Skip to content
Council Discourse

NYC Council meetings, chaptered and linked by time.

Created by Uzair Qadir

Inspired by Vikram Oberoi's City Meetings

Q&A

CM Sanchez challenges Deputy Commissioner Beaton on daylighting cost discrepancy

New York City Council · May 29, 2026 · starts 0:46:25 · 1 min 8 sec

Justin Sanchez confronts Beaton about conflicting daylighting cost estimates: $10,000 per intersection versus $3 billion total for 40,000 intersections. Beaton explains the discrepancy is per location versus per intersection with eight potential daylighting spots.

Justin Sanchez

Thank you, Chair Lee.

Justin Sanchez

This is a question for Commissioner Beaton.

Justin Sanchez

Deputy Commissioner Beaton, in April of last year, you testified under oath to this committee that as it pertains to the cost of daylighting, 10,000 is a very round rule of thumb number for a single intersection.

Justin Sanchez

You further emphasized this cost to Streetsblock saying, the cost of hardened daylighting infrastructure comes at about 10,000 per location, which includes labor and regular maintenance.

Justin Sanchez

However, in that same hearing, your submitted testimony to the committee stated universal hardened daylighting would cost in the neighborhood of $3 billion.

Justin Sanchez

New York City has 40,000 intersections, Mr.

Justin Sanchez

Beaton, at a cost of $10,000 per intersection that comes to $400 million.

Justin Sanchez

Is this just a simple case of bad math or a huge disagreement you have with yourself?

Eric Beaton

So the $10,000 was per location.

Eric Beaton

An intersection has four corners.

Eric Beaton

Each corner can have two sides that are daylit.

Eric Beaton

So I think that that's the discrepancy is it's not per intersection, it's per location.