Manhattan businesses hidden under scaffolding and sidewalk canopies are losing thousands of dollars in potential revenue each month, according to a new city-commissioned study announced Wednesday by Mayor Eric Adams.

The findings provide insight into longstanding frustrations surrounding structures that are part of the cityscape and serve to build and maintain buildings, even though they are an eyesore to the public and can remain for months and even years after they are actually needed. The study, which had not been fully released at the time of Adams’ announcement, showed that Mastercard customers spent on average up to $9,500 less per month at businesses covered in scaffolding than they did in the pre-construction era, according to the mayor’s office.

Restaurants and bars bore the brunt of the losses. In the six months after the protective roofs were erected in front of their establishments, their weekly sales fell by almost 10%.

The study is part of Adams’ broader crackdown on scaffolding, which critics say is unnecessary and intrusive. The structures have become a common object of ridicule for many residents and have prompted several mayoral administrations to promise to remove them.

“Some people are playing games and think they can keep (the sheds) up as long as possible,” Adams said at a news conference in Midtown on Wednesday. “We need to look at all the options that allow these sheds to stay up in our city, and we need to take down every single one of them.”

Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, which represents the city’s restaurant and nightclub industry, said the study offers insight into a broader problem than the issue of Mastercard users in Manhattan.

“People pay with American Express or with cash – they too are put off,” he said.

Adams said he is working with the City Council on a package of legislation that would allow sidewalk canopies and scaffolding in different colors, improve lighting and reduce the length of permits. The mayor and lawmakers also want to increase penalties for building owners who delay making repairs.