DTE Energy is busy upgrading the electric grid, as part of our four-point plan to improve reliability. This plan — which includes trimming trees, updating existing infrastructure, rebuilding older portions of the grid and accelerating our transition to a smart grid — is well underway across our service territory, including Detroit.
Recently, crews were on Scotten Street in Southwest Detroit, replacing old, wooden crossarms with new fiberglass ones. Crossarms are horizontal beams on utility poles that hold wires and other electrical equipment in place. The old crossarms are more susceptible to cracking, rotting and breaking over time, whereas the newly installed crossarms can better withstand weathering from harsh wind, rain, snow and ice.
Upgrades taking place on this street will help us convert electricity into different voltages and more reliably power the surrounding neighborhood to suit ever increasing energy needs.
Our long-term plan also addresses reliability and resiliency by rebuilding more of the grid and converting more customers over time to a higher voltage on that grid. You can find where we are continuing this work by visiting our electricity reliability improvements map.