suites along the ben franklin parkway. this location gives us a perfect view of the entire parkway all the way down to the giant stage at eakins oval. >> that's right. we will be live at our parkway studios all weekend to bring you complete coverage and some of the best views so sit back relax and you'll have a bird's eye view of everything. let's take another look from our other location. the camera will be able to zoom in down to their stage for you and give us the very clearest images of pope francis. >> and we have live team coverage tonight. "action news" reporter wendy saltzman has details on security along the parkway but first let's go to eva pilgrim in new york city the big apple where the excitement of the pope's visit continues tonight. hi, eva. >> reporter: good evening. pope francis has just begun his journey traveling through manhattan which will end right here at madison square garden and you can see the lines of people to get into the garden are still filing in at this time. he will be heading this way

but first on the way he will stop through central park for a parade. huge lines there waiting for him earlier today and they are very much anticipating his arrival. the lines poured into the streets around central park. >> ticket, ticket, yay! >> go see the pope. >> hi. >> reporter: the gates opened at 11 :00 this morning but people started lining up overnight. a police officer telling "action news" there were people in line when he came in at 4:00 this morning. >> might as well get there early. >> you want to see the pope. >> reporter: 80,000 ticket holders will go through security here, all hoping to get a glimpse of the pope. the pope is scheduled to parade through central park at 5:15. >> i have never seen a pope before. >> everybody is excited for different reasons but it's just great. >> it is beyond anything i've ever experienced. >> reporter: lynn goldman from doylestown is one of the many people inside the park right now. she says her daughter-in-law

was one of the lucky new yorkers who won a ticket for the parade in a lottery. >> but she just had a baby so the baby is only, you know, couple -- three weeks old so she can't leave him for a long period of time because she's nursing so i -- no problem volunteered. >> reporter: all of these people happy to wait in line excited to enjoy this moment of peace. >> and just the kindness of the people, too, that are there. i mean, there's no pushing and shoving it's very respectful. it's a sense of, you know, camaraderie that we're in this together and almost feeling what he's preamping about being kind to one another. >> it's inspiring to meet -- if he can get down with the people and reach out, then why not all of us reach out. >> reporterreach. >> hopefully it stays with us longer than just one day. that's the goal. >> reporter: right now a premass concert is going on inside the garden the pope will celebrate mass at 6:00 p.m. and it's interesting to note that a billy joel concert

was originally scheduled for here tonight. that was rescheduled to make this mass possible. we're live here at madison square garden, eva pilgrim channel6 "action news." >> all right, eva, thank you. pope francis began his morning at the united nations. the pontiff spoke to the general assembly about the sanctity of life and the need to increase aid to developing countries. he praised the iran nuclear deal and called for a world free of nuclear weapons. >> about 30 minutes later pope francis arrived at the national september 11th memorial and museum in lower manhattan and there he paid tribute to victims of the terror attacks. the pontiff also participated in an interfaith service and got an up close look at some artifacts recovered from the rubble at ground zero. well, we are back here now at our parkway studio and with more than a million people expected to be here this weekend along the parkway of course security is a top priority. >> we got through it. >> yes, several times.

>> law enforcement of all kinds are here in philadelphia tonight including the national guard. "action news" reporter wendy saltzman is live at a security staging area in university city with more. wendy. >> reporter: well, rick, you can see that the national guard members are all here, they're geared up and ready to go. there are about 500 soldiers that are stationed here at the armory in drexel and they have been here arriving since monday. they are all now preparing for the arrival of the pope. the armory has been set up as a staging area for troops across the state. soldier prepared to work in shifts throughout the weekend to do what the national guard does best. >> we have the role of supporting the national defense but also of being able to support the local communities. >> reporter: these troops will be directing traffic and pedestrians throughout the city and assisting police with safety and security. >> it's all just so that we can have enough presence to make sure that emergency routes, if someone is injured on the other side of the river, they can be evacuated to hospitals in the area.

that's one of our primary things other than directing things to make sure these routes stay open. >> reporter: the guard was placed on active duty by the governor to help assist local law enforcement with traffic and security. they have been part of the coalition of law enforcement planning the event ever since the start. >> they're energized. we did a lot of planning to get involved in this and i think you see it when you go out there, the soldiers all excited to be here. >> reporter: they're covering just about every corner of the city. >> we need a certain number of people to make sure that we can cover intersections with police presence. >> reporter: and the soldiers say there's a lot of excitement to get to be parter of this historic event. >> it's a major effort on the part of pennsylvania involving multiple units across the state that are supporting the effort here. >> reporter: and the officers are here assisting law enforcement. they are manning check points. they are helping with crowd controls and they are making sure that those emergency routes are cleared. now, if that directive does change that will be an order

