MUNCIE, Ind. — Indiana & Michigan Power is spending about $31 million in an upgrade of transmission line and equipment in the northwest part of the city.

Utility officials are preparing for the Tillotson Avenue Transmission Line Project and contacting people regarding right-of-way issues and working on engineering for the project now. Work on the project is expected to start in summer of 2023 with completion expected in late 2024, said Corey Ohlenkamp, spokesman for I&M.

According to the utility, the project involves upgrading about three miles of transmission line between its Delaware Substation, off North Shaffer Road, and its Bethel Substation, off North Elizabeth Avenue near the Ball State University campus.

I&M will also place a half-mile of new overhead transmission line between the Delaware Substation to West Riggin Road and bury a half-mile of transmission wire underground from West Riggin Road to West Twickingham Drive in the Halteman Village neighborhood.

The utility is also rebuilding two miles of overhead transmission line from Twickingham to the Bethel Substation and removing about a mile of transmission line between Delaware Substation and Twickingham.

Additionally, I&M will be rebuilding about a mile of underground transmission line between the Bethel Substation and the Kenmore Substation, located along Tillotson Avenue near Riverside Avenue.

"The project involves replacing aging poles and wires that date back to the 1960s with modern equipment," according to a statement from the utility. "Outages within the aging underground facilities are difficult to identify and fix. The power line has experienced several extended power outages in recent years due to these issues."

Removing the existing transmission line between the Delaware Substation and Twickingham Drive will involve removing wires and tops of poles. However, lower-voltage transmission lines and other third-party utility lines providing other types of service may remain along with the poles, according to I&M.

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"Company representatives plan to build the majority of the power line in or near the existing right-of-way, which may require acquiring new or updating existing property easements," a summary of the project provided by I&M said.

Ohlenkamp said I&M would try to avoid disrupting street traffic as much as possible during the construction of the project.

David Penticuff is the local government reporter at the Star Press. Contact him at dpenticuff@gannett.com.