Delivering High-Speed Fiber to Underserved Iowa Communities

Challenge

The cities of Burlington and West Burlington, Iowa, located along the Mississippi River, have historically been underserved in terms of broadband access. These communities are often overlooked for infrastructure investment, leaving residents and businesses with few reliable internet options. Internet Service Provider ImOn needed a trusted partner to help bring high-speed fiber to over 13,000 addresses—on a tight timeline and within budget.

Solution

HR Green partnered with ImOn to deliver a full-scale fiber design solution using a customized GIS-based model that streamlined production and reduced review cycles. Leveraging early 2024 investments in GIS tooling and internal process improvements, the Broadband team optimized design workflows with built-in checkpoints for field inspections, design stages, and QC reviews. The customized tools ensured each phase met client-specific requirements before progressing, significantly minimizing errors and rework. The team completed the project three weeks ahead of schedule, delivering 36 drawing packages and maintaining consistent communication and quality throughout the process.

Benefit

ImOn was able to move swiftly into construction, accelerating its ability to provide fast, reliable internet to thousands of households and businesses in Burlington and West Burlington. For residents, this means improved access to everyday digital services that many communities take for granted. For ImOn, the project’s success not only reaffirmed HR Green’s role as a reliable engineering partner, but the project also opened the door to future infrastructure work for the City of Burlington, including a case study for a fiber ring to connect all city facilities.

The efficient, cost-effective delivery allowed ImOn to redirect valuable time and resources into growing their network and exploring new service areas. Most importantly, the project brought real, measurable progress to communities that had previously been left behind—aligning with our mission to build communities and improve lives.