DDC Completed 285 Construction Projects During the Adams Administration, Advanced Design-Build and Strategic Blueprint Initiatives, Borough-Based Jails, Coastal Resiliency

DDC Completed 285 Construction Projects During the Adams Administration, Advanced Design-Build and Strategic Blueprint Initiatives, Borough-Based Jails, Coastal Resiliency

Contact: Ian Michaels 646-939-6514, [email protected]

(Long Island City, NY - December 16, 2025) New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Acting Commissioner Eduardo del Valle announced today that the agency completed 285 individual construction projects since the Adams Administration began in January 2022, including City government's first design-build projects, which reduced project timelines by years and typically reduced costs by ten percent compared to traditional lowest bidder contracting. The agency completed large parts of the City's first major coastal resiliency projects, finished site prep and began work on four new Borough-Based Jail facilities, and continued to build out the City's system of libraries, fire houses, police precincts, water mains, sewers and green infrastructure while also creating more opportunities for M/WBEs. DDC also continued publishing the latest version of its Strategic Blueprint for improving project delivery.

"We took office with a simple promise: to 'Get Stuff Done,' and, four years later, our administration can say that we delivered on that promise every day for working-class New Yorkers," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. "We drove shootings to record lows and pushed jobs and small businesses to record highs. We rewrote the playbook on homelessness and mental health to finally get New Yorkers living on our streets the help they need, and, after decades of half-measures, passed historic housing legislation to turn New York into a 'City of Yes.' We overhauled the way our students learn to read and do math, cut the cost of child care, and forgave medical debt. We eliminated taxes for low-income families, launched free universal after-school programming, and completed 349 design projects and 285 construction projects, improving the quality of life for thousands of New Yorkers each and every day. We got scaffolding off our buildings, trash bags off our streets, and opened up new public spaces for New Yorkers to enjoy. The haters may have doubted us, but the results are clear. On issue after issue, we brought common-sense leadership to create a safer, more affordable city, and our work has changed our city for the better; it will stand the test of time because we made New York City the best place to live and raise a family."

"The Adams Administration has been a champion of reforming capital construction, and in cooperation with Mayor Adams' Capital Process Reform Task Force we delivered the City's first design-build projects and implemented other improvements including Advanced Capital Planning," said Acting Commissioner del Valle. "DDC's responsibilities continue to grow, and since 2022 our annual capital commitments have more than doubled in value to $5.4 billion as we take on various challenges presented by climate change and other emerging needs. We look forward to continuing our progress in 2026."

Since 2022, DDC has also completed 349 design projects and reviewed 382 potential projects through its Front-End Planning process. Of the 285 construction projects completed, 131 are led by the Infrastructure Unit and 154 cover Public Buildings. During the four-year period, in keeping with the priorities that are set by the agencies that fund its infrastructure projects, DDC has also built 119 lane miles of roadway; more than 100 miles of new water mains and sewers; 9,743 feet of coastal resiliency protection; 11,211 pedestrian ramps; and 121,364 square feet of porous pavement to help with local stormwater drainage. The projects cover every corner of the five boroughs.

In its Public Buildings division, the agency since 2022, has completed 43 projects for the City's three library systems; 22 projects related to health and human services; 21 projects for various cultural institutions that receive funding from the City; nine projects at courthouses; seven projects for NYPD; six early work projects for site preparation in the Borough-Based Jails program; and five for the Department of Sanitation, among others.

The agency during this period also awarded approximately $3 billion to Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises through its M/WBE program while achieving more than 37 percent M/WBE participation overall in its growing portfolio of design-build and other alternative delivery projects. DDC's innovative mentoring program for M/WBEs and other small businesses was so successful it transitioned to a new citywide program. The agency further began other initiatives to help M/WBEs including by incorporating Community Hiring into its solicitations.

2025 Highlights

DUMBO

In December, DDC finished a $108 million infrastructure project that restored 26 blocks in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood, rebuilt cobblestoned streets, removed and replaced more than 800,000 cobblestones and created the new permanent Pearl Street Plaza. The project also improved stormwater drainage in the neighborhood and reduced combined sewer overflows into the East River.

Coastal Resiliency

In 2025, DDC's $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project reached major milestones around East River Park in Manhattan. In September, the City celebrated the new Corlears Hook Bridge, the reconstructed amphitheater, and the newly restored ballfields. Earlier openings included basketball courts, BBQ areas, and passive lawns, the new Delancey Street Bridge and Ballfields 1 and 2. The northern areas of ESCR were completed in October 2024 two months ahead of schedule and $10 million under budget. DDC also broke ground on Red Hook Coastal Resiliency (RHCR) in 2025, a $218 million project in Brooklyn.

