Historic Reno Bridge Faces Beginning Of End

(AP) - It will soon be the beginning of the end for a historic bridge spanning the Truckee River in downtown Reno.

Crews in January are expected to begin removing utility lines that run through the Virginia Street Bridge to pave the way for the aging structure's demolition and construction of a new bridge.

The bridge, built in 1905, was made famous by divorcees who tossed rings from it into the Truckee when Reno was the world's divorce capital from roughly 1910 to 1970.

City officials told the Reno Gazette-Journal that Reno still awaits issuance of a federal permit needed to enter the river and begin major demolition of the bridge.

Major construction is likely to begin next June with the structure replaced sometime in 2016.