Copyright phillyvoice
Numerous road closures will be in effect in Philadelphia over the next several days as the city hosts the Rocky Run, Veterans Parade and Marine Corps 250th anniversary celebration. The first road closures take effect at 3 a.m. Saturday in preparation for the Rocky Run, which starts and ends in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum and sends runners along the Schuylkill River. The Veterans Day Parade takes place Sunday afternoon along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Marines' birthday bash is Monday on Second Street in Old City. Drivers should plan to use alternate routes to avoid these areas and allow for extra travel time. Info on each of the events, and the road closures in place, is below: The Rocky Run, inspired by Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" movies, includes two races on Saturday — a 5K run that starts at 7 a.m. and a 10-mile run or walk that begins at 8 a.m. The 5K course takes runners along Kelly Drive; the 10-mile run sends them on MLK Drive. About 30,000 runners are expected to participate in the event. The most ambitious are competing in both, a combo dubbed the 13.1 Italian Stallion Challenge. The distance of the two races amounts to a half marathon. The event is rain or shine, but it may be delayed, postponed or canceled in the event of lightening. That could impact the time roads reopen. The following streets will be closed starting at 3 a.m Saturday: • Benjamin Franklin Parkway between 22nd Street and Eakins Oval• Spring Garden Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and 24th Street• MLK Drive between Eakins Oval and Falls Bridge The following streets will be closed beginning at 4:30 a.m. Saturday: • Kelly Drive between Eakins Oval and Brewery Hill Drive• Strawberry Mansion Bridge• Sweet Briar Drive between Lansdowne and MLK drives• Greenland Drive between MLK Bridge and Chamounix Drive• Ford Road between Chamounix and Greenland drives• Chamounix Drive between Ford Road and Greenland Drive All roads will reopen by noon except for Eakins Oval, which will reopen by 2 p.m., and MLK Drive, which will remain closed until 7 a.m. Monday as part of the city's regular closures for recreational use. Philadelphia Veterans Parade The city's 11th annual Veterans Parade begins at noon Sunday, with route traveling along the Parkway from 21st Street to Eakins Oval, where a festival takes place until 4 p.m. More than 4,000 people are expected to attend the parade and festival. More than 100 organizations, including 50 veterans service groups, also will be on hand. The festival will have food trucks, live music and an array of resources for veterans, including job recruitment, financial assistance and health care. The parade will be broadcast by 6ABC. Beginning at 8 a.m. Sunday, the Parkway will close between 18th and 21st streets. At 11:30, it will close from 21st Street to Eakins Oval. The roads are expected to remain closed until Sunday evening. SEPTA bus routes 2, 7, 32, 38, 43, 48 and 49 will be detoured from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Marine Corps Birthday Block Party A block party celebrating the Marine Corps' 250th anniversary takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday on Second Street between Market and Walnut streets. The military branch was created in Philadelphia in 1775. The block party includes guest speakers and performances from veteran Dave Bray USA, comedian Bryson Banks and the American Bombshells — an ode to the Andrews Sisters, a swing group. Food trucks and other vendors also will be on hand. The following streets will be closed from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday: • Second Street between Market and Walnut streets• Chestnut Street between Third and Front streets SEPTA bus routes 21 and 42 will be detoured from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
