And Just Like That, The Concept Of “Billion” Finally Ceases To Mean Anything

With a $3.2 billion PATH station and a $500 billion Sept. 11 memorial (itself down from $1 billion) $3 billion for the Freedom Tower doesn’t seem like such a bad deal:

The cost of the Freedom Tower has soared to $3 billion, according to the Port Authority’s latest estimates.

Construction costs for the 1,776-foot tower have been pegged at $2.478 billion, up from the $2.2 billion estimate for steel, concrete, glass and labor projected last spring.

But the latest tally included in the Port Authority’s capital budget includes an additional $507 million for “nonconstruction” costs that include security at the site, integrity monitors to keep an eye on contractors, the cost of selling bonds to finance the project, marketing the office space and fitting it out for tenants, The Post has learned.

Adding all the costs, the price tag for the Freedom Tower budgeted by the bistate agency is $3 billion — making it not just the tallest building in the city, but also the most expensive.

By comparison, a new state-of-the-art headquarters for Goldman Sachs under construction at a site directly across West Street from the Freedom Tower is expected to cost about $2.3 billion.