Report finds most city infrastructure projects are over budget, behind schedule

Four of the city’s top 10 largest capital projects are the borough-based jails set to replace Rikers Island.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said the Brooklyn community jail site slated for Atlantic Avenue is two years behind schedule because of “unforeseen site conditions.”

According to the city, the $3 billion project will need additional funds because of the delays and the increase in costs since the original budget was created.

A new report from the state comptroller’s office found that that’s the norm for most city infrastructure projects.

The report analyzed more than 5,000 projects and found that 64% of them are delayed by at least three months.

Nearly half are considered excessively delayed, at three or more years behind schedule.

The more time projects take, the more expensive they become.

Just about 50% of the projects analyzed are over their initial budget, with planned spending ballooning to $54.5 billion more than initially anticipated, according to the report.

More than 2,000 of the analyzed projects are 20% or more over budget.

But DiNapoli’s report also found about 27% of projects are on budget, and 21% are under budget.

The Adams administration created the NYC Capital Projects Dashboard to provide the public with the cost, schedule and progress of capital projects.

A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams said he shares the comptroller’s commitment to improving the city’s infrastructure delivery, vowing to save the city tens of millions of dollars annually and speed up projects.

Adding, in part, “If Albany gives us commonsense tools like expanding alternative delivery and extending joint bidding, we’ll be able to further streamline the planning, design, and construction process, delivering projects faster and saving taxpayers money.”