Villanova Championship Parade: Road closures, SEPTA impact
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Excitement is building as students, players and fans across the region count down to the Villanova Championship Parade.
The parade will get underway at 1 p.m. Friday, and you can watch the parade and rally live on 6abc, and streaming live on 6abc.com and the 6abc news app.
VIDEO: Route for Villanova Victory Parade
Earlier this week, the City of Philadelphia released details about the parade, which celebrates the Villanova Wildcats' historic NCAA Championship victory.
It will step off from 20th and Market streets in Center City and then head east toward City Hall, concluding at Dilworth Park.
The men's basketball team and coaching staff, as well as Villanova University's cheerleaders and band, will all participate.
READ: Villanova cancels classes on Friday for parade
Following the parade, a rally will be held at Dilworth Park where head coach Jay Wright and members of the team are all scheduled to address the crowd.
David Wilson, Philadelphia's Deputy Managing Director of Community and Culture, says city crews are prepared.
"This is a major event, and we're staffing it with the appropriate public safety assets," said Wilson. "So... fire, police, EMS."
The event is expected to last about two hours, and the city is planning for at 50,000 people to show up.
"We are more than able to handle this," said Wilson. "The university is only 6,000. We're more than able to handle the crowd."
If you're coming to show your support, city leaders say pay attention to parking restrictions and other signage.
"We figure that the parade will actually be about an hour," said Wilson, "and then the program, anywhere from half an hour to 45 minutes. Our key concern is to be able to get Center City back open for rush hour."
Road Closures
The following roads are scheduled to close beginning at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 8 in connection to the Villanova Championship Parade.
Market Street - 15th to 23rd Streets
15th Street - JFK Boulevard to Chestnut Street
Cross traffic on Market Street, from 16th to 22nd Streets, will be closed prior to the parade step-off and will resume on a rolling basis after the parade passes and streets are cleared.
Vehicular traffic in the vicinity of City Hall will be diverted as follows:
Vehicles traveling north on Broad Street will be required to go eastbound on Chestnut, prior to reaching City Hall.
Vehicles traveling west on (East) Market Street around City Hall will be diverted to North Board Street or to JFK Boulevard.
Vehicles traveling south on Broad Street towards City Hall will be diverted to JFK Boulevard.
Vehicles traveling on I-676 should avoid the 15th Street/Broad Street exits. Although these ramps will be open, there will be significant congestion at these exits ramps.
Motorists are encouraged to avoid the area if possible and to allow for extra driving time.
Parking Information
City of Philadelphia temporary "No Parking" signs will be posted, and regulations will be enforced strictly. Parking along the parade route will be prohibited, and all vehicles on the route will be towed, beginning at 6 a.m. on Friday, April 8 until at least 5 p.m. "No Parking" areas will include:
Market Street - 15th to 23rd Streets
15th Street - JFK Boulevard to Chestnut Street
Paid parking lots and garages are located near the parade route. Spectators can call individual facilities ahead for parking options, prices and availability, or visit the Philadelphia Parking Authority website. Garages along Market Street between 15th and 23rd Streets will be accessible for vehicles exiting the garages; however, there may be delays based on timing and progress of the parade. If possible, vehicles using garages on the parade route should plan to exit prior to 11 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
SEPTA Service Details
SEPTA officials say extra capacity will be added to the Norristown High Speed Line, Market-Frankford Line, and the Broad Street Line on Friday.
The NHSL provides service from the Villanova University area with stops at Radnor, Villanova and Stadium Stations. NHSL passengers can transfer to the MFL at 69th Street Transportation Center to continue the trip to Center City.
SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line serves stations in Radnor, Villanova and Rosemont. Paoli/Thorndale Line trains run every 30 minutes.
The parade route will impact SEPTA bus service in Center City. Bus Routes 2, 4, 7, 16, 17, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 48, 62, 124 and 125 will be detoured around City Hall and Dilworth Park from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
SEPTA's 15th Street MFL stations and the City Hall BSL station are scheduled to remain open during the parade. However, SEPTA officials say if conditions become overcrowded, those stations will be bypassed.
Passengers should use 13th Street MFL and Walnut-Locust BSL stations in the event 15th and City Hall Stations are closed.
Passengers for Trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 should look for service announcements regarding possible station closures.
SEPTA officials say they expect a regular morning commute on Friday, but reminds all regular passengers that the evening commute, especially on the Paoli/Thorndale Line and NHSL, could be extremely heavy as the parade will end just prior to the start of the evening rush hour.
Paoli/Thorndale Line passengers at Suburban Station will be wait on the concourse level, not the platform, on Friday evening.
SEPTA personnel will be on hand to direct passengers.
SEPTA urges those using its trains, buses and trolleys for the parade to purchase their tickets, passes and tokens in advance.
Mail Service
Mail collection will also be affected due to the parade route in Center City.
The following mail collection boxes will be blocked and out-of-service that day:
2005 Market Street
2000 Market Street
1950 Market Street
1901 Market Street
11 Penn Center - 1825 Market Street
1818 Market Street
10 Penn Center - 1801 Market Street
1760 Market Street
1735 Market Street
1700 Market Street
1650 Market Street
7 Penn Center - 1635 Market Street
1600 Market Street
3 Penn Center - 1515 Market Street
1500 Market Street
30 S 15 Street
1400 Market Street
21 N Broad Street - Marriot
1 N Broad Street
PHOTOS: Nova Nation celebrates Villanova's NCAA Championship title
