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The noisy, nocturnal rush to build Brooklyn’s new jail has neighbors losing sleep
By
Joe Hong
Published Apr 8, 2025
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Joe Hong
Published Apr 8, 2025
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Amelia Robinson has gotten used to her new nighttime routine. Every night for the past several months, she’s donned an eye mask and inserted electronic, noise-cancelling ear plugs so she can fall asleep against the rhythmic thumping of jackhammers, the high-pitched whine of electric saws and the rumbling of cement trucks as Brooklyn’s new jail rises outside her window.
New York City is woefully behind schedule to close Rikers Island and replace it with borough-based jails by 2027. The new Brooklyn jail, the first of the borough-based facilities, isn’t expected to be finished until 2029. And to get it done, the city has entered into noisy, late-night sprints that have drawn numerous complaints from nearby residents.
Work has frequently continued past the regular work hours of 6 p.m. and has lasted until 5 a.m. on dozens of days. According to a Gothamist analysis of data from the city’s Department of Buildings, the agency has so far approved 235 permits for after-hours work over the past three years for construction of the jail, far more than other projects in the city.
Councilmember Lincoln Restler, who represents the area, said Mayor Eric Adams’ office has ignored residents’ concerns and is instead pressuring city officials to complete construction quickly. Restler has asked the buildings department to work with residents. But in a statement sent to Gothamist, Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokesperson for the mayor, criticized Restler and accused him of undermining progress on the Brooklyn jail.
Rikers Island has long faced safety concerns. So far this year, five people have died in detention there or shortly after being released to hospital care. Critics have urged a federal judge to strip the city of its control over the island and place it in federal receivership. While many of the local residents who spoke with Gothamist said they support replacing Rikers with a borough-based jail system, they’re losing sleep as builders work through the night to finish construction on the new jail in Downtown Brooklyn.
“This project has to be done, and I understand why,” Robinson said. “But it has to happen in collaboration with the community.”
The Brooklyn jail project at 275 Atlantic Ave. got underway in August 2021, according to New York City’s Department of Buildings. The previous Brooklyn Detention Center was demolished in 2023 followed by the laying of the new structure’s foundation. The jail is projected to cost nearly $3 billion by the time it’s done.
Walking by the construction site on the corner of Boerum Place, passersby can see builders working in a massive hole in the ground. On some nights, light towers flood light into some residents’ bedrooms while construction vehicles shake entire buildings.
“If they’re digging into the street, and they run into any bedrock, they’re cutting into it,” said Justin Pollock, who lives next to the site and serves as a condominium board president. “They’re not waiting until the next day.”
Restler told Gothamist he’s received hate mail directed both toward him and the noisy construction site.
“We have four more years of construction at this location,” Restler said. “We need the city to reach a better balance with our community, so we’re not driving people crazy.”
About a year after construction started, the first after-hours work permits were issued on Sept. 3, 2022, Department of Buildings data shows, allowing builders to work during late nights, early mornings and weekends. More than 200 have been granted since then. The project currently has after-hours variances approved through April 26. Since building started, the jail site has had more than double the average number of after-hours work permits compared to other active construction sites in the city.
During the 2.5 years of construction, including the variances already approved for this later month, crews have been allowed to work past the 6 p.m. cutoff more than half of the days. For 222 days, the after-hours permits allowed work up to 9 p.m. Another 203 permitted work until 11 p.m. The city approved work to go until midnight a total of 134 days. On 30 days, the permits allowed construction to take place until 5 a.m.
On five days this year, work started at midnight. On four of those days, work ended by 7 a.m. On one of those days, work continued through 6 p.m.
Tutor Perini Corporation, a lead contractor on the project and the company that requested the most recent after-hour work permits, did not respond to emailed questions, but instead deferred to city agencies for comment.
A view of the construction site on Atlantic Avenue where construction of Brooklyn's new jail is underway.
Joe Hong
According to 311 data, the city received 86 noise complaints related to the new Brooklyn jail since construction launched in August 2021. Among those complaints, 38 came in between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Restler said his office contacted the Department of Buildings about the noise complaints, and that the department expressed openness to modifying the permits for after-hours work. But he said City Hall then rejected his requests, adding that he believes the mayor’s office is pressuring the Department of Design and Construction to “just move as fast as they possibly can” on the construction of the Brooklyn jail.
“If I had a private developer that was acting so inconsiderately, we would work with the Department of Buildings to shut down their site,” Restler said. “But unfortunately because the city is the development team, they do whatever they want and there’s no accountability.”
Mamelak Altus, the press secretary for Adams, said the mayor’s office is working directly with local residents to “address concerns about overnight noise” while simultaneously “moving full steam ahead with the construction.”
“While Councilmember Restler publicly claims to support the rapid construction of borough-based jails, he is, in private, hypocritically trying to stall critical progress on this project in his district,” Mamelak Altus said. She urged Restler to introduce “common-sense legislation” to change a local law that requires Rikers to close by 2027, a timeline she called unrealistic. A report published in March found that the city is not on track to close Rikers Island by the legally mandated date of 2027.
The mayor’s office also said it would meet with Restler — but as of Friday he said he’d only received a verbal commitment from City Hall.
Ian Michaels, a spokesperson for the Department of Design and Construction, told Gothamist the late-night work was paused on the week of March 31 to “reconsider the situation and how it affects local residents.” He added that “nighttime work on the jail remains in place as we work to meet the 2029 completion date for the building.”
Restler and many residents who live adjacent to the construction site tempered their complaints about the noise with support for the borough-based jail system.
“I want the jail to get built as quickly as possible,” Restler said. “I want to support the closure of Rikers Island in any way I can, but the lack of consideration for our community is unacceptable.”
While Restler is hopeful that he will be able to work with City Hall to ensure that residents will be able to sleep more peacefully during the next four years, Robinson is less optimistic. She said she attended several community meetings prior to the start of the construction where the city made promises about the noise level that proved to be untrue.
According to her and several other nearby residents, complaints to 311 and local representatives generated no relief.
“I’m a New Yorker, born and raised, and I’m used to a level of disruption on a daily basis,” Robinson said. “But there’s just got to be a better way.”
Tagged
eric adams
public safety
brooklyn
Joe Hong
Joe Hong is the investigative data reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. He previously covered K-12 education for several newsrooms across California. His reporting has led to local reforms in juvenile justice system as well as a state law requiring universal screening for dyslexia. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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