August 19, 2015

World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 & Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Announce Registered Buses Can Access Restricted Roadways During the Papal Visit

Buses Registered with the World Meeting of Families Will Be Allowed to Use Restricted Roads such as I-76 from Saturday, September 26 – Sunday, September 27 for Easy and Convenient Travel

Philadelphia, PA (August 19, 2015) – As the City of Philadelphia prepares to host the 2015 World Meeting of Families and the Papal Visit, the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 (WMOF) and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) have announced that buses registered with GO GROUND, the official transportation management partner of the World Meeting of Families, will be permitted to access the otherwise restricted Interstate 76, the Schuylkill Expressway, during the Papal Visit weekend.

Buses registered with the World Meeting of Families, including motor coaches, school buses, mini buses, RVs and passenger vans (8 – 14 passengers), will receive appropriate placards to ensure ease of access and travel in and out of Philadelphia starting Saturday, September 26 through Sunday, September 27. The registered vehicles will be permitted access to Interstate 76 both at the junction with Interstate 476 and at the Walt Whitman Bridge. These vehicles will be directed to specific exits in South Philadelphia for parking. These vehicles will not have access to Interstate 676, the Vine Street Expressway.

“The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is committed to working with the City of Philadelphia and the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 to ensure that the Papal Visit is a success,” said PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards. “We are pleased to accommodate the anticipated domestic travelers making plans to charter buses in preparation of Pope Francis’ visit. With event planning well underway, travel, traffic management and public safety remain our top priorities as we continue to provide support and resources to making sure visitors can get to and from the Papal events safely.”

Bus registration for the Papal Visit is a requirement and all commercial and private operators are urged to register at wmof.goground.com prior to the deadline of Monday, August 31, 2015. Parishes using their own buses must register as the operator. Buses coming to the Congress of the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from Tuesday, September 22 through Friday, September 25 do not need to register with GO GROUND.

“We are thrilled to share this very important benefit to registering your buses with GO GROUND in advance of Pope Francis’ historic visit to Philadelphia this September,” said Donna Crilley Farrell, Executive Director, World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015. “All buses registered with GO GROUND will receive placards allowing access to restricted roadways, including I-76 during the Papal Visit weekend. We are very grateful to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for working closely with city and state officials, and event organizers to efficiently – and safely – accommodate the anticipated visitors during the Papal Visit, ensuring that event attendees will have an unforgettable experience.”

Parking spaces for buses are still available, but will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Those groups who have already registered with GO GROUND will receive information about their parking locations as soon as assignments are made.

Co-sponsored by the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for the Family and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the World Meeting of Families is a triennial global event that seeks to strengthen the sacred bonds of family across the globe and highlight its intrinsic value to the good of society. This international gathering will welcome Pope Francis to the United States for the first time in his Papacy. Being held in the United States for the first time ever, the official theme for the 2015 World Meeting of Families is “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.”

For more information regarding the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, visit www.WorldMeeting2015.org.  For more information regarding The Holy See’s Pontifical Council for the Family, which co-sponsors the World Meeting of Families, visit http://www.familiam.org/famiglia_eng/00002554_HOME_ENG.html. You can also engage the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia on Facebook (World Meeting of Families 2015) (Encuentro Mundial de las Familias – Filadelfia 2015), Twitter (@WMF2015) (@WMF2015ES) and Instagram (WMF2015).

About World Meetings of Families
Beginning with 1994, The Year of the Family, the Pontifical Council for the Family has been responsible for organizing the World Meetings of Families in Rome (1994); Rio de Janeiro (1997); Rome (2000); Manila (2003); Valencia (2006); Mexico City (2009); Milan (2012); and now, Philadelphia (2015). Since its inception by Saint John Paul II, the World Meeting of Families has sought to strengthen the sacred bonds of family across the globe.

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Contact
Kenneth A. Gavin
Director of Communications
215-587-3747