The small East Promenade sinkhole evolved, this week, but we’re no closer to understanding the mystery RIOC’s creating. Here’s a quick update.

By David Stone

Roosevelt Island Daily News

The small East Promenade sinkhole before.

Always tainted with a CYA strain, RIOC, in the last year, became more like a secret society of elites. Although there is no evidence, so far, of secret handshakes or magical rings, the internal code of silence prevails.

That is, we don’t know what they’re doing with the sinkhole and can only hope that they do.

And the super secret state agency shows no signs of recognizing any need to inform the public paying all the bills.

What the small East Promenade sinkhole looks like today…

The difference is dramatic, telling us there’s more to the story, but what?

All we have is a cryptic “alert” about the area being closed off for remediation. But even that was a little strange because it had already been closed off for weeks without explanation.

Cracks and nearby depressions fill the area, but RIOC’s treating the mess like some disgraceful family secret.

As we reported earlier, this sinkhole is concerning after, in her lawsuit against RIOC, former president/CEO Susan Rosenthal exposed the threat of a “catastrophic” collapse of the seawall.

The Delphic alert released by RIOC’s media-shy Communications Team was only a little more clear than a Zen koan.

Meanwhile, markings and trench drilling equipment from Roosevelt Landings north past the once small East Promenade sinkhole suggest more to come.

More late news from the Roosevelt Island Daily…

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Stack Work Advances While Answers Do Not

HPD told the CAG there was no projected start date and that five business days’ notice would be given. Work on the eastern smokestack began six days later.

Theo Gobblevelt Jul 3, 2026

On June 17 and 18, HPD told the first meeting of the Roosevelt Island Steam Plant Demolition Community Advisory Group that smokestack demolition had no projected start date. Residents and the CAG would receive at least five business days’ advance notice once a date was set. Scaffolding around the stacks could not proceed until soil removal and backfill were complete and the area stabilized.

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