NEW YORK WHEEL $1.55M

Staten Island plans to attract tourists from across the globe when the New York Wheel comes full circle in early 2017. The giant Ferris wheel will stand 630 feet tall and take riders on a 38-minute spin with views of the Manhattan skyline, Verrazano Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.

It’s expected to be the world’s largest “observation wheel,” hauling as many as 1,440 people in a single ride.

Developers anticipate 4 million visitors in the first year, with international tourists accounting for more than half of the traffic, said Travis Noyes, the wheel’s chief marketing officer.

They’re already laying the groundwork, earmarking the state’s grant to visit foreign travel services in hopes of driving tourists to the North Shore.

Construction workers are expected to break ground on the $465 million project in early 2015.