NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Earlier today, a water main burst forced Rutgers to close their new Barnes & Noble superstore.

A new semester started on Tuesday, but students looking to purchase textbooks at the new store this afternoon were out of luck.  The new campus bookstore opened in August with a built-in Starbuck’s coffee shop and the city’s first escalator.

Traditionally, the store’s busiest times of the year are the first weeks of a new semester.

There’s no word on what caused the pipe to burst today and both Rutgers and the New Brunswick Development Corporation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

As a snowstorm bares down on New Brunswick, it appears unlikely the store will be re-opened tomorrow.  But, for now, signs say the store is “CLOSED for the REST of FRIDAY 1/25 due to water main break.”

A hole in the ceiling of the first floor is apparent to passers-by on Somerset Street.

Editor at New Brunswick Today | 732-993-9697 | editor@newbrunswicktoday.com | Website

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.