On Thursday morning, a routine and bureaucratic part of government was on display — a contract hearing.

But in this case, it comes with a massive price tag: awarding contracts for the design and construction of two of the city’s four new jails.

One in Queens will cost close to $4 billion, and one in the Bronx will cost close to $3 billion.

That’s much more than initially anticipated, and there were also other grievances.

“I am a little perplexed at the extended timeline of this contract without a very clear rationale,” Councilmember Sandy Nurse said.

By law, the city is supposed to close Rikers Island by August 2027. But the jails to replace it are likely going to take much longer.

The Brooklyn facility, whose contract was approved last year, won’t be done until 2029.

According to a review of the Queens and Bronx contracts by NY1, their completion dates are even later.

Interior finishes won’t be complete at the Queens jail until January 2031, according to a preliminary schedule.

In the Bronx, a preliminary schedule reviewed by NY1 said substantial completion would not be done until April 2031.

The new timeline is concerning to some lawmakers.

“We are still waiting for the results of the commission to come back,” Council Speaker Adrienne Adams saidThursday. “It is concerning that the competition dates for those contracts are delayed, and the administration hasn’t fulfilled its commitment to the investments and solutions that we need to reduce the jail population and actually move towards closing Rikers.”

A commission is currently reviewing how the city should move forward with closing Rikers Island given these new construction timelines. That commission should come out with recommendations this fall. Its executive director attended the contract hearing on Thursday.

He also questioned the dates, pointing out the timeline increased when the Adams administration increased the bed capacity at these facilities.

Each facility was initially supposed to have 886 beds, but that’s increased to 1,040.

“We’re looking at three years longer than the initial estimate,” Zachary Katznelson, executive director of the Independent Rikers Commission, said. “So instead of four years, we’re looking at seven and the city has not yet explained why that is the case. Why, when we increase the number of beds by 160 from 886 to 1,040, why does that add three years to the timeline of these jails?”

In response to this story, a spokesperson for the mayor sent NY1 this statement:

“It has become painfully clear that the plan approved under the last administration leaves open serious questions about the city’s ability to keep New Yorkers safe, and we look forward to reviewing the Lippman Commission’s recommendations on how to move this plan forward once they are released.”