Eagles vs. Commanders: Philadelphia officials detail road closures, other preparations
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia officials are getting ready for the Eagles to host the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday with safety enhancements, parking restrictions, and transportation adjustments.
The Eagles will host their division rival at 3 p.m. on FOX 29 for a chance to head to the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
Road Closures
What we know:
Officials say temporary road closures may be put into place at the conclusion of Sunday’s game in the area of the Sports Complex District in South Philadelphia, as well as around City Hall.
Closures in Center City would be between 13th and 15th streets and Arch and Lombard Streets.
Expect travel delays if you are in either area, but city officials are asking motorists to avoid those areas and seek alternate routes where possible.
Parking Restrictions
Timeline:
As of Thursday, city officials say residents may begin seeing ‘Temporary No Parking Signs’ along South Broad Street and near City Hall. Those No Parking Zones would go into effect on Saturday at noon, and vehicles parked in those areas during those times may be relocated.
Temporary parking restrictions will also issued at Cottman and Frankford avenues in Northeast Philadelphia.
Those restrictions, as well as restrictions around South Broad Street would go into effect Sunday.
If you believe your car has been relocated, call the police district of the area where your car was parked.
Public Transportation
What we know:
Those attending Sunday’s game will have an opportunity to take public transportation and SEPTA will be adding extra service on the Broad Street Line.
Express trains will depart Fern Rock Transit Center every 10 minutes from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Draft Kings is sponsoring free rides home on the SEPTA Broad Street Line. Last Sunday, they estimated that they moved about 20,000 passengers from the NRG Station after the game.
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SEPTA Transit Police say in addition to proactive and reactive monitoring behind the scenes from the 30,000 cameras in their Virtual Patrol Center, they are canceling some officers’ days off and increasing patrols by 50 percent.
You can find more information on SEPTA’s plans and real-time updates at www.septa.org.
Will Philadelphia grease poles?
Big picture view:
The city says law enforcement, traffic control and emergency medical services will be on hand in the area of Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, as well as other key gathering areas around the city.
Residents are asked not to leave bags unattended and reported and suspicious activity.
Drone use will also be prohibited over any crowds for the safety of the public officials say.
As to whether or not the city will grease traffic lights and utility poles around Center City as they have done to prevent fans from climbing, officials have not yet revealed if and when the greasing would take place.
When asked directly if the greasing would take place, Managing Director Adam Thiel issued a brief warning to potential pole climbers.
"Don’t climb the poles, greased or not greased, please don’t climb the poles, because you could break the poles and that’s expensive, and it’s money we could spend on other things."
What they're saying:
After leading a successful Eagles chant and poking fun at her mishap last week, Mayor Cherelle Parker said Thursday the event will be all hands-on deck from all city departments, like most major events in the city.
"As we get READY for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game we want to remind everyone to stay safe," Mayor Parker said in a statement. "Let’s thank all the city workers who are working around the clock to make sure the City is safe, clean, and ready for the big crowds at the Linc on Sunday! Go Birds!"
Thiel says the city has been working around the clock to prepare for the game and activities both before and after.
"With our partners like SEPTA, with our partners from all the different transportation venues the airport, Amtrak, we have law enforcement from the surrounding counties coming in to help augment our police force," he says. "We’re ready, we know how to do this, so please though, help us help you."