As part of the City of Red Wing’s future growth and development, one of the keys is Red Wing’s connection to the rest of the state and the world.
The Infrastructure Subcommittee, one of four subcommittees that make up Red Wing 2020, is charged with establishing both physical and virtual connections to the city. Red Wing 2020 is a group of residents selected by the mayor and charged with developing a forward thinking vision to help Red Wing develop and grow.

Within the Infrastructure Subcommittee there are four main goals: fiber optic communications; a better highway connection to the Twin Cities;  high-speed and light rail; and replacing the Eisenhower Bridge. “Our committee is  interested in transportation infrastructure primarily, in our case we want to address the transport of not only people and goods, but the fast and efficient transport of information is also critical to our future,” says Myron White, chairman of the subcommittee and Director of the Red Wing Port Authority.

Fiber Optic Network

About three years ago, the city of Red Wing approached Hiawatha Broadband Communications (HBC) based in Winona, MN. “We went to HBC and asked if they would be interested in a fiber to the home network in Red Wing,” White says. Gary Evans, HBC President and CEO, said at the time that they would be interested in some type of partnership to operate a network.

What began three years ago was a process that is still evolving. The first step was to educate key members of the community. “We began a fiber optic task force,” White says. There were about 30 people from the community in that initial education phase. They included members of the general public, including several senior citizens, the business community, and the healthcare community.

This initial group went through what White describes as Fiber 101: what are the benefits to having a fiber optic network in the city. The focus of that group included discussion of what most people think about with a fiber optic network – a high speed video and data link to homes and businesses. But the group also talked about “killer applications” state of the art applications in business, health care and the home that may be on the drawing board today could soon become a reality.

After Red Wing received support from the Blandin Foundation for a comprehensive feasibility study the next opportunity for the fiber optic was the prospect of federal stimulus monies. At that point, HBC saw an opportunity to help bring a fiber network to Red Wing and asked for the City’s support of an application for Federal funding. That resulted in a resolution of support from the City Council, the school board and the Port Authority.

Although HBC and Red Wing did not receive monies in this round of federal stimulus funding, the project is far from dead. City and Port staff will work with HBC to explore public/private partnerships which will bring the vital infrastructure to the community.

What the Infrastructure Subcommittee needs now are people to get excited about having a state of the art fiber to the home network in Red Wing. We need to share our excitement about the infrastructure and its benefits. “The City and HBC are doing the work. We need to get people comfortable with this technology and generate some enthusiasm,” White says.

A Better Connection to the Twin Cities

While the fiber network is a local decision, the subcommittee’s other goals fall under the purview of either state or federal decision makers. The first  example of this is a four-lane highway connecting Red Wing to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area.

The 2008/2030 Metro Plan allocates $102,000,000 to transform the present Highway 50 into a 4 lane road from Highway 316 to Hampton in about 2030. Beyond the question of the cost of building the road, there are several other issues with this particular stretch of highway.

U.S. 61 from Red Wing to I-90 is designated a tourist-scenic drive corridor and will not be developed for commercial traffic.

“The odds are against turning the Highway 50 corridor into a four lane highway, it’s just not on their radar screen, the end project might very well be an improved two lane highway. ” White says.

One might ask what can a group like Red Wing 2020 do to affect changes to the MNDOT plans? The answer is, like with the fiber optic network, education. Locals groups have input, which means organizing a lobbying effort and local education about the benefits and need for a four-lane connection. It’s in MNDOT’s long-range plans to look, at some point, White says. Chances are action and funding – which has to go through the State Legislature – is   some years away.

Railroad Connections

A nearer term goal for the Infrastructure Subcommittee lies along the Mississippi River in the form of railroad tracks. New rail connections have gained some momentum in the past several years and there are two separate initiatives underway.

The first is a high-speed rail line called the Midwest Regional Rail System that would connect the Twin Cities to Chicago. “Right now, the federally   designated route is through Red Wing,” White says. High-speed rail is a step beyond Amtrak. High-speed rail has fewer stops and is much faster (110 miles per hour) than Amtrak (79 miles per hour).

While the federally designated route brings the high-speed rail through Red Wing, there are lobbying efforts to take it elsewhere. One route would take the line from Chicago and Milwaukee through Eau Claire, WI, and then into St. Paul. The second alternative would be to route through Rochester
and then to St. Paul via a green field route. Rochester and the Mayo Clinic have a well-organized lobbying effort in place to pursue this option.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has completed a state rail plan that recognizes the three alternatives. A study will be completed in 2010 to select the preferred alternative.

However, Red Wing’s big advantage is that it currently has the railroad right-of-way as well as Amtrak service. Bringing a line from Rochester north  to the Cities would require extensive approvals that are not currently in place. “The Greenfield route would mean a new right of way through some of the best farmland in the region,” White says. The other advantage to Red Wing is that under the current administration, the funding could come sooner rather than later or never.

The light rail route to Red Wing, the Red Rock Corridor, is currently planned to come as far as Hastings. The Infrastructure Subcommittee would like to see light rail in Red Wing and the Prairie Island community is lobbying to bring it there. Currently either of those options would not come in the first phase.

For both the light and high-speed rail the committee needs stewards, once again, to educate the community on the options and possibilities as well as organize lobbying efforts to ensure that Red Wing will have its place on both rail lines.

Eisenhower Bridge

The final piece of the Infrastructure Subcommittee’s puzzle is the Eisenhower Bridge. The existing bridge is scheduled for replacement in about  2018. “What we are concerned about is how it’s going to affect the downtown and the traffic patterns,” White says. White and his committee hope that the new bridge plan will alleviate some of the traffic through downtown on Highway 63.

With these types of projects MNDOT will take local input but the final decision remains at the state level. What is needed here is lobbying by Red Wing to make sure the new bridge and traffic routes maximize the benefit to the city in terms of business traffic and congestion. “We have to watch and make sure the downtown is going to be affected in the best way possible, especially during construction,” he says.

With all four of these projects, there are plenty of opportunities for Red Wing’s citizens to get involved. From a local standpoint, transportation projects change land uses, which can affect, in particular, the downtown business area. Other questions are along the lines of changing the demographics  of the entire city. What if light rail begins to make Red Wing more of a bedroom community? While it might be convenient for commuters, does a city with  Red Wing’s character want to become a bedroom community?

The subcommittee’s next steps are to find stewards to champion the local aspects of these projects. There are already several good candidates to act as stewards for the fiber optic project. There are a number of people from the original task force, who originally asked why they were a part of the group, are now strong advocates for a fiber network, White says.

The challenging part of the stewards’ work will come on the rail and highway projects. Public education and lobbying efforts will be crucial to keep Red Wing on the map for the rail plans. Also, lobbying MNDOT to consider improved access to the Twin Cities and lobbying the department regarding the plans for the new bridge will be crucial for Red Wing’s future.

To volunteer as a steward or to find out how you can become involved in any of these projects, contact Myron White at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it