It’s not that the details, released last evening, of the dark fiber project are so startling. No, it’s that RIOC coughed them up at all. Without being asked.
By David Stone
In a promising development, after hours on Tuesday, RIOC emailed an alert to its subscribers.
“Installation of an inground fiber connection, which will strengthen the existing security camera network along the East Promenade, will be taking place on the East Promenade from Blackwell Park to 680 Main Street, now through June. Please note no impact to pedestrian access is expected.”
So, what exactly is a dark fiber project…?
Mysterious though it may sound, dark fiber is simply fiber cabling not “lit” by an internet provider connection. Like this…
Dark fiber awaits while workers dig a trench along the East Promenade.
Markings behind Roosevelt Landings signal the route south to Blackwell House.
And that takes heavy equipment for getting the job done, but RIOC’s crew is ready.
Does information released for the dark fiber project hint at increasing transparency at RIOC? We hope so.
We might even eventually learn what they’re “remediating” under the Roosevelt Island Bridge, but it’s too early for placing optimistic bets on it.
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The Line That Didn’t Land
I stood in the back of Good Shepherd Chapel on the evening of April 15, 2026, at the Steam Plant Demolition Town Hall, watching people adjust scarves and jackets before the meeting began. Benjamin Jones, President and CEO of RIOC, thanked us for attending and, without a pause, said he was “pleased to host tonight’s town hall on the city’s demolition of its steam plant.” The demolition, in other words, was not up for discussion.
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