Hopefully the faithful packed their patience for their return trip from the Pope's Sunday afternoon Mass along the Ben Franklin Parkway.

Update: 8:45 p.m.

No major delays have been reported on SEPTA, NJ Transit or major roadways leading in and out of the Camden and Philly area. PennDOT has reopened I-76 West in Philly.

With an estimated more than 1 million people attending the Mass, NJ Transit Executive Director Ronnie Hakim says "when the Mass is over, if everyone tries to leave at the same time that's how lines form. There may be delays."

Considering that people were still looking to enter the area of the Pope's Mass even as it was ending — it's certainly possible the crowds will take time to disperse.

"There is special cueing in place in Camden (at the Rand Transportation Center) to keep the lines moving," Hakim said.

SEPTA spokesperson Heather Redfern suggests the faithful delay their return trips to create less of a crush.

"We're telling people if you want to hang out in Center City, maybe go to dinner, enjoy the city and the other activities going on and then make your way to the train station," she said.

NT Transit RiverLINE trains will run every 30 minutes until 7 p.m. on Sunday night, then every 15 minutes until the last train at 12:08 a.m. early Monday morning. Special Paypal Pass tickets and regular NJ Transit tickets will be accepted.

PATCO, which sold 40 percent more tickets for Sunday evening than Saturday according to Philly.com, has trains heading back to New Jersey leaving 9/10 and Locust station every 16 minutes stopping at Broadway, Ferry Avenue, Woodcrest and Lindenwald to drop off passengers only.

SEPTA trains will run until 12:30 a.m. on the Trenton and West Trenton lines. Redfern reminds riders to get back on their train at the same station they got off. Also, SEPTA regional rails will be running a Saturday schedule on Monday as things transition back to normal. Suburban Station reopens on Monday morning.

People had begun walking back toward the Ben Franklin Bridge even before the Mass ended, hoping to beat the foot traffic back to parking along the Camden Waterfornt.

New Jersey 101.5's Dan Tantillo was among those heading back just after 6 p.m.

The Ben Franklin Bridge will remain closed on Monday morning along with the other access routes to the bridge including:

    • I-676 north/southbound  CLOSED between #5 (Route 30) and the Ben Franklin Bridge
    • Route 38 westbound CLOSED at Route 130 in Pennsauken
    • Route 70 westbound CLOSED at Route 38 in Pennsauken
    • Admiral Wilson Boulevard CLOSED between Airport Circle and the Ben Franklin Bridge

Here’s how you can keep up with all the latest news from New Jersey 101.5 as it happens:

  • Keep an eye on our special Pope visit coverage page, which we’ll be updating all week with live video, traffic updates, reactions from local leaders and much more.
  • Listen to New Jersey 101.5 on your radio dial, or online at NJ1015.com. Mobile users: Download Radiopup to listen any time from your Android or iOS device.
  • Follow New Jersey 101.5 on TwitterFacebook and Instagram.
  • Text TRAFFIC or NEWS to 89000 for traffic and news alerts.

And you can contribute, too! Be extra eyes and ears in the crowd. Is the traffic overwhelming? Is the walk from Camden to Philadelphia going as planned? Let us know by:

Want to share lots and lots of news? Email us at newsjerz@nj1015.com before Friday with the words “pope visit” in the subject to make arrangements to get in touch throughout the visit.

 

 

 

 

 

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