Line 3 promised to be a boon to northern Minnesota's economy. Halfway into construction, has it lived up to its promise?

Mar 31, 20210

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Harry's Bar and Grill food manager Randy Ihle stands in the bar area of the Hill City restaurant. Business declined to about 20% of pre-pandemic levels when Harry's was forced to only offer carryout. Now that indoor dining is open again business is up to 60%-70% and owners credit most of that to the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline construction project bringing in new customers. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.com)

For Harry's Bar and Grill in Hill City, construction on Enbridge's $4 billion Line 3 oil pipeline came at the right time.

When work began Dec. 1 on the 340-mile pipeline across northern Minnesota, the state had just banned indoor dining at Minnesota bars and restaurants for the second time amid a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases.

But the influx of pipeline workers began ordering takeout and Harry's parked its food truck outside Enbridge's Hill City construction yard.

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/business/energy-and-mining/6958283-Line-3-promised-to-be-a-boon-to-northern-Minnesota%E2%80%99s-economy.-Halfway-into-construction-has-it-lived-up-to-its-promise