Anything & Everything You Need to Know About the Pope's Upcoming Visit

VISIT OF THE POPE – SEPTEMBER 26-27, 2015

On Saturday, September 26^t^h and Sunday, September 27^th, Pope Francis will be visiting the Philadelphia area.

For up to the minute updates on City Ave traffic conditions, road closures, business openings/closings, etc. during the Papal Weekend, please follow us on Twitter (City_Ave). Our Director of Operations and Public Safety will be live tweeting the entire weekend- he’ll tell you what you need to know! Not on Twitter? Send questions to jcollins@cityave.org.

All traffic on City Avenue (between Lancaster Avenue and I-76) WILL BE IMPACTED during the following times:

Saturday, September 26^th from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Sunday, September 27^th from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM

– Philadelphia side (Northbound) – City Avenue will be closed between I-76 and Lancaster Avenue.

– Lower Merion side (Southbound) – City Avenue will be closed between Belmont and Lancaster Avenues. (Between I-76 and Belmont Avenue, City Avenue will be open, but subject to unannounced periodic closures for security reasons.)

Cross traffic will be permitted at the following intersections, with exceptions*:

Presidential Boulevard
Belmont Avenue
Conshohocken State Road (RT 23)
Bryn Mawr Avenue
Old Lancaster Road/54^th Street
Lancaster Avenue (RT 30)

*Cross traffic will be prohibited at periodic, unannounced times for security purposes

SEPTA Bus/Train/Trolley routes and schedules will also be affected, with some service being modified or suspended altogether. Please refer to www.septa.org for details.

CLICK HERE FOR BUSES RUNNING WITH DETOURS/MODIFIED SCHEDULES

You will need to consider how the closure of City Avenue will affect the following:

Your ability to provide services to your customers/clients/patients, etc.
Your employees’ schedules and their ability to get to/from work
SEPTA Schedules – if your employees/customers rely on public transportation
Your ability to receive supplies and deliver products
Your ability to provide off-street parking for your customers and employees (if currently offered)

Almost all road closures (with the exception of possibly some Center City streets) are expected to end by evening on Sunday, September 27th. City Avenue is expected to reopen by 4:00 PM that evening. We have heard that there is the expectation of heavier than normal traffic volume for Monday morning, September 28th, as people may still be leaving the city, hotels, etc. However, all roads are expected to be open. If your employees or clients use public transportation, you may want to consider the fact that SEPTA schedules may not be quite back to normal on Monday, as they recover from the events.

All of the above is subject to change at irregular intervals and without advance notice. For more detailed and specific information regarding the Pope’s visit and what to expect, or to sign up for E-Mail updates, please: