Philly is closing dozens of roads for July 4 and its last World Cup match
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images
Anticipating massive crowds and dangerous heat, Philadelphia is closing roads and SEPTA is adding service for the Fourth of July.
Why it matters: Philly is gearing up for a once-in-a-generation Independence Day, with the city's annual concert and fireworks celebrations unfolding alongside a World Cup knockout match.
The big picture: The "One Philly: Unity Concert for America" on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and a World Cup knockout match in South Philadelphia both kick off at 5pm Saturday.
- The fireworks show starts at 11:30pm.
Driving the news: Road closures took effect Tuesday, with the inner lanes of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway — between 20th Street and Binswanger Triangle — shut down at 6am.
- The city will begin shutting down nearly two dozen other major thoroughfares and streets Friday at 6am, including the Interstate 676 ramp at 22nd Street, Spring Garden Tunnel and all lanes of Eakins Oval, which will remain closed through Monday morning.
- The city is also closing Waterworks Drive and Kelly Drive — between Fairmount Avenue and Fountain Green Drive — from 8pm Saturday to 1am Sunday.
SEPTA is offering extra service to help with the number of people driving in from the Philly suburbs, along with two subway lines and city buses.
- The L, B, T and Regional Rail will run on special schedules, and most regional trains will offer extended hours from Jefferson, Suburban and William H. Gray III 30th St. stations following the fireworks show.
- Buses normally running around the Parkway are being detoured from Thursday at 5am through Sunday at 5pm.
The intrigue: Transportation data firm INRIX has been tracking traffic around the stadiums of the 11 World Cup host cities and has found conditions in Philly have been generally less volatile than elsewhere.
- During Philly's opening match on June 14, travel speeds around Philadelphia Stadium were 12% lower than average for Sundays from 4-5pm and were even lower at night, per data provided to Axios.