The Empty Sky Memorial at Liberty State Park is the most-visited memorial in the state, with an estimated 5 million people a year walking through it. It’s the centerpiece of a 2 1/2-acre site that its original designer — and a panel of 9/11 family members — expected to be complete with iron cladding surrounding the entire structure, and inscriptions on the exterior.

Instead, the memorial today, 14 years after it was dedicated, looks unkempt and neglected.

“This memorial is my life’s work,” said Jessica Jamroz, the original designer of Empty Sky. When she sees the naked, cracked exterior, a grove of dead trees, weeds growing in light fixtures that don’t work and broken information kiosks, it can be a lot to take in.

“I feel like it feels abandoned and I feel like it’s a disgrace,” said Jamroz.

Cheryl Cooper-Foreman’s long-time partner, a Port Authority police officer, died on 9/11. She said she appreciates the site for what it could be.

“It’s nice. They just need to finish it and make it look presentable,” Cooper-Foreman said.

Cost overruns for the project ran to $14 million, say state officials. Funding ran out, the state rushed a finish-up plan that changed elements of the original design, tried to execute a separate contract and didn’t consult Jamroz.

Last month, the New Jersey Department of the Treasury and the state Department of Environmental Protection said they considered the project complete.