DOTs Urge Trucking to Plan for Pope’s Visit; Northeast Freight Corridor Heavily Affected

Trucking and transportation officials have a message for fleets and drivers who are thinking about traveling through Delaware, Pennsylvania or New Jersey on the weekend of Sept. 25: Don’t do it, if you can avoid it.

That’s because Pope Francis will visit Philadelphia, and the Pennsylvania and New Jersey transportation departments estimate that several million travelers will flock there to see him, guaranteeing severe bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The pope is scheduled to arrive in Philadelphia on Sept. 26. To accommodate those hoping to catch a glimpse of him while he tours city landmarks and celebrates Mass, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge will be closed.

Area trucking groups are advising members to avoid the Interstate 95 perimeter where Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey meet — a premier freight corridor.

Gail Toth, executive director of the New Jersey Motor Truck Association, stressed that traffic is “going to be brutal” when the pope is in town.

She is telling truckers to reroute if they’re going to New England, or pray for a miracle.

“They should go a different way. It might be longer, but it’ll be faster in the long run,” Toth told Transport Topics, adding that the visit is going to force so much traffic. “I would not be on a truck on I-95 anywhere near Philly, even 100 miles away.”

PennDOT, the lead transportation agency for the visit, announced that from Sept. 25 at 10 p.m. through the morning of Sept. 28, I-76 from I-476 to I-95, and I-76 westbound from I-95 to U.S. Route 1 (the Roosevelt extension) will be closed.

Also, both directions of I-676 from I-76 to I-95, and U.S. Route 1 from U.S. 30 to Belmont Avenue will be closed during the weekend. Parts of I-95 will remain open to allow for a degree of traffic to flow in the area. But several ramps on I-95 around Philadelphia will be closed.

Public transit options will be available for visitors. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority will operate every rail and trolley line during the papal visit, and officials are encouraging tourists to rely on public transportation, taxis or to walk.

The pope is scheduled to travel to Philadelphia via Kennedy International Airport in New York on the morning of Sept. 26.

From there, his itinerary will include a private Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the mother church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and also stop at the Festival of Families, which is part of the World Meeting of Families gathering in Philadelphia. The pope is expected to address crowds at the festival.

On Sept. 27 at 9:30 a.m., he is scheduled to meet with bishops at St. Martin’s Chapel in St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and visit inmates at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia, before celebrating Mass at 4 p.m. in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Logan Circle.

Nearly 500,000 people are ex-pected to attend the service, with hundreds of thousands gathering in the surrounding area, according to estimates.

As expected, security will be on high alert. City, state, and federal law enforcement details will escort the pontiff and oversee his travel route.

“The men and women of the Pennsylvania National Guard — who are our friends, family and neighbors — will primarily assist with traffic management. They will support law enforcement to keep visitors and residents safe and will play an important role in making sure people can get to, through and from the event,” Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) said.