City: New road closings, fencing for pope visit; help for businesses

City officials released detailed road closure and security fencing plans Thursday for the September papal visit, and said they were working with the U.S. Secret Service to accommodate businesses that need to stay open that weekend.

"We, the city, and our many, many partners . . . are working to ensure the World Meeting of Families be held in a safe and secure environment for the Holy Father, and for the hundreds and thousands and millions of faithful who will want to come and see and hear him," Nutter said, flanked by city officials and Secret Service agents based in Philadelphia.

The announcement comes about 40 days before Pope Francis visits the city Sept. 26 and 27 after the weeklong Families conference.

The plans are the city's response to business concerns in the face of security for the pope and as many as 1.5 million people expected to throng the city for his appearances and celebration of the Mass.

City officials outlined three layers of security to protect the pope and the swarms of pedestrians expected on city streets, along with timelines for when traffic restrictions go into effect:

Vehicles will not be allowed entry into a 3 1/2-square-mile traffic box running from the Delaware River to 38th Street and from Girard Avenue, down Ridge Avenue, and then across Spring Garden Street, south to South Street. Motorists that remain in the traffic box when it closes will be allowed to move within the box and will be allowed to leave - but won't be permitted to return. These restrictions begin at 6 p.m. Sept. 25 in Center City and at 10 p.m. in West Philadelphia.

Within the traffic box, there is a "secure-vehicle perimeter" where no traffic except for designated vehicles is permitted, and all cars must be removed (or parked in garages). The boundaries of this zone vary. The restrictions go into effect at 10 p.m. Sept. 24 from 12th Street west to the Parkway and 10 p.m. Sept. 25 from 12th Street east. The city will tow any remaining vehicles, Nutter said.

Inside the secure-vehicle perimeter, an "event perimeter" will include magnetometer check points similar to those used in airport security. In addition, there will be fencing so that security screening may be done of visitors hoping to get to the Parkway and Independence Hall for the papal appearances. Those checkpoints will open on the Parkway at 6 a.m. each day on Sept. 25 through 27.

Additional restrictions will apply to key access lanes to provide entry and exit passageways in the case of an emergency.

The two fenced-in perimeters will be the hotbeds of activity. They include the area where Francis will speak at Independence Hall about 4:45 p.m. Sept. 26 and the Parkway, where he will attend the gala Festival of Families that night and offer the papal Mass around 4 p.m. Sept. 27.

Other programming will be ongoing throughout the weekend, and Jumbotrons - placed throughout the city to keep the crowd dispersed - will show feeds of Francis at appearances outside Center City, such as his airport arrival and departure, a visit to Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, and at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.

Nutter also announced that the Philadelphia School District would be closed from Sept. 23 through 25. Students will have a makeup day Oct. 9.

City Hall will be open only to essential services staff from Sept. 24 through 28, and City Council canceled its Sept. 24 meeting.

City courts will be closed starting Sept. 23 and will reopen Sept. 29.

Nutter said some exceptions will be made. Taxis will be allowed to operate within the traffic box until 2 a.m. Sept. 26 to help transport those arriving by train or plane. Seven handicap-accessible taxis, along with paratransit vehicles, will help transport the disabled and elderly.

All magnetometers are ADA-compliant, and organizers have planned accommodations for staging and seating for the elderly and disabled.

Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison said earlier in the day that the entire event falls well within ADA guidelines and beyond that reflects the city's commitment to taking "a moral and ethical" approach to planning.

Officials said no camping on city streets will be allowed.

To ease travel out of the city Sept. 28, the city will set up taxi stands inside the traffic box starting at 3 a.m.

A decision has not been made whether to allow Uber or Lyft vehicle operations.

Bicycles will also be permitted in the traffic box but not within the event perimeter. Nutter said the city is discussing adding more bicycle racks.

Officials said it was still being determined whether the 4,000 tour buses expected to come to Philadelphia will be permitted to drop people off within the traffic box.

Despite all the restrictions, Nutter reiterated that the city will be open for business during Francis' visit.

At noon Monday, the city will open a Business Resouce Center to help restaurants, hotels, and other businesses with questions and help in planning to stay open during the papal weekend.

Information, maps, and a Q&A will be available on the city's website, along with a hotline to call with specific questions, operating Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Secret Service agents have started going door-to-door, accompanied by Philadelphia police officers, surveying businesses within secure zones about their anticipated needs.

Concerns include how and when deliveries can be made, how staffers will get to work, and how to get guests to hotels near or on the Parkway.

Nutter encouraged businesses to schedule deliveries for Sept. 25 to last them through the weekend, but said the city is working on limited overnight delivery Sept. 26.

"Our collective role is to reduce the difficulties businesses face as much as we can," he said.

Nutter said officials are reaching out to people who live within the most secured zones. Another briefing next week will focus on resident impact.

He told people to prepare.

"By Friday, make sure you've taken care of your critical business, that you've gotten your groceries, filled your prescriptions, and gotten done what you need to ahead of a very busy weekend."

Across the Delaware River, New Jersey officials outlined Thursday their transportation and security plans, and cautioned travelers about the three to four hours it could take to cross the Benjamin Franklin Bridge on foot from Camden and go to the Parkway.

New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox said that if people cannot walk for miles and then stand for hours, they might want to reconsider going.

Thursday's deluge of information followed complaints in recent weeks about the pace at which information was being released, and criticism from some experts who called Philadelphia's security measures overdone.

That sentiment came through in the first question for Nutter at Thursday's news conference: "Mayor Nutter, do you think anyone will actually come see the pope?"

Nutter sighed and said all signs - including previous papal Mass attendance and the unprecedented 15,000 registrations for the World Meeting of Families during the week - point to a "heavily attended event," in line with the one million to 1.5 million projection.

Message and tone were clearly important to Nutter. Earlier in the day, he met with staffers of The Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com at their office. He brought along the director of the Office of Emergency Management, Samantha Phillips; Chief Police Inspector Joe Sullivan; the director of communications, Desiree Peterkin-Bell; and Gillison.

In a 90-minute conversation, most of it on the record, Nutter said working with the Secret Service had presented its challenges - including the pace at which information can be released and deliberations over the level of security the federal agency wants vs. the needs of residents.

He said the city and the Secret Service have had both "most polite discussions" and some "which can't be printed in your paper."

Nutter indicated he and his staff have pushed back for reasonable restrictions in the name of Philadelphians.

"We believe in safety and security as well, but we have a city to run," he said. "How it all looks and feels are major concerns of ours."

The mayor asked for patience and for everyone to consider the rarity of the event.

"Look, we're either happy about this or we're scared out of our mind, but we can't be both," he said.

Then he appealed to hometown journalists' civic pride, and asked for help in shaking Philadelphia's little brother complex.

"I'm a lifelong Philadelphian - from time to time, we tend to suffer from a pretty big self-esteem problem. We often feel or express almost a feeling of unworthiness, of why would they come here? Why would they be in Philadelphia?" he asked.

"We're the first capital of the United States of America. We're the birthplace of freedom, liberty, and democracy. We have a rightful place in the nation and the world."

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For complete coverage

of Pope Francis' visit, go to www.philly.com/pope

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