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Before the 1980s, Montana-Dakota Utilities had a double-circuit 41.6kV line that encircled Bismarck and Mandan from the Heskett power plant north of Mandan, and which crossed the river on both sides of the old Memorial Bridge. In the 1980s, MDU began replacing segments of the loop with a new 115kV system, and as of 2025, the Mandan portion of the system has been retired and mostly removed (a couple shards remain in service on the Bismarck side). Here's a view from the 2010s, with a still-intact branch for one of the two then remaining 41.6/12.47kV substations. It always impressed me how much work went into rearranging the 4-2 double circuit line to accommodate the large platform-style switches and the actual branch. |