Ben Franklin Bridge, major highways to be closed for Francis' visit

The most massive planned event in Philadelphia history - Pope Francis' two-day visit in September - demands unprecedented and sweeping measures to control crowds, traffic, and transit, Mayor Nutter announced Wednesday.

The Benjamin Franklin Bridge will be closed to vehicles for 21/2 days, along with lengthy sections of the Schuylkill Expressway, the entire Vine Street Expressway, and part of Route 1. I-95 will remain open, contrary to weeks of speculation.

Three lanes of the bridge will be open to pedestrians moving between New Jersey and Philadelphia, officials said.

Nutter also announced long-awaited details of a three-square-mile swath of Center City and West Philadelphia, designated "the green zone," within which vehicles already there may move freely during the papal visit, but may not return if they exit.

Also called the "the traffic box," the zone's boundaries will extend from the Delaware River west to 38th Street, from South Street north to Spring Garden Street, and along the Schuylkill to Girard and Ridge Avenues.

The drastic security measures, directed by the Secret Service, are intended to protect the pope and as many as 1.5 million residents and visitors - called "pilgrims" by Nutter - at major events Sept. 26 and 27.

Francis will speak at Independence Hall and highlight a gala Festival of Families on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway that Saturday, and celebrate Mass on the Parkway the next day.

The extensive closings prompted some colleges and hospitals within the green zone to start planning coping strategies, and dismayed cabdrivers, who face days of restricted income.

Acting Pennsylvania State Police Superintendent Marcus Brown said his agency would assign 1,000 officers to assist Philadelphia police with security and crowd control, and provide "tactical assets," including bomb-detection squads, and canine and equine troops.

He said the Pennsylvania National Guard would also be on hand to help with crowd control.

SEPTA and the PATCO High-Speed Line have announced they will run express routes with limited stops during the papal visit. Nutter said the train line to and from Philadelphia International Airport will operate closely to normal.

Vehicles that exit the green zone on or after Sept. 25 will not be allowed to return until early Sept. 28. Pedestrian traffic and bicycles will be allowed to move freely through most of the area, Nutter said.

Designated roadways within the zone will be restricted to emergency vehicles, however.

In an apparent effort to forestall any public resentment at the unprecedented severity of the restrictions, Nutter repeatedly described the papal visit as a "joyful public event," an "incredible moment for the city," and an opportunity for the city to "shine on the international stage." He even compared the papal visit to the New Testament account of Jesus feeding the masses with a few loaves and fishes.

"The Vatican looked all over the world and the United States, and they chose our city for this event," he said.

"Yes, we will face challenges for a short period of time," said Nutter, flanked by a dozen city and state officials. He offered the public a simple piece of advice: "Just plan."

Donna Crilley Farrell, executive director of the World Meeting of Families 2015 - the entity organizing the event locally for the Vatican and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia - took a similar tone.

"What has been shared today might at first seem a little overwhelming," Farrell said, but she added that the city has seen major traffic closures for previous large-scale events.

"This isn't new territory. It's just, as Mayor Nutter said to me, we're doing it all at once," Farrell said.

"We've done it before," she said, "and we've got this."

The announcements elicited grumbling from some law enforcement and transportation officials, however, none of whom was authorized to speak on the record.

The pope will visit Philadelphia at the conclusion of Vatican's four-day World Meeting of Families congress at the Convention Center.

State Transportation Secretary Leslie S. Richards told the news conference that as of 10 p.m. Sept. 25, her department will close:

The Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) eastbound from the Blue Route (I-476) to I-95, and westbound from I-95 to Route 1 (the Roosevelt Extension.)

The Vine Street Expressway (I-676) in both directions from the Schuylkill to I-95.

Route 1 in both directions from Route 30 (Lancaster Avenue) to Belmont Avenue.

Richards said the Department of Transportation hoped to have all the roadways reopened by that Monday morning.

The Ben Franklin Bridge will close to vehicles from 10 p.m. Friday to noon Monday.

Three of its seven lanes will be open to pedestrians. The other four will be free for emergency vehicles, barriers, and other equipment. The normal pedestrian walkway will be closed.

The capacity for people to cross back and forth is 100,000 per day, said John Hanson, CEO of the Delaware River Port Authority, or 10,000 per hour. He said that there will be a queuing system for pedestrians, but that it was still being determined where they will enter the bridge.

Hanson declined to say whether pedestrians will have to go through security before crossing into Philadelphia, but said authorities plan to "vigorously protect" the bridge and anyone crossing.

Closing the bridge to vehicles "was the best decision we could make under the circumstances," Hanson said.

Farrell reminded all bus operators planning to transport passengers into the green zone that they will need special permits and will be told where and when they can drop off and pick up passengers.

Illuminated message boards will redirect traffic around the green zone, Nutter said. City courts will also be closed from Sept. 23 to 28.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital said it had asked any staff members who can stay with friends or family within walking distance of the hospital to do so. It is also preparing to have some workers stay on the premises over the weekend.

Jefferson said it was still waiting for details of the routes that will be open to ambulances and other emergency transportation.

The traffic restrictions have prompted Community College of Philadelphia to close Sept. 25 and 26.

The University of the Sciences said it would announce its decision next week. Villanova University, where parking lots will be used for the pope's visit, is asking professors to reschedule classes or meet with students online Sept. 25 and 26.

St. Joseph's University, whose campus abuts Route 1, which will be closed, said it would remain open that Friday but had not determined what to do Saturday and Sunday.

Penn Medicine said its Philadelphia hospitals - the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Hospital, and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center - "will be fully staffed during the pope's visit, including providing sleeping arrangements for staff who may encounter travel difficulties."

All "routine outpatient appointments and procedures" set for Sept. 25 and 28 have been rescheduled, Penn Medicine said.

The closures also promise headaches for some businesses in Philadelphia.

Mussie Habtemichael, owner of Liberty Bell Airport Shuttle, called the shutdowns a "major, major problem" for his business, which transports people from the airport to the city.

"It's going to be a very difficult situation," he said, adding that he has to find a way to stay open. "But what capacity, what we're going to do, I'm not sure."

At Comcast Corp., some employees are asking managers to work from home or in a different office on that Friday and Monday, both days that Comcast will be open, said John Demming, a spokesman. The company has more than 8,000 employees in Philadelphia.

Elizabeth Rogan, president of the Lower Merion Township commissioners, only learned Wednesday evening from a reporter that about five miles of the eastbound Schuylkill Expressway near her Main Line community would be closed for the entire weekend.

Rogan said she had been flooded with questions from residents about the pope's visit, including parking and traffic queries.

With portions of the Schuylkill closed, Rogan said, Route 23 - a winding, two-lane road that weaves through leafy Gladwyne - could become flooded with vehicles. And Matsonford Road in Conshohocken - which already slows to a crawl at rush hour - could become a nightmare if it is the exit point for all eastbound cars, she said.

With the papal visit still less than eight weeks away, however, Rogan said there was ample time to devise a traffic-management plan.

She urged that residents be patient with the closings - or get out of town. "It'll be exciting," she said, "and really crazy."

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Contributing to this article were Inquirer staff writers Chris Palmer, Susan Snyder, Paul Nussbaum, and Tracy Cook.