A judge halts overnight construction at NYC's Chinatown jail site

A Manhattan Supreme Court judge issued a temporary restraining order Monday blocking after-hours construction at the Chinatown jail site at 125 White Street, siding with neighbors who sued the city over extended work hours on the project.

Why it matters

The jail is one of four borough-based facilities meant to replace Rikers Island, which the city must close by next year under a 2019 law. Permits had allowed crews to work 6 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays starting this month, hours residents say would make the block unlivable. The restraining order does not stop construction. It only blocks the extended hours, so crews can keep working during standard daytime permits while the case proceeds.

The numbers

The suit was filed last week by Chinatown residents and advocacy groups, including Neighbors United Below Canal, co-founded by Jan Lee. City officials have warned that losing the extended hours could push the Rikers replacement timeline further and add hundreds of millions of dollars in costs, though no specific figure tied to this delay has been disclosed. Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration did not respond to requests for comment on the ruling.

“We are over the moon over this judgment,” Jan Lee said.

What’s next

The restraining order stays in place while the court weighs a preliminary injunction. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 1, when the judge will decide whether to extend the block or let the city resume overnight and weekend work. The outcome will matter beyond Chinatown: three other borough-based jails, in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, face similar closure deadlines, and a ruling that curbs extended hours here could shape how the city schedules work at the remaining sites.