The Camden Waterfront is now accepting reservations for over 8,000 parking spaces that are being made available to the public for Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia this weekend.

Camden guide for pope's visit (Map courtesy of the Camden Waterfront, City of Camden)
Camden guide for pope's visit (Map courtesy of the Camden Waterfront, City of Camden)
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The public can make reservations and purchase their parking permits by going online to www.gatewaytothepope.com or by calling 1-866-330-PARK (7275). The cost for a parking permit is $43.78, which includes all taxes and fees. Cars are not allowed to park overnight.

Camden Waterfront parking will be permitted on Sept. 26 and Sept. 27. All reservations must be made in advance before arriving in Camden.

During a Sept. 16 press conference, Camden County spokesman Dan Keashen said waterfront parking lots had originally been reserved for more than 1,000 charter buses, but organizers of the World Meeting of Families (WMOF) found spaces in Philadelphia instead.

In total, there are 8,500 parking spots available for public parking this weekend.

Drivers who chose to park in Camden will have three options to get into Philadelphia for the pope's events:

  • Option 1: PATCO train - Visitors can park-and-ride by taking the PATCO train from the Broadway Station to the 9/10th & Locust Street station in Philadelphia. The walk from the Camden Waterfront to the Broadway Station at the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden is approximately 15 minutes. More information, including fare prices, can be found at PATCO's website.
  • Option 2: RiverLink Ferry - People parking in Camden can take the RiverLink Ferry to Philadelphia, at a cost of $7 each way. The walk from the Camden Waterfront parking areas to the ferry terminal at 1 Riverside Drive is approximately 10 minutes. Tickets for the ferry must be purchased online before boarding. The ferry can fit 500 people per hour. More information can be found at the Delaware River Waterfront website.
  • Option 3: Walk - People who wish to avoid mass transit can walk across the Ben Franklin Bridge. Staff will be on hand at the Camden Waterfront parking areas to help guide people. The walk from the parking areas to the pope venues is approximately one hour.

Officials are expecting traffic gridlock throughout the area so drivers who don't live or work in Camden or have parking permits will be turned away at the borders on Saturday and Sunday.

CBS Philly reports that ticket sales for the parking spots have been slow, with just about 200 sold so far.

The pope’s two big public events will take place on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. He’ll attend the closing ceremonies of the World Meeting of Families on Saturday, and celebrate Mass at 4 p.m. on Sunday. In addition, the Holy Father will pay a visit to Independence Hall at 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, where he'll give a speech on immigration.

More information on the pope's visit can be found at the Papal Visit Playbook website.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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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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