Waste Of The Day: NY Staircase Costs Almost $1 Million Per Step

Authored by Jerremy Portnoy via RealClearInvestigations,

Topline: Every journey starts with a single step, but the cost of each step isn’t usually $935,000.

That’s how much New York State will spend to repair each of the 77 stairs leading up the grand entrance to the Capitol building in Albany after ignoring the maintenance for over a decade. The cost gradually rose from $17 million in 2014 to $72 million today.

Key facts: Inspectors closed off public access to the granite Eastern Approach staircase in 2014 after finding rusted steel supports and load-bearing bricks so loose they could be removed by hand, according to the New York Times. A study commissioned by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo estimated the repair bill at $17 million.

Cuomo never appropriated the money, except for $120,000 for urgent repairs in 2016. When Gov. Kathy Hochul finally set aside funding in 2022, the cost had risen to $41 million.

This February, New York State announced it had hired Louis C. Allegrone, Inc to repair the steps at a cost of $72 million. Only one other company submitted a bid, according to the New York Post, which also found internal documents showing the administration was at one point prepared to spend over $80 million on the stairs.

The Post was unable to learn why the cost more than quadrupled from the 2014 estimate. A spokesperson told the Post that “By law, we cannot comment further while the procurement process is ongoing.” Opinion writer Andrea Peyser noted, “I’m not aware of any statute that forbids overtaxed citizens from learning how public officials rob them blind.”

Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy later told the Albany Times Union that inflation, rising construction costs and worsening deterioration were all factors in the cost increase.

In reality, the deferred maintenance on the Eastern Approach stretches back even further than 2014. The New York Sun ran an article in 1924 claiming the staircase was nearing “complete ruin” and estimated repairs would cost $1 million, according to the New York Times.

Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor spending with the AI search bot, Benjamin, at OpenTheBooks.com. 

Background: Oddly enough, this isn’t the only luxury staircase New Yorkers have funded recently. New York City shelled out $30 million for a 28-step staircase at Times Square 42nd Street subway station in 2022.

Summary: Given New York’s penchant for spending, it’s fitting that lawmakers will be unable to walk into the Capitol building without stepping on taxpayers’ wallets.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com