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…