Independent mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday he’d scrap the controversial plan to close the Rikers Island jail complex if he’s elected in November – a stunning about-face from the ex-governor.

Cuomo — who as governor championed closing the troubled complex — said during a Crain’s New York business breakfast he wants to abandon the plan to close Rikers by 2027 and replace it with four borough-based jails.

“Let’s make a major start by stopping a major debacle — the new jail construction to replace Rikers Island,” Cuomo told business leaders . 3

“The writing is on the wall: it promises to be New York City’s Big Ditch. It is already years late, billions over budget, and obsolete.”

The price tag to build the four jails ballooned from $8 billion to $16 billion in recent

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