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Parkway lane closures for pope visit starting

Road closures for the upcoming papal visit are getting underway. Philadelphia police on Thursday closed the inner lanes of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in both directions between Eakins Oval and 20th Street and they will remain that way until Tuesday, Sept. 29.

Road closures for the upcoming papal visit are getting underway.

Officials on Friday night announced the outer lanes of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway would be closed beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday.

The inner lanes of the Parkway have been closed in both directions between Eakins Oval and 20th Street since Thursday. They will remain that way until Tuesday, Sept. 29.

During the closures, traffic will be detoured from Kelly Drive at Fairmount Avenue. Motorists wishing to enter or leave Center City using Kelly Drive will have to make their way through the city's Fairmount section.

Traffic from Martin Luther King Drive will diverted off Eakins Oval at the 24th Street ramp to I-676 east, police said. Drivers will be not be able to access MLK Drive from Eakins Oval or the Parkway.

Officers will be assigned to direct traffic at key intersections. To help alleviate congestion, traffic supervisors will allow vehicles on portions of roadways designated to be closed if there is no construction occurring, police said.

Still, officials cautioned drivers to expect heavy traffic, as streets around the Parkway are not large enough to carry the volume of vehicles that normally travel on the Parkway and the other closed roads.

The last of the traffic detours will be removed by 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, police said.

Preparations for Pope Francis' Sept. 26-27 visit are already in progress on the Parkway, with the stage construction, portable toilet setup and materials storage all taking place.