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SURVIVAL GUIDE for Pope Francis Visit to Philadelphia

by: iradiotom - Philadelphia, PA
started: 09/25/15 9:43 am | updated: 09/25/15 9:43 am

Complete Survival Guide and Schedule for the Papal Visit to Philadelphia below.

As we get closer to Pope Francis' arrival in Philadelphia, roads are closing. Tonight at 10 pm the following will close for the weekend: The Ben Franklin Bridge, the Expressway from the Blue Route to 95, the Vine Street Expressway, all closed for the entire weekend. Many other roads are affected. See the complete SURVIVAL GUIDE below for more information.

How many people will pack the Ben Franklin Parkway this weekend for Pope Francis? The U.S. Secret Service says it is preparing for 300,000 within the Parkway's fenced-in secure zones. Festival organizers project more than one million attendees for Sunday's Mass, including people who will congregate outside the secure zones.

A firm head count of attendees of the Festival of Families concert and the Papal Mass on the Ben Franklin Parkway will likely will never happen. As much as people like to talk about crowd size, government agencies shy away from the politically fraught practice of counting people at mass gatherings. And in this case, a ban on aircraft over the papal events means there won't be aerial photos that could be used to estimate crowd size.

iRadioPhilly will carry LIVE BROADCASTS - AUDIO AND VIDEO of Papal Events all weekend including the Papal speeches, Festival Concert and the Papal Mass. For more information, go to WMOF and Papal Visit Broadcasts

Sports
The Phillies are in Washington with the Nationals tonight.

Philadelphia Weather
Partly cloudy today. 78 in Center City.

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SURVIVAL GUIDE for Pope Francis visit to Philadelphia.
Road closures, Papal Events, Restrictions, Transportation and Important Information:

6 a.m. Friday - Metal detectors open along certain areas of the parkway. People will be able to enter the secure perimeter from 20th Street east to 12th Street after being screened.

8 a.m. Friday - Emergency routes take effect. Cars will not be allowed on emergency routes.

6 p.m. Friday - The Francis Festival Grounds, formerly known as the traffic box, goes into effect around Center City. From this point until Monday, cars will be able to exit the grounds, but will not be able to re-enter. The grounds extend from the Schuylkill River to the Delaware River and from Girard Avenue, Ridge Avenue and Spring Garden Street in the north to South Street in the south.

10 p.m. Friday - The Francis Festival Grounds: University City edition goes into effect. The grounds in University City are bordered by Powelton Avenue, 34th Street, University Avenue and the Schuylkill River. If you drive out of the grounds, you will not be able to re-enter.

10 p.m. Friday - The secure perimeter and secure vehicle perimeter for Independence Mall take effect from 12th Street east to 3rd Street in Center City. Cars will not be allowed to travel within the perimeters.

10 p.m. Friday - Interstate 76 East from I-476 to I-95 (Walt Whitman Bridge) will be closed. I-76 West from I-95 (Walt Whitman Bridge) to US Route 1 will be closed. I-676 for its entire length in both directions for from I-76 to I-95 (the Benjamin Franklin Bridge) will be closed. Route 1 will be closed in both directions from Route 30 to Belmont Avenue. I-95 will remain open but the ramps between Broad Street and I-676 will be closed.

10 p.m. Friday - The Benjamin Franklin Bridge closes to vehicular traffic.

10 p.m. Friday - The PPA will begin only enforcing safety violations such as double parking and parking too close to a crosswalk. Time limits at meters and kiosks will not be enforced throughout the papal weekend. Normal enforcement will resume on Monday, Sept. 28.

2 a.m. Saturday - Taxis will no longer be able to enter and leave the Francis Festival Grounds.

6 a.m. Saturday - Metal detectors open at all secure perimeters, including Independence Mall and the parkway.

9:30 a.m. Saturday - Pope Francis arrives at Atlantic Aviation.

10:30 a.m. Saturday - Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul.

4:45 p.m. Saturday - Pope Francis gives a speech on immigration and religious liberty at Independence Mall.

