FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP): The electric utility for nearly 600,000 homes and businesses in Indiana and Michigan plans to spend $500 million over the next eight years in infrastructure improvements, including transmission systems that are 40 to 60 years old.
 
       Indiana Michigan Power already has begun upgrading its transmission systems. Company spokeswoman Sarah Bodner tells The Journal Gazette that a customer paying about $100 a month will see less than a $1 increase on monthly electric bills.
 
       The project involves strengthening and rebuilding power lines, installing new transmission lines, building and upgrading substations and updating equipment. The work is part of a larger project by American Electric Power, the utility's parent firm.
 
       Bodner says the project doesn't require Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approval.