The Freeholder Board has announced the availability of 8,500 parking spaces for Sept. 26 and 27, on the Camden waterfront for individuals and families who want to participate in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. These spaces need to be preregistered for through a web portal https://gatewaytothepope.clickandpark.com/ in order to secure a space. It is important to note that vehicles that are not preregistered will not be permitted into the city.
Just 9,500 feet over the Delaware River, Pope Francis will be conducting a public mass and participating in a number of other events next weekend. This event will be celebrated by the 1.2 billion Catholics throughout the world and will centerpiece of his first visit to the United States of America and the first visit by a Pope to region since 1979.
Freeholder Director Cappelli talked about the geography of the waterfront and its proximity to both the Ferry and the Broadway PATCO line.
“Parking on the waterfront will provide easy, convenient access to Philadelphia through public transportation,” Cappelli said. “These are the best options to see the Pope and participate in the festivities over the weekend. If you park on the waterfront you won’t need to walk a block to get to the ferry, which will be taking up to 500 people an hour over the Delaware River.”
The Freeholder Board is asking for anyone taking part in the pilgrimage to see the Pope to plan well in advance before they travel and properly plan out a route. PATCO has announced they will be selling tickets the day of on the weekend of the Pope’s participation.
The Freeholder Board and county agencies have worked for more than a year to prepare for this event with all of their federal, state, county and local partners. This exercise will be an all hands on deck operation during the Pope’s visit to make it as successful as possible.
“The Pope’s visit to Philadelphia will mark one of the largest events the Delaware Valley has seen in a generation,” said Freeholder Michelle Gentek, liaison to the Department of Public Safety. “Millions of people in next week are estimated to attend the Pontiff’s public mass on Sunday and hundreds of thousands will be going to events during the World Meeting of Families. It is our job in combination with our partners to make sure pilgrims are safe to travel and know where to go for this historic occasion.”
In a continuing effort to stay updated on the Pope’s visit, portions of I-676 will be closed and the Admiral Wilson Boulevard will be closed as well. Registered vehicles through https://gatewaytothepope.clickandpark.com/ will have access to parking on the waterfront and will be given the ability to get into the city. These closures will coincide with the Ben Franklin Bridge closing at 10 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26. In addition, based on expected volume for the Pontiff’s visit other impacted roads include I-295 and Routes 38, 42, 45, 47, 55, 70, 73, 76, 90, 130, 168 and 322.
“Safety is a primary concern for this event, but make no mistake this is a celebration and we want to do everything possible to act as a catalyst for anyone who wants to participate and see Pope Francis,” Cappelli said. “This is a festive occasion and a historic weekend to see a man who is leading his flock to our region for a once in a lifetime event.”
