Sarah Stierch · CC BY 4.0 · cropped
The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County said major traffic pattern changes on West 4th Street in Reno begin Thursday, October 1, and continue through mid-November while crews pave the West 4th Street Safety Project. From October 1 through October 29 the roadway is fully closed between Keystone Avenue and Vine Street, with those patterns in force around the clock even when crews are off the job.
Visitors driving between downtown Reno and the west side along the Truckee River should rebuild that hop now, follow posted detours, and add time for flaggers and work-zone trucks. Use a Reno downtown itinerary that does not depend on a straight shot along West 4th, and treat the RTC notice as the live rule set rather than a map app that still draws the closed block.
- Full closure: West 4th Street between Keystone Avenue and Vine Street, October 1 to 29, 24 hours a day.
- Keystone stays open: Northbound and southbound through traffic, plus westbound turns onto 4th Street, remain available at Keystone.
- One-way westbound: Stoker Avenue to Keystone Avenue from October 1 to 29.
- One-way eastbound: McCarran Boulevard to Summit Ridge Drive from October 5 to November 13.
- Work window: Crews 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with some weekend work; traffic rules stay in force around the clock.
Keystone to Vine Closes October 1 Through October 29
The RTC Washoe release sets a full roadway closure on West 4th Street between Keystone Avenue and Vine Street from October 1 through October 29. That block is the downtown-to-west Reno connector along the Truckee River that the Reno Gazette Journal described as the street tying those two sides of the city together.
The Keystone Avenue intersection is the exception inside that window. Northbound and southbound traffic can still move through Keystone, and vehicles that need to turn west onto 4th Street can still make that turn. That does not reopen the closed Keystone-to-Vine block.
Traffic between Stoker Avenue and Keystone Avenue moves one way westbound during the same October 1 to 29 window. Drivers heading toward downtown from the west on that segment lose the eastbound lane and must use a posted detour. The RTC said the changes were planned with the City of Reno around residents, businesses, school buses, transit stops, truck access, and neighboring projects. That is a construction plan, not a notice that a named hotel or casino is closed.
One-Way Traffic Spreads West From October 5
A second pattern starts Monday, October 5, and runs through November 13. Traffic becomes one way eastbound between McCarran Boulevard and Summit Ridge Drive. The segment between Summit Ridge Drive and Stoker Avenue stays two way, with a single lane in each direction, so that middle piece is slower rather than fully shut.
October 5 through October 29 is the overlap: the Keystone-to-Vine full closure, the Stoker-to-Keystone westbound-only rule, and the McCarran-to-Summit Ridge eastbound-only rule all sit on the corridor at once. After October 29 the Keystone-to-Vine full closure is scheduled to lift, while the McCarran-to-Summit Ridge one-way rule continues into mid-November.
The Reno Gazette Journal account of the RTC briefing matches those dates and notes that construction is weather dependent. Recheck the RTC project page the morning you drive. Guests using RV parks near Reno on the west side should plot an I-80 or local-arterial path that never assumes West 4th is open eastbound through Keystone in October.
Extra Time, Trucks, and 24 Hour Closure Rules
Motorists should allow extra travel time and follow posted detour signs and flagger commands, the RTC said. Drivers should also expect more truck traffic entering and leaving the work zone. Trucks may access the work zone through a closure.
Project working hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and may include some weekend work. Traffic patterns and closures stay in effect 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A late arrival still meets the same closed block between Keystone and Vine through October 29. If a map app still paints West 4th as a through street after October 1, follow the signs on the ground instead.
The RTC notice does not list airport roads among the closed segments. Travelers still need a different October 1 change: Reno Airport is pausing parking reservations from October 1 to 12, already covered in Deep Arrival’s Reno airport parking reservation pause report. Pair that parking window with the West 4th detour if you rent a car downtown and drive west.
