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Chinatown residents file lawsuit against after-hours construction on new 'mega jail'
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 24, 2026 at 5:25 p.m. ET
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Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 24, 2026 at 5:25 p.m. ET
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Several Chinatown residents and advocacy groups are suing the New York City government over plans to allow after-hours construction on a new neighborhood jail. Residents cited concerns about sleep disruption and dust-induced health problems.
The planned jail — set to be the world’s tallest — is one of four so-called “borough-based jails” designed to replace the massive Rikers Island jail in the coming years. Construction is slated to continue for nearly the next seven years. In 2021, a local law mandated the closure of the Rikers Island jail complex in 2027; however, city officials have said they’ll be unable to meet that deadline due to delays in constructing the borough-based jails, according to the suit.
Construction and demolition work at the Chinatown site, which began in 2024, has thus far mostly occurred between the city’s normal permitted construction work hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to the suit, which was filed earlier this week.
However, starting in early October, the city issued permits allowing jail construction to begin early and end late on weekdays, from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m., and additional construction time on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The permits also allow truck deliveries between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. The city plans to keep renewing those permits until the jail is completed in 2032, according to the suit.
The suit, which claims that the city has violated local administrative law and state environmental review law, asks a state judge to block any after-hours construction on the jail, “except as needed on an occasional temporary basis.” The suit says the after-hours work over the course of several years “places an excessive burden on the surrounding community,” citing examples of residents whose sleep has already been disrupted by the changed construction schedule.
A City Hall spokesperson said the Mamdani administration plans to respond to the claims in court.
Without after-hours construction, city officials have said the opening of the Chinatown jail will be delayed by two years, to 2034, and the project would cost $340 million more, according to the lawsuit.
The environmental review of the jail construction project was based on the assumption that construction would take place during regular weekday hours over a roughly four-year period, with only occasional weekend or night work. Thus, the review concluded that noise from the project wouldn’t be a significant problem for neighbors.
“The City failed to undertake any analysis of whether the new round the clock construction schedule or the change in anticipated completion year for the Manhattan Jail would result in any new or different significant adverse environmental impacts,” the suit says, adding that the "failure" is a “clear violation” of state environmental review laws.
A local nonprofit media arts center, called DCTV, run by nearby resident Jon Alpert, one of the plaintiffs, has had to reschedule its audio recording sessions to the evening due to the daytime construction, and such sessions “will no longer be possible with almost round the clock after hours construction work,” according to the suit. Documentary screenings held by the nonprofit “will be totally disrupted by the noise and dust from after hours construction work,” the suit says.
Other plaintiffs include Chinatown resident Jan Lee and the organization he founded, Neighbors United Below Canal, along with other residents including Betty Lee, Ping Ai Mei, and the nonprofit advocacy group Welcome to Chinatown. The suit also names the contractor, Tutor Perini Corporation.
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Arya Sundaram
Arya is a reporter covering race and justice. Got a tip? Email: [email protected] or reach Arya on Signal at 512-650-8767.
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