Investing in NYC’s Infrastructure

Overview

New York City’s infrastructure is the foundation for our shared thriving. City capital dollars build the school buildings that educate our kids, the tunnels that bring us clean water, our public parks, libraries, and hospitals, affordable housing for families, the space and technology needed for our municipal government and courts, and the roads and bridges that New Yorkers rely on every day.

As our city grows and changes, so do the needs and strains on that infrastructure. Many of our roads and sewer mains are over 100 years old. The affordable housing crisis (including the needs of NYCHA) calls for massive investments. The rising seas and temperatures of the climate crisis require new flood protections, building transformations, and renewable energy infrastructure.

All these projects will require many billions of dollars of investment in the years ahead. Some of those funds will be provided through federal and state programs made available through the recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and New York State Environmental Bond Act. But the vast majority of the funding comes through the City of New York’s municipal bond program, administered by the Comptroller’s Office and the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget. These infrastructure expenditures are documented in NYC’s Capital Plan.

The Comptroller’s Office is focused on critical questions facing the long-term wellbeing of NYC’s infrastructure, including:

  • The amount of debt the City can and should take on relative to our revenues and our infrastructure needs and the affordability of that debt
  • Persistent delays and cost-overruns in our capital projects process
  • The state-of-good repair of our City infrastructure and the costs of infrastructure maintenance
  • An assessment of the City’s vulnerabilities and a risk-based framework to guide long-term investments in the face of climate change
  • The economic development opportunities offered by investing in infrastructure and policies to ensure that those investments spur and secure good jobs
$242 billion
Aug
2022