Indiana Michigan Power replacing transmission towers along I-69
Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is replacing the traditional four-legged lattice transmission towers along Interstate 69 in Indiana with single-pole, crescent-arcing towers.
The new towers provide more than a new aesthetic. They are more compact spaces, requiring less acreage, less equipment, and thus, less cost. According to I&M, they are also more environmentally friendly and significantly less complex than the traditional towers. Their design has already won several awards like the International Tower Design Award, following their creation by American Electric Power engineers.
The new designs are called Breakthrough Overhead Line Design, or BOLD. I&M has previously deployed such designs from around Roanoke, Indiana to the north of Fort Wayne, Indiana, but this new project will see such towers erected along a major interstate for miles. They are part of the Roanoke-to-Marion project, which will eventually result in more than 200 BOLD tower replacements and the reconstruction of an aging 138-kiloVolt transmission line.
The old lattice towers support a line that is decades old, and crews are working to replace it to meet energy needs better.
