Since 2020, DTE has been working to enhance power quality in Detroit’s Midtown area by completely rebuilding the infrastructure that delivers power to homes and businesses. This $200 million project will impact nine Detroit neighborhoods — Cultural Center, Eastern Market, Forest Park, McDougall-Hunt, northern Midtown, Medbury Park, Medical Center, Poletown East and Wayne State — and includes:
- Rebuilding 60 miles of poles, power lines, transformers and electrical equipment with more durable equipment.
- Installing smart grid devices, that can reroute power to many customers during an outage, keeping their lights on while crews make repairs. Smart devices also help quickly locate the damage that caused an outage, allowing crews to arrive onsite faster.
- Trimming trees near power lines to prevent them from falling onto electrical equipment and interrupting power.
- Connecting customers in the area to an upgraded electric substation that will help ensure power continues to be delivered safely and more reliably to homes and businesses.
DTE expects to complete the project in 2030. Customers served by the upgraded equipment and substation will experience fewer and shorter outages, especially during storms. The work will also increase safety and the grid’s capacity to support growth and additional electric energy options, like more electric vehicles and appliances.
Progress
Fall 2025: Crews have made great progress on rebuilding Detroit’s electric infrastructure. This fall, two additional transformers were installed, bringing the total to 38 of 81. These transformers play a critical role in the electric grid by stepping down high-voltage electricity from power lines to the lower voltage needed to safely power homes and businesses.
Over the past year, we’re rebuilt more than five miles of overhead infrastructure — including new poles, wires and electric equipment — to help strengthen the grid. In total, 300 poles have been installed across the project area, further improving reliability for the community.
Spring 2025 – summer 2025: We are continuing to rebuild the electric infrastructure around Midtown. This year, we installed more than two miles of overhead electric equipment, bringing the total rebuilt to more than four miles and over 200 poles. The crews are continuing to work on the underground infrastructure, as well, including installing cables and transformers. We have installed 94% of the cables and 36 of 81 transformers.
Winter 2025 – spring 2025: We have made progress in rebuilding the overhead infrastructure that delivers power to Midtown. To date, we have installed over three miles of new poles and power lines. Additionally, our crews are working on the underground infrastructure, installing cables and transformers to enhance the system’s reliability. We have installed 27 out of 81 transformers and have installed 90% of the cables.
Fall 2024: Crews began rebuilding the overhead infrastructure in the Forest Park and Poletown neighborhoods. This includes installing new poles and overhead wires that deliver power to the area. In 2023, crews installed over a mile of new infrastructure.
2023 – 2024: Nearly 21 of 24 miles of new cable was installed underground. Crews also began installing new transformers, which allow us to lower power to a voltage that’s safe for homes and businesses.
2020 – 2024: Crews installed new underground pipes (conduit) in the Midtown area. These pipes help protect the cables running under the city streets from damage.
This project is part of our commitment to reduce outages by 30% while cutting outage time in half by the end of 2029. To learn more about work happening in your area, visit empoweringmichigan.com/reliability-improvements or DTE’s Power Improvements Map.