Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) plans enhancements to the electric transmission grid spanning the St. Joseph River, from downtown Benton Harbor to Hickory Creek substation in St. Joseph Township. The work will take place in 2028 and 2029.
I & M terms it the Benton Harbor Area Improvements project. It will upgrade about 6 miles of high voltage transmission lines between Main Street substation on West Main St in Benton Harbor and Hickory Creek substation near North Trail Lane in St. Joseph.
According to I & M, the project involves:
- Rebuilding about 3 miles of transmission line from Hickory Creek Substation and along the St. Joseph River.
- Relocating 0.5 miles of transmission line between Fisherman’s Road and Industrial Court.
- Rebuilding 2.5 miles of transmission line between Industrial Court and Main Street Substation.
I&M plans to replace existing the existing wooden poles with more robust steel to upgrade the line to modern engineering and operational standards. The project will improve reliability, help prevent future outages and speed restoration times if outages occur.
“The Benton Harbor Area Improvements project is a part of a series of investments by Indiana Michigan Power in the St. Joseph and Benton Harbor communities.” said Annie Smith, I&M External Affairs manager. “The line is currently supported by wooden poles that have been there since the 1930’s. Modernization projects like these are key to ensuring our infrastructure is reliable and meets the growing energy needs of our community.”
Visit IndianaMichiganPower.com/BentonHarborArea to learn more about this project.
