Suburbs prepare for masses, but ticket sales remain modest
With two weeks to go before Pope Francis' arrival, suburban towns have been finalizing street closures and gearing up for anything - or nothing - that may happen over that weekend.
With two weeks to go before Pope Francis' arrival, suburban towns have been finalizing street closures and gearing up for anything - or nothing - that may happen over that weekend.
Radnor Township officials held three community meetings Wednesday to bring residents, businesses, schools, and extended-care facilities up to date on road closures, security, and other general considerations.
SEPTA has sold slightly more than half of its 20,000 tickets for the Radnor station for that weekend, according to SEPTA figures. Overall, it has sold about one-third of the tickets allotted that weekend.
SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams said Wednesday that sales are continuing and noted that even at their current levels, most stations will see two to eight times their normal daily ridership while the pope is here.
Radnor officials said they expect to see traffic increase beginning that Friday, Sept. 25. Traffic delays, especially around the Blue Route exit onto Lancaster Avenue, are expected, said Police Lt. Christopher Flanagan.
Parking is to be available at nearby Radnor Financial Center and Archbishop Carroll High School on Matsonford Road. The school is renting out 1,000 parking spots at $20 per day, with the proceeds going to tuition assistance.
About 600 National Guard members and 100 military vehicles, on hand to help with traffic control and other county requests, are to stay at Valley Forge Military Academy.
Regardless of ticket sales, Ed Doyle, the Delaware County papal planning coordinator, said officials are working off the assumption that all 11 stations open in the county will be at capacity that weekend.
Every station, he said, will be equipped with first aid, medical volunteers, mass quantities of drinking water, and portable toilets.
"Traffic will probably be a huge issue," Doyle said. "Even for people not involved near the stations, communities along [I-476] and I-95 might be affected."
Montgomery County
Montgomery County last month requested assistance from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, including National Guard troops, helicopters, and other equipment. The county will have further updates at a briefing Friday, said county spokesman Frank Custer.
In Norristown, one of the municipalities where crowds are expected to queue up for SEPTA trains, only a handful of people showed up for a meeting Wednesday about pope-weekend logistics.
"I brought a whole stack thinking there would be a lot of people here," said Fire Chief Thomas O'Donnell, handing out a business card.
Police are planning to close Lafayette Street directly in front of the Norristown Transit Center and use Main Street as the primary artery and drop-off point.
As of Wednesday, SEPTA had sold 3,270 three-day passes for the Norristown High-Speed Line, which includes stops at Norristown, Gulph Mills, and Villanova. An additional 6,809 tickets have been sold for the Manayunk-Norristown line in Norristown.
In Lower Merion, where Pope Francis will stay overnight Sept. 25 and 26 at St. Charles Borromeo seminary, street closures have yet to be finalized. Residents in the immediate vicinity of the seminary are expected to receive placards or passes to enable them to enter and exit their homes.
In Upper Merion, closures and detours have been outlined to control the flow of traffic around the Gulph Mills SEPTA station. Police Chief Thomas Nolan said signs will direct drivers one way for the satellite parking lot and another way for passenger drop-off.
The one-mile stretch of road between the lot and the station are to be closed "so people can walk in safety," Nolan said.
Bucks County
In Bristol Township, the site of the Trenton line's Croydon station, plans remain tentative, depending on the number of papal passes sold. As of Wednesday, fewer than 1,000 SEPTA tickets had been sold for Saturday or Sunday.
"If they don't sell the maximum number of tickets, the plan will be significantly altered," said Kevin Dippolito, the township's emergency management director.
The township already plans to close Cedar Avenue near the train station. But one of the main variables is the size of the EMS presence, both near the station and on the roads around I-95.
Dippolito said he is also waiting for the Delaware River Planning Commission to release a traffic prediction map for the papal visit.
"That will help us plan our EMS resources in terms of predicting traffic in one location or another," he said.
In Middletown, another of the SEPTA hubs, officials announced overflow parking at the Oxford Valley Mall. Several roads between the mall and the Woodbourne station are likely to be restricted, Middletown police said on its website.
Chester County
Chester County has only one SEPTA station, Paoli, to contend with, said Robert Linnenbaugh, the county's emergency planning coordinator. But so far it appears to be the busiest station in the suburbs, with 76 percent of tickets sold out for Sunday.
To help traffic flow, street parking will not be allowed on some streets in the area, and police will stop people from parking illegally.
"The biggest risk to the county is the large volume of people attempting to use the Paoli train station and increased congestion and potential gridlock if some type of an emergency happens," Linnenbaugh said.
Amtrak trains will also stop at the Parkesburg, Coatesville, Downingtown, Exton, and Paoli stations, but the county does not expect a large ridership, Linnenbaugh said. Municipal police departments there are working with Amtrak police, he said.
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