DRPA: No Plans to Close Ben Franklin Bridge for Pope

(Wikipedia Commons.)

Who needs a giant fence when you’ve got two big rivers to keep people out?

That seems to be the idea behind new reports that the Ben Franklin Bridge could be shut down when Pope Francis visits in September. But DRPA officials told Philly Mag today that such a closure is not currently in the plans.

“I can tell you that’s not in the plan right now,” said Kyle Anderson, a DRPA spokesman.

But security plans for the weekend still seem to be be fluid, a fact Anderson seemed to acknowledge in his next sentence: “If the plans change, we’ll be sure to let the public know as quickly as possible.”

The security discussion seems to be taking a toll on Mayor Nutter, who uttered an audible “oh, God” this week in response to a question about possible security fences in Center City for the visit.

“I am perplexed now by this obsessive with fencing,” he said, according to KYW. “There will be some fencing in some places. When we have a full fencing plan, we’ll be glad to lay it out. But it’s really an ongoing discussion.”

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