April was hopping! Now I can’t make any more jokes about them going slow. Poor me.

The month started with the columns for the sky bridge begin set up with forms and rebar. They blocked off the whole street so they could isolate the site and not worry about dropping things on passing cars.

After an entire winter of no work, it was nice to see progress and people at the site every day.

The bridge is coming from the far end of the parking garage and spanning over the length of the parking lot before it reaches the casino. It seems strange to do it that way, but I’m guessing it’s because the elevators are in the far corner of the garage.

Building this huge bridge must be cheaper than moving the elevators. Especially considering the bridge would only have to be about thirty feet long if they put it at the other end of the garage.

By the next week, the concrete was poured, the forms had come off, and scaffolding was up for them to start working on the bridge itself. The Port-A-John leans in menacingly towards the site.

In this close-up you can see them getting ready to lay the floor.

Here’s a long shot of the site, before the bridge started to span the street. The elevator shaft looms over everything, moreso than the hotel tower. I think the garage is the second-tallest building in town.

Here’s another pretty good reason they closed the street. They set up the scaffolding for the bridge along the entrie span.

A few days later there were forms in place all along the bridge for them to start pouring the floors.

Metcalf Builders should think about sponsoring this site. I’m sure you’re going to be seeing that sign a lot.

The scaffolding rose up like the Great Wall of China, snaking across the parking lot and guarding the garage. The Port-A-John watches incredulously.

The entrance to the new Winchester Club casino is going to be right underneath the bridge. Also, I suppose, because that’s right where the elevators are.

In the reverse angle you can see that they’re waiting to work on the close end, the part that actually connects to the casino. Hopefully they won’t leave it like that, and make you jump the last ten feet.

Believe it or not, this is going to be Carson City’s first sky bridge. For years, using the parking garage meant dodging traffic to get across the street. Now it will involve walking to the wrong end of the garage, crossing the street, and walking all the way back.

While the bridge was taking up the spotlight, workers slowly started digging up the parking lot. This area is going to be covered by a portecochere and become home to the valet parking.

The piles they put in the parking lot are being uncovered and readied for concrete footers.

This is the view from Carson Street. The skelton of the bridge tries to get noticed from behind the mounds of dirt.

The huge gaping hole they knocked in the wall still sits there. They are covering it with plywood, but I don’t think that’s going to hold up in the winter.

Through all of it, the Winchester Club casino on the ground floor of the parking garage is moving closer to completion. Here they are prepping its outside walls for stucco. The FakeRock™, though, remains untouched.

A large, unmarked van nods its head in approval.

The Ormsby House is getting a little press again. This article, printed on the front page on April 21st, says that the Winchester Club is set to open sometime next month. It also says the Ormsby House will reopen “in about a year.” Well, we’ve heard that one before. That was three years ago. Do you see me holding my breath? I didn’t think so.