Fort Wayne - HicksvilleTransmission Line Project

Indiana Michigan Power and AEP Ohio representatives plan power grid upgrades to improve electric reliability for customers in northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio.

The Fort Wayne-Hicksville Transmission Line Project involves:

• Rebuilding about 24 miles of 69-kV transmission line from Robison Park Substation off Diebold Road in Fort Wayne to the Indiana state border near County Road 64.
• Rebuilding about 1 mile of 69-kV transmission line from the Ohio state border near Spencerville Hicksville Road to North Hicksville Substation off Elm Street in Hicksville.
• Rebuilding about 5 miles of 69-kV transmission line from the Ohio state border near Spencerville Hicksville Road to South Hicksville Substation off Clemmer Road in Hicksville.
• Replacing three poles along a 138-kV transmission line off Antwerp Road in Hicksville.*
• Upgrading equipment at St. Joe Substation off Washington Street.

*A component of this project requires Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) approval

The project strengthens the electric transmission system by replacing deteriorating wooden poles from the 1960s with modern steel poles. The existing transmission lines have experienced more than 30 power outages in the past 5 years. Upgrading the line with modern equipment improves the line's operational performance, reduces the likelihood of extended power outages and the need for frequent equipment repairs. Crews plan to replace three poles to meet modern clearance standards at a power line crossing

Company representatives plan to rebuild the power line mostly in the existing right-of-way, which may require acquiring new or updating existing property easements. Easements are defined land rights that property owners grant the utility to allow for the safe construction, operation, and maintenance of the power line.

August 2024: Company representatives announced this project in fall 2022 with construction beginning spring 2024. Crews did not begin construction last spring, and at this time we do not have a projected construction date. Company representatives are currently working to revise the project schedule. 

Michiana Land Services, Inc. (MLS) serves as I&M’s right-of-way representative on this project. Landowners can expect to hear from a right-of-way agent to discuss field activities, construction and restoration.