Advanced Capital Planning and Expanded Work Allowance

In June 2025, a pilot program for two reforms that are part of DDC's Strategic Blueprint proved so successful that they were expanded to other agencies with large capital programs, including DEP, DOT and NYC Parks. Advanced Capital Planning will bring data-informed planning support to DDC's sponsor agencies and Expanded Work Allowance has led to a 50 percent reduction in the time it takes to pay contractors for unexpected change orders.

Pershing Square Plaza

In May 2025, the final phase of Pershing Square Plaza was completed across the street from Grand Central Terminal, creating a new multi-purpose public space that invites pedestrian activity and supports local businesses. The project was built in two phases, Pershing Square East and Pershing Square West, for a total investment of $16.7 million. The Persing East project also upgraded the area's storm sewers for better stormwater management.

Orchard Beach Design-Build Facility

DDC's use of design-build and other forms of alternative project delivery showed results in 2025 with the completion of the new Orchard Beach Maintenance & Operations facility for NYC Parks. The building was completed 2.6 years faster than would have been possible under the traditional system of lowest bidder contracting and with cost savings of $3.59 million, or ten percent of the project's overall budget. The facility utilizes a green roof and solar panels and meets LEED Gold standards for environmental sustainability. The project received a 2024 Public Design Commission Award.

2024 Highlights

40th and 116th Police Precincts

In late-2024, DDC celebrated the opening of two new police precinct station houses, including the new 40th Precinct in the Bronx and the 116th Precinct in Queens as part of the City's first NYPD Command established in a decade. Both structures include community space and environmental sustainability features, plus resiliency features to remain operational during emergencies.

Two New Alternative Delivery Methods

In November 2024, following years of advocacy and lobbying in Albany for construction reform, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law legislation that allows DDC to use Progressive Design-Build and Construction Manager-Build, two contracting models which cut time-consuming and expensive steps out of the outdated lowest bidder system. In October 2022, Mayor Adams had called for use of progressive design-build in future resiliency projects. DDC is already operating pilot programs for both new methods of alternate project delivery.

Far Rockaway Library

In July 2024, DDC and Queens Public Library celebrated the opening of the new Far Rockaway Library. Designed by the international architecture firm Snøhetta under DDC's Design and Construction Excellence program, the 18,000-square-foot, $39 million building features a unique glass façade and central atrium space and meets LEED Gold standards for environmental efficiency.

Major Infrastructure Projects

Completed numerous infrastructure projects particularly in Queens, the City's largest borough by area, throughout 2024 including: street safety improvements in Bayside, Queens; water mains and upgrades to Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn; the $51 million Phase II of the agency's work in Broad Channel; the first section of ESCR in Manhattan plus the new Delancy Street Bridge; Phase II of a massive sewer upgrade in Maspeth; a $139 million project in College Point; porous pavement installations in Brooklyn; six miles of new storm sewers in Whitestone; four miles of water mains in Forest Hills; and water and sewer upgrades in Westerleigh, Staten Island.

Design-Build for New Parks Recreation Centers

In February 2024, Mayor Adams broke ground on the new $92 million Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center in Staten Island. The project is one of several new recreation centers that DDC is building for NYC Parks using design-build to save time and money. Others include the $141 million Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in Brooklyn, for which Mayor Adams broke ground in October 2023. That center was substantially completed by DDC in 2025 more than three years faster than would have been possible with lowest bidder contracting. DDC is also using design-build for the future Roy Wilkins Recreation Center in Queens.

2023 Highlights

Pelham Parkway Phase II

In December 2023, DDC completed the second and final phase of the Pelham Parkway reconstruction, a $129 million project that incorporated major improvements including 1.7 miles of new dedicated bus lanes serving 49,000 bus riders per day. The project upgraded bus stops, made safety improvements, upgraded underground utilities, and added new storm sewers, catch basins, and 250 new trees. The project, which won two Engineering Excellence Awards from the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York).

New Creek Bluebelt Expansion

In October 2023, Mayor Adams and DDC celebrated the end of a $110 million project to protect the Mid-Island section of Staten Island from flooding and fortify surrounding communities against climate change-driven extreme weather events by significantly expanding the New Creek Bluebelt. As New York City prepares for rising sea levels and heavier rains due to climate change, bluebelts offer a natural and effective solution for stable and sound stormwater management.

