Sturgeon Lake Road Project Overview

The City of Red Wing, Prairie Island Indian Community, Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and other stakeholders are developing final construction plans for a new Sturgeon Lake Road Bridge over the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks. 

Proposed Project

The project would include the elimination of the existing at-grade crossing and construct an overpass for Sturgeon Lake Road over the tracks. This proposed project is consistent with the City and MnDOT's comprehensive plans and will receive further evaluation by the Prairie Island Indian Community, affected agencies, land owners and businesses during the next year. Future opportunities to provide input (such as public meetings) will be posted on this website.

Update

The project received full funding for construction and right-of-way acquisition from the Minnesota State Legislature in 2020.  The project is being updated to address special event traffic needs from the new Prairie Island Indian Community concert venue.  Final design should be complete in the next year and right of way acquisition should be complete in the next two years. Construction needs to be completed by end of 2024.
 
This project will integrate transportation planning for tourism, recreational travel, community needs, and system preservation plans and practices by evaluating possible improvements to the only public roadway access and evacuation route for the U.S. Lock and Dam Number  3, the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating facility, Prairie Island Indian Community, and Treasure Island Resort and Casino.
 
The Canadian Pacific Railway crossing Sturgeon Lake Road is one of the highest speed, highest volume rail corridors in Minnesota. Approximately 40 trains per day travel the corridor at speeds up to 79 miles per hour.
 
Sturgeon Lake Road, a municipal state aid street, is a four lane road with a 45 miles per hour posted speed limit and an average daily traffic count (ADT) of 10,500 in 2007 with a projected ADT of 15,750 in 2029.