that will come down directly from the governor. live at drexel, i'm wendy saltzman, channel6 "action news." >> thank you, went defect all right let's go live to chopper 6hd over the ben franklin parkway. as you can see the entire area closed off to vehicles and just so we can tell you what's going on, the final preparations for this huge stage are being put into place so that everything is perfect. further down there is still the barricades and fencing we have been talking about for security. choppers are flying overhead. k-9 patrols on the ground with the bomb squad in place if needed. so, plenty of security preparations and multiple jumbotron so that the crowds here tomorrow can see every detail. >> it will be surreal tomorrow to think that this entire area will be a sea of people. just waiting to see the pontiff when he arrives in philadelphia. from live in the air to live on the ground, "action news" reporter nora muchanic is right there on the parkway as well. >> all right, nora you found some folks today who are so excited about pope francis coming to town as we all are.

>> reporter: absolutely. monica, rick imagine how many times in life can you stand in the middle of the ben franklin parkway and not worry about getting hit by a car but you can do that today and people are loving it. once you get through security, you can walk the parkway. it's thousands of pilgrims have been doing. there are police everywhere and crews are still getting ready for the pope's arrival. >> you can do anything you want. no cars walking down the street. it's really fun. >> reporter: the ben franklin parkway inside the secure zone became a huge walking mall today with barriers in place and cars banned people strolled right down the middle of the street. >> it's absolutely amazing. it's just breath taking. the city is just -- we're used to driving these streets and now we're walking them and they're empty and it's just beautiful. the city is amazing. >> reporter: but to get inside the secure zone everyone must go through a limited number of check points where bags are examined and you must pass through a metal detector. >> it's crazy with all the cops and gated areas.

you have to walk through motor at a detectors. never seen anything like it. >> go through the security checks for our own security and the security of the visitors. >> reporter: little bit of a hassle. >> kind of. >> reporter: officers from multiple agencies are here in force and can be seen on every street corner. they're here for security of course but helping newcomers, too. this family drove 14 hours from chicago to be here. >> we came driving all the way down here through mountains and everything. it was a fun drive. >> reporter: hoping to see the pope. >> yeah. can't wait. well, we're catholic so the pope is big thing for us. >> just scouting out to make a plan for tomorrow what we're going to do tomorrow when the pope is here. >> reporter: this family from nova scotia hopes to get close enough. >> got a standing of the pope and i'm going to tell everybody at home i met the pope. >> reporter: sara of mount airy came today for the unique experience of running right down the middle of the parkway and everyone here is awaiting

pope francis' arrival. >> it's good just not only for the city of philadelphia but it's good for america. i think we need a little bit of inspiration right now. >> reporter: back live on the ben franklin parkway which along with surrounding streets has been sealed off. you must come through the check points to get into the secure zone. as i said there's a massive police presence here. i talked to one south jersey police chief a few minutes ago, he's working security for the pope this weekend. he told me he's never seen anything like it in his life or his career. live on the parkway, i'm nora muchanic, channel6 "action news." >> thank you nor ranc nora. in less than an hour the traffic box will take effect in center city and then tonight at 10:00 parts of the schuylkill and vine street expressway will also be shut down. >> that's right. also shutting down at 10 o'clock tonight the ben franklin bridge. it will transform from one of the busiest roadways in the delaware valley to a giant

walkway for pilgrims coming in from south jersey. well today officials in camden said they sold 18,000 patco passes for this weekend. more are still available and will remain for sale through sunday. camden waterfront parking passes are also still for sale. each pass costs $44 per day. >> back here on the parkway now we are hoping of course that the weather will stay dry during the papal visit this weekend because of the outdoor events and the parade all the things that would be trickier with the rain. >> meteorologist cecily tynan joining us live on the parkway as well with a closer look at that accuweather forecast. hey, cecily. >> hi, rick and monica. is it okay to say that we're all praying for dry weather this weekend? i was in a security line and it was a family from venezuela who came here to see the pope. as soon as i told them i was a mears they said will the weather be dry and the good news is most of the weekend will be dry and actually it's a great start to the weekend. take a look at temperatures across the region. a lot of folks walking on the parkway enjoying the comfortable temperatures. philadelphia is 72 degrees.

