City Officials Tight-Lipped on Transportation During Pope’s Visit

As the city of Philadelphia clamors for more information about what transportation options will be available and what will be disrupted during the pope’s September visit, officials are remaining mum on the matter.

With two months to go until the pope’s visit, Philadelphia residents are curious as to how transportation will be affected. (Flickr: Aleteia Image Department)

The Pope will visit on the weekend of September 26-27 for the culmination of the World Meeting of Families. He will attend a Festival of Families and hold a mass celebration on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway that is expected to draw over one million attendants. With two months to go until Pope Francis arrives, officials still have not released any official word on the transportation situation.

Mayor Michael Nutter announced today that the public shouldn’t expect any updates on the transportation question until at least the first week of August. He says that the city is still in the process of formulating plans regarding security zones and possible street closures and so cannot comment on the matter at this point. Maps has appeared over the weekend showing potential security zones and vehicle-free areas but Nutter dismissed these maps as erroneous. It was announced last week that one bridge connecting the city with New Jersey would be closed.

Nutter said that nothing else is finalized and that the U.S. Secret Service will have the final say on what measures are taken for security reasons. Meanwhile, SEPTA frustrated many residents by putting off a scheduled 3 p.m. press conference Monday that was supposed to announce details regarding the resumption of sales of One Day Regional Rail Passes for the pope’s visit. SEPTA has announced that the conference will be rescheduled for some time later this week.