By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor
This month, Pope Francis will make his first visit to the United States, culminating with a papal mass on Sunday, Sept. 27 during the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. While this is a once-in-a-lifetime event for our region, it also brings with it a wide variety of challenges. As Pennsauken is a stone’s throw from Philly, our community will be impacted as well, particularly when it comes to traffic.
The Ben Franklin Bridge will be closed at 10:00 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25 through 12:00 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28. When that happens, both I-676 westbound from Exit 3 to the bridge, and Rt. 30 westbound from the Airport Circle (Rt. 38 and Rt. 130) to the bridge, will shut down as well. The Pennsauken Police Department anticipates significant delays along Routes 130, 38 and 70. On a message posted via social media, the police “implore motorists to seek alternate routes of travel during this time period.”
Frequent users of the Pennsauken Transit Center, will also be impacted during the papal visit. The Atlantic City Rail Line will be “express only” between Atlantic City and Philadelphia on both Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27. Trains will depart Atlantic City beginning at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday and will operate approximately hourly for most of the day. Roundtrip tickets will be $30.
According to NJ Transit, trains will depart Philadelphia for Atlantic City on a “load and go” basis following the event. Limited bus service will run along the Atlantic City Rail Line corridor on Saturday and Sunday in order to serve regular Atlantic City Rail Line customers who utilize stations in between Atlantic City and Philadelphia.
The bus service will follow the Atlantic City Rail Line schedule as closely as possible, but customers should note that bus service tends to move slower given the general flow of traffic on local streets.
The RiverLINE will operate on a 15-minute schedule on Saturday and Sunday in both directions between Trenton and Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden, with no service in downtown Camden between the Walter Rand Transportation Center and the Entertainment Center. Once events in Philadelphia are underway, the RiverLINE will shift to a 30-minute schedule.
Special tickets are needed for the RiverLINE and must be purchased in advance of that weekend. The cost of the ticket is $5 and will be sold in two-hour increments. For example, a ticket designated 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. must be used during that time period. Stops along the RiverLINE will be limited to just Trenton, Bordentown, Florence, Burlington South, Pennsauken Rt. 73, Pennsauken Transit Center and the Walter Rand Transportation Center. Bus service will stop at those light rail stations not being serviced by the RiverLINE that weekend. Bus service will not operate at the Beverly and Delanco light rail stations.
For those who rely on Access Link, ADA-paratransit service to and from Philadelphia will be suspended from Friday, Sept. 25 following the closure of the Ben Franklin Bridge, through Monday, Sept. 28. Service will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 29. On the weekend of Sept. 26-27 all service in and out of Camden County will be suspended.
So, to use technical terms, traffic is going to be nuts because of His Holiness. Millions of extra people are coming into our area to see him. If you have plans scheduled, such as doctor’s visits or appointments, you might want to change them. If you have to be out, head out the door really early and be prepared for an extra, extra, extra long wait.
One thing that will be open by the Ben Franklin Bridge that weekend is the Pub, Pennsauken’s iconic restaurant. If you’re plucky enough to get there for dinner that Saturday or Sunday, you’ll receive a $20 coupon for your next visit, which will be valid after Monday, Sept. 28.