earlier today we had more sunshine. we hit 78 degrees. washington, d.c. 71. new york city 71. charleston and roanoke temperatures are in the 60's and that's because it's raining there. storstorm tracker6 3-d showing that low pressure we have been talking about, this low pressure about a week oh, it's right over the border of south carolina and georgia and you can see really the heaviest rain along the outer banks but there is light rain that moved through the tennessee valley and through virginia right now. so, future tracker showing tomorrow we will be fine. we'll see a little bit more in the form of clouds than today but the thicker cloud cover will be to the south and you can see that rainier richmond, virginia and areas to the south, it will be breezier than today with a pretty strong pressure gradient from that low pressure to the south and hi up to the north. as we head to sunday, sunday has been the big question. you can see the clouds will be thicker and could be a little bit of light rain, mainly south of philadelphia. it look like if we do get any

showers, they would be in the afternoon. they would be on the light side. we do not expect any heavy steady rain. so, planning for the weekend what to dress, looks like tomorrow temperatures will be in the mid 70's. so, either a shorts or long sleeves depending on how comfortable you are with temperatures in the 70's for the speech tomorrow afternoon. for the concert tomorrow night temperatures will be dropping down into the 60's. it will be windy. so a sweatshirt or a jacket. and then for mass sunday afternoon, definitely a jacket. it will be breezy with temperatures in the low 70's and on the safe side you may want to bring a raincoat if we have a few sprinkles. one other thing i want to talk about what to wear where you're heading there, bring comfortable shoes because you are going to be walking a lot but at this point the weather is looking pretty good. i'll have more details coming up a little bit later on. rick and monica. >> sounds like good advice. thank you so much cecily. >> now she tells us. >> when the pope arrives in philadelphia tomorrow of course "action news" will have

complete coverage for you from every angle. jim gardner will lead our team of more than two dozen anchors and reporters who will be at locations all across the region of course bringing you this historic visit and its impact on the delaware valley. >> also joining our team this weekends will be former "action news" reporter kathy gandolfo. she'll return to our team to help cover the papal visit. kathy will be live all weekend long in our studio here on the parkway and we'll be right back with more. stay with us.

>> and we head back to new york city where pope francis just got in the popemobile. if you look in the center of your screen there it's a customized jeep wrangler built in the u.s. it has open sides so there's hope again he could reach out and touch the crowd maybe kiss another baby or so like he did in washington, d.c. but he's about to go through central park in the popemobile. >> back here now let's get a check of our "action news" traffic report for a friday night. >> let's see what the latest is with matt pelman. hi, matt. >> we'll have a popemobile on the streets this weekend but we won't have a lot of other mobiles. a lot of these highways will be shut down. for this afternoon at this point papal treat for those of you trying to make the trip home. volume is nice and light. looks like this on most of the highways. this is the schuylkill right at the blue route and this is where at 10 o'clock tonight the eastbound lanes will shut down. then throughout the weekend you can expect congestion

approaching the closure point here. the westbound side will close at 10:00 tonight from 95 out to route one, the roosevelt boulevard. as will the vine street expressway already some of the ramps are closed but the entirety of the vine closes at 10 o'clock tonight. ben franklin bridge admiral wilson boulevard westbound, 676 in camden all shutting down starting at 10:00 tonight. already this afternoon patco is running on a special schedule. septa regional rails are on a saturday schedule with no stops at suburban station. that's closed now for the remainder of the week. and throughout the weekend only 18 of the different rail stations on the septa regional rails will be opened but they he close tonight at 6:00 so crews can prepare. so if you're parked at one of the stations that will be opened this weekend maybe get your car out of there by 6:00 tonight. we'll check it again rick and monica in the next half hour. >> okay. >> thank you. >> thank you much. now with up to a million expected to flock to philadelphia this weekend to see the pope making sure everyone is safe doesn't just involve security but also medical services.

>> hopeful there will won't be any medical emergencies but just in case there are 10 first aid stations set up at all the different points near the parkway and that's where health reporter and registered nurse ali gorman is live at the first aid station off of broad and spring garden. hi ali. >> hi guys. i'm outside one of the 10 stations that is set up throughout the see for the weekend. i can show you a look inside this one. now, they are still putting the finishing touches here but this is one of the smaller tents. so this is designed to treat things like blisters, sprains and strains, mild dehydration. there are also four larger medical tents, those are designed to treat more serious problems and more patients. here's a look at one of those tents. this is a view from chopper six of the medical tents and some first aid vehicles set up at roman field across from eakins oval. >> this is where patients will come in. triaged in this area. >> reporter: tom gave me a tour. he's the team leader for the

tent. this is one is manned by volunteers with the medical assistance response team. >> set up like a crash base. >> reporter: he says this tent can has this everything from basic first aid to icu level care including resuscitation. this medical tent is set up to treat at least 50 patients at a time. all of the beds are equipped with heart monitors, with oxygen and with emergency medication. >> so if you look in here you have everything from bed pans to linen kits. >> reporter: plus there are plenty of supplies to last four days. there's no x-ray or laboratory but otherwise, the medical tent operates like a portable hospital. still, gray says the goal is to treat pilgrims and get them back to the festivities. but. >> if anybody is really critical we'll just stabilize and get them to a hospital. >> reporter: golf carts will also be out in the crowd so if people can't get to a medical tent care can come to them. if you're participating this

