So this Pope thing sure is a thing, huh?
As you probably know since you don’t live under a rock, the Pope is coming to Philadelphia at the end of September. He’ll be in town on the 26th and 27th, and it’s going to seriously mess everything up. There’s a big portion of Center City that’s completely blocked off to incoming vehicular traffic, which will be a huge pain in the ass.
And more relevant to this here Flyers blog, they’re shutting down the Schuylkill Expressway beginning Friday night, September 25th at 10 p.m. The Flyers host the Islanders in preseason action at Wells Fargo Center that night at 7 p.m.
Ummm, that could be a problem.
Here’s the map of road closures that go into effect at 10 p.m. that night, shortly after that game is expected to end. The map doesn’t include the big ole Center City box that’s also closed to traffic beginning Friday evening. (details via)
If you live in Center City and are trying to get to the game, public transit will be your only option.
Driving in, you’ll still be able to get to the game just as you normally would, but if you use the Schuylkill, you’re probably not going to be able to use it on the way home unless you leave early. That could be a problem for a lot of folks who live west or northwest of the city.
For those heading back to New Jersey, you’ll be unable to use the Ben Franklin Bridge and will have to use the Walt Whitman. But if the Schuylkill is closed all the way up to I-95, you’ll probably have to go down to Front Street to get on the ramp to the bridge, since presumably the Broad Street and Darien Street ramps will be closed. (PennDOT would be smart to keep these open until game traffic is gone, though.)
Hopefully the game ends by 9:15 at the latest and most of the traffic can be gone before the road closures go into effect at 10. If not, leaving the game could be a headache, or at least require a significant detour, for a lot of people.
