Action packed weekend = jammed streets

PHILADELPHIA - April 29, 2011 (WPVI) -- If you plan to drive you car in Philadelphia this weekend, expect to have a lot of company.

The good news is that it's a busy spring weekend with plenty to see and plenty to do. The bad news is: Getting there by car could be difficult. It's prompting calls from some officials to use SEPTA and leave plenty of extra time.

Road closures began at 1 p.m. Friday for the Philadelphia Festival of the Arts on Broad Street near Pine and they will just get more extensive overnight through Sunday for the Blue Cross Broad Street Run.

Capt. Tom Helker, Commanding Officer of the Philadelphia Police Traffic District told Action News: "We'll start closing the area from Broad Street and Somerville all the way up to Olney. (They) will be completely closed by the time runners go off around 8 o'clock in the morning."

Dozens of bus detours are scheduled, but SEPTA is bolstering Regional Rail capacity and subway service. At the sports complex in South Philadelphia, the Phillies are at home. So are the Flyers. Plus there's the Expo and the Philadelphia Blue Flame game Saturday.

Then don't forget about the Penn Relays, which will tie up traffic around 33rd and Spruce all day Saturday, even closing Spruce up to Walnut for several hours Saturday evening to get all the runners out.

Extra officers are on duty with everything that's going on.

But it could be worse.

"I think compared to what they're doing over there in London, I think we're doing good over here. It's not going to be that bad/"

Martin Luther King Drive will be closed this weekend as usual. A regatta on Kelly Drive will mean heavy volume Saturday and closures on Sunday.

Plus, there's Saturday's Philadelphia Union Game and regular Philadelphia Zoo traffic. There's a lot of information and a lot of changes.

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pennsylvania, philadelphia, philadelphia flyers, philadelphia phillies, SEPTA, traffic

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