New York Auctions Bridge Lights After $108M Cuomo Project Fails

Updated June 16, 2025

The New York Power Authority is attempting to recoup ‍some of the $108 million spent on bridge lighting championed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The authority is holding a⁢ fire⁤ sale of the unused decorative lights.

Cuomo envisioned vast light displays, but the ⁢project stalled after scandals led to⁢ his departure ⁤from office. no one else in New York government considered the project worth the expense.

Cuomo pushed the Power Authority to finance the “investment.” ⁣The authority has as paid about $300,000⁣ annually⁤ for storage, bringing the total cost to $108 million.⁣ Now, the lights are being auctioned⁣ off in hopes of recovering a fraction ‍of ⁣the cost. The role of ⁣the power Authority is⁤ now to mitigate the financial damage.

The Power Authority’s customers are bearing the brunt ‍of the losses,as they also fund cuomo’s green-energy initiatives. ⁣This bridge ‍lighting boondoggle is just one example of Cuomo’s vanity projects.

Other projects include a $15 million “film hub” sold for $1,a $90 million lightbulb factory that never opened,and $30 million in tunnel-tile mosaics. Plans for a $2 billion AirTrain were also scrapped. These projects highlight the financial mismanagement during Cuomo’s tenure.

Cuomo’s “AndyLand” projects cost taxpayers at least $10 billion.

What’s next

The auction’s proceeds will likely only offset a small portion of the total cost, leaving New York residents to grapple with the financial consequences of the failed project.