Rice Noodle Cart Returns to Rutgers Street After Hiatus
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As roadwork eases in Straus Square, a morning institution returns to Rutgers Street. The uber-popular Chinese “Rice Noodle Cart” – long a mainstay at the corner of East Broadway – resumed service on Wednesday morning.
Its designated sidewalk square had been gobbled up as part of the staging area for the reconstruction of Straus Square, so there wasn’t room. Now that the materials are gone, the month-long hiatus is officially concluded.
The Rice Noodle Cart has been in operation for nearly twenty years. It’s a cheap (and popular) go-to for those living and/or working in the vicinity. There is a line almost every morning, without fail. The woman who runs the business arrives super early, and is typically gone by about 4pm.
As previously reported, Straus Square is undergoing a complete makeover as part of the “Safe Routes to Schools” capital works project. Contractors have been digging up the intersection for more than a month. The remodeling includes changes such as reconstructing curbs, better pavement markings, new neck downs (i.e. sidewalk extensions), and catch basins. All are measures to increase safety where three major traffic arteries connect – Canal, East Broadway, and Rutgers/Essex. Another part of the plan is installing a pedestrian ramp on the easternmost point of Straus Square, where Canal and East Broadway intersect.