DTE crews are working hard to implement our four-part plan to improve electric service for our customers, including trimming trees, upgrading existing infrastructure, rebuilding older sections of the grid and accelerating our transition to a smart grid. As part of this plan, DTE is investing around $270 million to rebuild the electric grid on Detroit’s east side, including in the East Village, Elmwood Park, Gold Coast, Indian Village, Islandview, Joseph Berry Sub, Lafayette Park, McDougall-Hunt, Rivertown and West Village neighborhoods.
The project, which is expected to be complete in 2031, includes building a new electrical substation, which powers homes and businesses in the area. It also involves removing and replacing utility poles, more than 100 miles of overhead and underground wires, transformers and other electrical equipment and trimming trees growing too close to power lines.
Once complete, the work will improve safety and help keep customers in power, especially during extreme weather. It also will increase the amount of electricity we can deliver to the areas, so we can support new businesses and residents moving in, as well as clean energy solutions like electric vehicles.
Over the past year, we have trimmed 46 miles of trees. Crews also have made great progress at the new substation site. We have:
- Cleared and remediated the land where the substation is being built.
- Excavated and laid out the foundation for the new substation.
- Completed the underground construction. This includes installing underground electrical equipment, conduit installation (which is the piping that protects underground wires), foundations, manholes, stormwater management system and more.
- Installed major substation electrical equipment that helps distribute power to communities.
- Installed concrete substation walls, which will have a mural painted on them in the future.
- Began road restoration and sidewalk replacement near the site.
Additionally, since February, our crews have installed one mile of new utility poles, wires and overhead electrical equipment.
Rebuilding older sections of the grid is just one part of our four-part plan to improve reliability for our customers. We’re also upgrading and maintaining electrical equipment, trimming trees and installing smart grid technology that allows us to reroute power to customers during an outage.
Read more about how DTE is working to improve reliability in your neighborhood at empoweringmichigan.com/reliability-improvements.
Overhead crews reconfiguring power lines on John R and East Parker Streets. In the future, new wires and electrical equipment will be installed on the new utility poles going in throughout the area.
Crews preparing the current overhead infrastructure, so they can install a new utility pole.
Crews preparing to install a new utility pole, which is taller, stronger and more resistant to extreme weather.
Overhead crews standing up a new utility pole, which will house all new wires, crossarms, transformers and other electrical equipment that deliver power to homes and businesses in the area.
Crews installing a new utility pole on East Palmer Street in Detroit’s Cultural Center neighborhood. The new pole will stand next to the old pole until crews can install new wires and other electrical equipment. Once the new lines are energized, the old pole and equipment will be removed.