Mayor Bill de Blasio this week announced completion of replacement of roofs at 65 NYCHA buildings across New York City.

The Mayor said these new roofs will benefit about 13,000 residents by reducing mold, which can cause asthma and other respiratory illness.

This marks the completion of the first phase of a major roof replacement begun by the city in 2015. The first 65 roofs cost approximately $91.5 million, $8.5 million under budget.

The second phase of 78 roofs, costing $100 million has now entered construction and will be completed by June 2019, the Mayor announced.

Mayor de Blasio further announced that the roof replacement program’s progress at Queensbridge Houses, the largest public housing development in the U.S.

All 26 roofs at the development have been replaced for the first time in more than 30 years. In addition to new roofs, the de Blasio administration has also installed free wifi throughout the development, 360 CCTV cameras and 858 security lights. The Mayor said crime at Queensbridge has fallen 21 percent since 2013.

“Residents may never see the new roof over their heads, but they will feel the difference. We are targeting a major source of leaks and mold, making kids healthier and helping parents sleep easier,” said Mayor de Blasio.

He added that “with the right resources, we can deliver real-time improvements to the quality of life for thousands of families.”

NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye agreed. She said the first phase in a $1.3 billion investment, through these critical infrastructure repairs, is making major strides toward achieving the NextGeneration NYCHA goal to provide safe, clean and connected communities for all public housing residents.

The Mayor has dedicated $1.3 billion to repair some 950 deteriorating roofs for 175,000 NYCHA residents. Leaky roofs are not only responsible for key sources of water and excessive moisture that causes mold in apartment, but also represent a danger to building’s physical structure, according to de Blasio.

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