CENTRAL NEW YORK (WSYR-TV) — The New York Power Authority is set to install fiber optic cables on power lines in Onondaga, Madison, and Oneida Counties, with a helicopter flying overhead to assist the installations.
This is a part of the $117 million Communications Backbone Initiative, which was announced in 2017 as a plan to update communications across the state. This will be done locally by replacing the existing static wire with fiber optic cables.
This phase involves installing 50 miles of transmission lines through Clay, Cicero, Bridgeport, Chittenango, Canastota, Verona, Durhamville, Rome, Westmoreland, Whitestown, and Marcy.
This will begin on Monday, September 20 and go until November 15. Helicopter work will take place daily form 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, and the public is encouraged to stay far away from the work for safety reasons.
While working at the towers along the transmission line, the helicopter will hover between 100-200 feet off the ground. When the helicopter is traveling between locations, it typically flies between 400-500 feet off the ground. Local, state and federal agencies have been notified.