First Use of Porous Pavement

In June 2023, DDC celebrated the first installation of porous pavement by a City agency, as part of a $16.6 million project in Rockaway that rebuilt Beach 108 Street with pedestrian safety improvements and new bike lanes. The porous pavement at the site will allow nearly 1.3 million gallons of stormwater to be absorbed into the ground each year, which will ease pressure on the local sewer system and help to reduce flooding and improve the health of Jamaica Bay.

Starlight Park Opens in the Bronx

In April 2023, DDC completed the $41 million Starlight Park, a major greenspace and greenway expansion in the Bronx that closes a former gap in the Bronx River Greenway. The multi-staged project converted 2.7 acres of formerly paved, industrial property into a beautiful greenspace with added greenway connections for New Yorkers to enjoy. The project won the top award in the 2024 AIANY + ASLANY Transportation + Infrastructure Design Excellence Awards in the category of Open Space. In 2021, Starlight Park also received the Envision Gold Award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) for restoring balance and reuniting communities, restoring the environment and stimulating economic prosperity and development.

M/WBE Mentoring Program

In March 2023, DDC awarded its first contract available exclusively to firms in DDC's new Mentoring Program for qualified Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) and small businesses. More than 250 firms applied for the first cohort of the Mentoring Program, and it proved so successful that it was later transitioned into a citywide program involving other agencies with large capital programs.

2022 Highlights

New Home for Bronx Children's Museum

In November 2022, DDC's new Bronx Children's Museum opened to the public. Located at the Bronx Terminal Market, the 13,800-square-foot Museum allows children to play, learn and connect through art, dramatic role-play and scientific exploration. The design catalyzes the site's position between city grid and tidal river with an architecture of organic flow inside the rectangular frame of a 1925 historic powerhouse. The project was part of DDC's Design and Construction Excellence Program and was also received an award from AIA New York for the first use of curved cross-laminated timber panels in the country. DDC also delivered a new, modern $7.8 million auditorium at the Brooklyn Children's Museum in 2022.

Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resilience (BMCR)

In October 2022, the city broke ground on BCMR, a coastal resilience project immediately to the south of ESCR that will reduce risk of flooding for thousands of residents from both sea level rise and storm surge, while also enhancing local recreation and access to the waterfront. BMCR includes deployable barriers that are hidden until they are flipped up prior to intense storms and will also maximize integration of public space amenities such as open-air seating, fitness equipment, and athletic courts. BMCR is expected to be completed in 2027. Also in 2022, the first completed sections of ESCR opened in Manhattan.

$9.3 Million Animal Care Center in Staten Island

On the same day in October, DDC, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) celebrated the opening of the new $9.3 million Animal Care Center in Staten Island, dedicated to Tommy Monahan, a boy who tragically passed away in December 2007 at the age of nine trying to save his pets from a house fire. The 5,300-square-foot Center has capacity for 71 animals and includes staff offices, medical rooms, two dog yards, parking lot, native garden, and other amenities. The design maximizes the benefits of natural light for animals and people through its recessed clerestory court and translucent polycarbonate envelope. The building is LEED Silver Certified for environmental sustainability.

New Drinking Water Connection to City Island

In July 2022, DDC completed a $34 million project to upgrade the drinking water connection to City Island in the Bronx. Two 20-inch subaqueous water mains stretching 4,200 feet were installed under Eastchester Bay to ensure a reliable supply of water for the residents and businesses located on the Island. Work included the use of horizontal directional drilling technology to create two 2,000-foot pathways under Eastchester Bay for the pipes to travel from the Rodman's Neck peninsula on the mainland toward City Island. The project received a Diamond Award during the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York's 2022 Engineering Excellence Awards. The project was also named "2021 Project of the Year" in the $25-100 million category by the Construction Management Association of America's NY/NJ Chapter (CMAA).

COVID Centers of Excellence

In February 2022, DDC and NYC Health+Hospitals celebrated the opening of the third COVID Center of Excellence that DDC built for the public hospital system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Located in Bushwick, Brooklyn, it was designed to meet the unique needs of patients recovering from COVID-19, including specialized services like pulmonary and cardiology care, radiology and diagnostic services, and mental health services. The clinic also offers primary care and pediatrics, specialty medicine, behavioral health, dental and oral health needs, digital imaging to provide comprehensive care to adult and pediatric patients. DDC used CM-Build alternate delivery to build the three Centers and delivered them in 192 days including design time.

About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City's primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor Adams' long-term vision of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $34 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.