Overview
- Announcing his stance at a Crain’s New York Business forum, Andrew Cuomo said he would demolish and rebuild on Rikers, add free express buses from each borough, and convert the four borough jail sites to housing and commercial uses.
- Undoing the plan to close Rikers would require City Council approval to reverse the 2019 mandate and to address more than $15 billion already committed to borough‑based jail contracts.
- A March report by the Independent Rikers Commission concluded rebuilding on the island would likely take longer and cost 8%–15% more due to environmental remediation, single‑bridge access and phased construction alongside active jails.
- Cuomo argues the borough‑jail program is years late and billions over budget, with estimates now around $15 billion to $16 billion and major delays at the Manhattan and Brooklyn sites.
- City Council leaders denounced Cuomo’s idea as a political ploy, rival candidates split over the future of Rikers, and federal oversight remains intense with receivership efforts underway, 12 deaths reported this year and a detainee population near 7,000.