section of the US Route 395/Interstate 580 freeway in Carson City opened between Fairview Drive and South Carson Street. The chronology of the US Route 395 Business Route in Carson City is not fully clear due to incomplete applications appearing in the AASHTO database for 2003, 2006 and 2009. The corridor is now fully signed in Carson City from US Route 50 north through the community to the interchange near Bonanza Drive (Interstate 580 Exit 8).
Part 2; a drive on US Route 395 Business on Virginia Street in Reno
Below northbound US Route 395 Business along South Virginia Street can be seen approaching Interstate 580/US Route 395. Traffic can access the former routing of US Route 395 Temporary from the right lane of Virginia Street.
US Route 395 Business continues north on Virginia Street and becomes a two-lane urban road approaching Center Street.
US Route 395 Business continues north on Virginia Street and passes the Washoe County Courthouse at Court Street.
The current Washoe County Courthouse was constructed in 1910. Historic plaques regarding the history of Reno and Lake's Crossing can be found in front of the structure on Virginia Street.
US Route 395 Business crosses the 2016 era Truckee River Bridge.
A street level view of the 2016 era Truckee River Bridge.
A view west along the Truckee River facing towards Sierra Street. The Sierra Street Bridge is a steel stringer span which was constructed in 1937.
The Space Whale is a stained-glass statute can be found along Virginia Street in City Plaza just north of the Truckee River. This art piece was put in place during 2016 whereas City Plaza was commissioned by the city of Reno during 2005. City Plaza was where Mapes Hotel stood from 1947-2000.
A view east on Truckee River from Virginia Street facing towards Center Street. The current Center Street Bridge was installed in 1998 as a replacement for a 1926 era structure.
The Ginsburg Clock can be found at City Plaza along Virginia Street. This clock was originally located at 133 North Virginia Street in 1935. The clock was moved to Park Lane Mall in 1967 and to City Plaza across the street from Reno City Hall in 2012.
US Route 395 Business continues north on Virginia Street and crosses under the current Reno Arch at Commercial Row. The original Reno Arch was installed at this location on October 23, 1926, to commemorate the completion of the Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway. The second arch was installed in 1963 which would be followed by the current arch being installed on August 8, 1987.
The original Reno Arch can now be found on Lake Street just south of the Truckee River. The second arch was donated to the city of Willits, California and was rebranded as the "Willits Arch" in 1995. The Willits Arch can be found on California State Route 20 along Main Street.
The view west from Virginia Street down Commercial Row reveals Locomotion Plaza. Originally the Central Pacific Railroad would have crossed through here at grade. The rails (now part of the Union Pacific Railroad) were moved below grade during 2007 in an effort to eliminate much of the street running lines in Reno.
The view east from Virginia Street reveals the now below grade tracks.
Reno Station can be found at 280 Commercial Row. The current station opened in 1926 and was heavily renovated in 2006 when the Union Pacific Railroad were being moved below grade. Reno Station served 72,408 Amtrak passengers in Fiscal Year 2023.
A Lincoln Highway shield can be found along southbound Virigina Street at Plaza Street facing the Reno Arch.
Facing south on Virginia Street towards the Reno Arch at night.
US Route 395 Business continues north from the Reno Arch on Virginia Street and intersects the former alignment of US Route 40 at 4th Street (now Interstate 80 Business). This intersection also once served as the westbound beginning of US Route 40 Alternate.
US Route 395 Business north of 4th Street continues on Virginia Street and crosses over Interstate 80.
The Interstate 80 freeway topper Walgreens can be found at 750 North Virginia Street. The store opened in
2002 atop a pad which had been constructed in 1973. Said pad was intended to be the ground floor of a fifteen-story hotel which came to fruition. A parking structure was located here in the 1980s and was ultimately demolished during the late 1990s.
One of the few signage references to US Route 395 Business can be found on the Maple Street offramp from eastbound Interstate 80.
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