The Minnesota Northeast Service Cooperative (NESC) project is enjoying some local attention. The Carlton County Pine Journal wrote about the project over the weekend. Apparently the big spools of orange tubing are becoming a familiar sight. Here’s the update from the article…

The timeline for current construction of the line includes both 2011 and 2012 construction seasons. Initial Middle Mile construction of a 415-mile outer ring construction is nearing completion, according to project manager Lyle MacVey. This includes an outer regional ring as well as community rings located in Duluth, Cloquet, Ely, Hibbing and Virginia. In all, 25 communities will be connected this year. All facilities should be fully online by the end of February into early March, and approximately 160 “critical” institution sites will be connected to the ring starting around March 2012.

New phases of the construction will get under way in spring 2012. This will include connecting the North Shore routes to Grand Portage, McGregor and International Falls. Additional ring development will also take place between Virginia and Duluth and Cloquet and Duluth. Large scale installations of the balance of the critical institutions will occur, and installation of another 400 miles of fiber is projected.

As you may recall the NESC project received$43.5 million in ARRA funding.