West 4th Safety Project Work Runs Through November
Construction on the West 4th Safety Project began in February 2026. The RTC expects substantial completion by the end of November 2026 and described the October and November traffic changes as the paving step needed to hit that date. Weather can still slide the finish.
The $24 million project rebuilds the roadway for longer-term durability and safety. New roundabouts are planned at Stoker Avenue and Summit Ridge Drive, with a multi-use path and sidewalk for continuous connectivity. Lanes drop from Edwards Way to McCarran Boulevard to slow traffic, and storm-drain work is intended to cut flooding. Until RTC says a segment has reopened, treat West 4th as a construction corridor with posted rules.
The commission’s project site at fourthstreetimprovements.com/west-fourth carries maps and updates beyond the September 29 release. Use that page plus the RTC newsroom for the current cone layout. The Gazette Journal report is independent confirmation of the same October 1 start.
Downtown Reno Driving Choices During the Closure
If you are staying downtown and walking to casinos, the riverwalk, or nearby restaurants, this is mostly an arrival problem. Once you are on foot, the Keystone-to-Vine closure does not block the sidewalk grid the way it blocks through traffic. If you are driving between a west-side hotel and a downtown show, rebuild that trip on I-80, I-580, or the signed detour instead of West 4th.
Eastbound trips from McCarran toward downtown use the one-way eastbound pattern after October 5 on the McCarran-to-Summit Ridge segment. Westbound trips on the same dates have to leave that segment. Reverse the logic on Stoker-to-Keystone, which is westbound only through October 29.
If you are using RTC Ride, check the agency’s own alerts the day you travel. The closure release did not list spare route numbers. Visitors who can shift a west-side drive to November 14 or later avoid the last one-way window. The official instruction for October is extra time and posted signs, not a guaranteed delay number.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Drive between Keystone and Vine from October 1 to 29 | Skip West 4th entirely. Follow posted detours. Keystone itself stays open north-south. |
| Need Stoker to Keystone from October 1 to 29 | Use the westbound-only pattern. Eastbound trips need a different street. |
| Drive McCarran to Summit Ridge from October 5 to November 13 | Expect one-way eastbound traffic. Westbound drivers must leave that segment. |
| Arrive at night or on a weekend | The closure still applies 24/7. Crews may be gone; the cones are not. |
October 1 is the full closure start. From that Thursday through October 29, skip West 4th between Keystone Avenue and Vine Street and follow posted detours around the clock.
October 5 is the west one-way start. McCarran Boulevard to Summit Ridge Drive becomes eastbound only through November 13, overlapping the downtown closure for more than three weeks.
October 29 and November 13 are the scheduled lifts. Recheck RTC Washoe before you drive; the agency said the work is weather dependent and subject to change.
When does West 4th Street close in Reno?
Major traffic changes begin Thursday, October 1, 2026. The full closure between Keystone Avenue and Vine Street runs through October 29, according to RTC Washoe.
Which part of West 4th Street is fully closed?
The full roadway closure is between Keystone Avenue and Vine Street. The Keystone intersection remains open for northbound and southbound traffic and for westbound turns onto 4th Street.
How long is the Reno West 4th Street closure?
The Keystone-to-Vine full closure is scheduled October 1 to 29. A separate one-way eastbound pattern between McCarran Boulevard and Summit Ridge Drive runs October 5 to November 13.
Is Keystone Avenue still open during the West 4th closure?
Yes. RTC said the Keystone Avenue intersection stays open to northbound and southbound traffic, and to vehicles turning west onto 4th Street, while the Keystone-to-Vine block is closed.
When does the one-way pattern start on West 4th Street?
Westbound-only traffic between Stoker Avenue and Keystone Avenue starts October 1. Eastbound-only traffic between McCarran Boulevard and Summit Ridge Drive starts October 5.
Does the West 4th Street closure block Reno airport roads?
The RTC closure notice does not list airport roads. Airport parking reservations are a separate October 1 to 12 pause. Follow posted West 4th detours for downtown and west Reno driving.