7:30 p.m. Saturday - Pope Francis participates in the Festival of Families on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Actor Mark Wahlberg hosts the event.
Saturday - No mail delivery in zip codes 19102, 19103, 19104, 19106, 19107, 19122, 19123 and 19130.

6 p.m. Saturday - The secure perimeter at Independence Mall ends but the secure vehicle perimeter remains in place. Visitors entering the grounds will no longer have to go through metal detectors.

6 a.m. Sunday - Secure perimeters open for screenings for the papal Mass on the parkway. One of the secure areas will require tickets, while the other is first come, first served.

9:15 a.m. Sunday- Pope Francis meets with bishops at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood.

11 a.m. Sunday - Pope Francis visits Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Northeast Philadelphia.

4 p.m. Sunday - Pope Francis celebrates a public mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

8 p.m. Sunday - Pope Francis departs Atlantic Aviation in Philadelphia to head back to Rome.

3 a.m. Monday - Stands for cabs within the Francis Festival Grounds go up, mainly to accommodate out-of-towners needing transportation to the airport.

SEPTA
On Friday, Sept. 25, SEPTA's regional rail lines will operate on a Saturday schedule.
During the weekend, SEPTA will run an express service to 30th Street Station and Jefferson Station from 18 outlying stations. All other stations will be closed.
Only customers traveling with a special one-day regional rail pass for the papal visit will be allowed on board.
Service will begin at 5:30 a.m. and continue until noon. Bicycles will not be permitted on the trains.
In the afternoon, return service will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the last scheduled trains leaving at 12:30 a.m.
Travelers will board the train home at the same station where they arrived in the morning.
SEPTA recently doubled the number of Broad Street Line and Market-Frankford Line stations that will be open this weekend. Those open include 8th Street and 34th Street on the Market-Frankford Line, the agency said.
For more SEPTA information, CLICK HERE

SEPTA expects to resume a normal schedule Monday morning, but there may be some delays or adjustments.

Residential parking
Residents who live within the Francis Festival Grounds may park for free at the former Naval Hospital lot on Pattison Avenue near Broad Street, which accommodates about 1,500 cars.

For $20, residents within the grounds who can provide a valid driver's license, vehicle registration, and utility bill or another document showing that car owner's address is within the towing area, can park in one of six PPA lots throughout the city beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24. If the resident has a current residential parking permit, the fee will be waived.

Residents who obtain a spot through the PPA will be issued a placard which prevents their vehicle from being towed until 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24. Cars that are in the PPA parking garages will not be able to leave those garages until Monday, Sept. 28.

Those interested in obtaining spots at PPA garages and the accompanying placard are urged to visit the PPA's customer service office on 8th Street near Filbert or call 215-222-9100.

Finally, residents within the towing zones who already have a residential parking permit for District 1 (Rittenhouse Square), District 4 (Washington Square West), District 5 (Society Hill), District 6 (Logan Square) and District 10 (Chinatown) may park in any other residential parking permit block from Sunday, Sept. 20, until Tuesday, Sept. 29.

Towing information
If your vehicle is towed as a result of the papal festivities, you will be fined $76 and will be required to pay a $175 towing and storage fee. Those who believe their vehicles have been towed are urged to call the PPA at 1-888-591-3636.

People with disabilities
Taxicabs that are wheelchair accessible and SEPTA CCT vehicles will operate within the Francis Festival Grounds to assist people with disabilities.

Prohibited
Items that are prohibited within the secure perimeter zones:
Aerosols
Ammunition
Animals, except for service animals
Backpacks and bags exceeding 18 inches by 13 inches by 7 inches
Balloons
Bicycles
Drones
Explosives, firearms or weapons
Glass, thermal or metal containers
Hard-sided coolers (soft-sided thermal coolers are allowed)
Laser pointers
Mace or pepper spray
Packages
Selfie sticks
Signs exceeding 5 feet by 3 feet by 1/4 inch made of any material except cardboard, poster board or cloth
Structures
Supports for signs and placards
Toy guns