weekend pack water and snacks. if you have emergency medication such as an inhaler or diabetes or heart medicine, take it with you. as for what medical volunteers expect this weekend. >> god only knows. i'm not sure the pope knows. you know, i would just say that we expect everything. we anticipate the worst and prepare -- and hope for the best. >> reporter: got to be ready for everything. and you got to give credit to the medical staff and to the red cross, to all the staff that's going to be out here manning these first aid tents. a lot of them are spending all of their weekend down here volunteering their time to make sure that everyone has access to healthcare services in case they need it. that's the latest here. live along spring garden ali gorman channel6 "action news." >> thank you ali. let's head back now to new york city where we're checking in again on pope francis as he he continues his trek through central park.

there is the popemobile in the middle of your screen. you can see people on either side excitedly waving to the pontiff, waving flags and just so excited to greet him as he visits the big apple. again, this is his only full day in new york city and this trek through central park is ahead of his paper mal mass at madison square garden. we'll keep checking on his journey in the big apple. we'll be right back.

>> back live now we're taking you to see pope francis again as he makes his way through new york city in the popemobile. thousands of people lining both sides of the roadway there. they did have to get a ticket to be in central park and many folks actually camped out overnight so they can get a

good spot even with the ticket. you see probably 20, 30 deep on each side and heavy security as you would understand. just a thrill of a lifetime though for many catholics noncatholics who just want to see the people's pope a man who has engendered great warmth. >> the pope's itinerary has been somber and celebratory. this ahead of his mass at madison square garden. our coverage continues here at 6abc on the parkway when we come right back. we'll take a quick break. stay with us.

>> back here live now in our parkway studio tonight. the weather just about perfect today and we're hoping it will continue throughout the weekend. >> absolutely. loving this. meteorologist cecily tynan join us live here along the parkway as well with the accuweather forecast for the pope's entire visit this week. hi, cecily. >> hi monica and rick. the crowds will be building thi -- cloudshave been buildings afternoon and i'm keeping ply eyes on the lope town to the south much it continues to spin over the north carolina georgia border. we are getting some of those high thin clouds from that low pressure but you can see how it's not really moving and the steadiest heavy rain is over cape hatteras. that light rain shield extends across central and northern

virginia so the weekend we'll see more clouds than sunshine but honestly it's looking pretty nice. tomorrow we'll see he some breaks of sunshine. it will be on the breezy side, winds east-northeast 10 to 20 miles per hour and it will be seasonable, 75 degrees, 74 is the average high for this time of the year. sunday a lot more clouds, 73 degrees with a possibility of a shower. it will be breezy. winds up to 25 miles per hour. i'll show you the percentage chance. it definitely will be increasing as we head into the weekend. we're looking at about a 60 percent chance of a light shower between 4:00 and 7 o'clock but most of the weekend will be dry. more "action news" coming up right after this. >> ♪

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>> "action news" continues with meteorologist adam joseph, jaime apody, rick williams and monica malpass. >> ♪ >> good evening he again. "action news" continues for you now at 5:30. live from our special parkway studio and we are set up to cover pope francis' visit for you to philadelphia right here. >> a little hard to believe he will actually be here in 16 hours. first the pontiff has a busy evening ahead of him in new york city. that's where he is at this hour. let's go there live right now for another look at the pope's motorcade making its way through central park. i believe, okay maybe he's gotten into his italian fee fat heading to madison square garden for the mass that is expected to begin in just a few minutes from now but tens of thousands of people were packed inside central park waiting to see him and even more waiting to see him at madison square garden. the mass is expected to start we're told at about 6 o'clock. >> that's right. it will be very exciting. people in new york also hungry for a spiritual reawakening

those are of the catholics and religious in the crowd but other as well also look for something to reenergize them and give them hope again. back here in philadelphia now and we have more coverage for you, a team of reporters spread out all across the city in virtually every location. >> let's go live to the middle of the action on eakins oval and at the convention center as the world meeting of families winds down our coverage continues tonight. reporter john rawlins is live at 30th street station with a mass transit update for travelers. john, good evening. >> reporter: good evening. well, you know, at this point advice to travelers tomorrow, be patient. there's going to be crowds out there. though at this late date we can't tell you how many people are actually going to use mass transit. as you know in some cases you have to have advanced reservations but other times you don't. you can make a last minute decision to just go on, just get a token get on board. and think the subway, think the el. special directional signs and portable lighting ready for tomorrow's arrivals. crowds will be much lamper

than normal but barring a last minute surge below capacity. example, the reconfigured septa train system has a capacity for 350,000 riders this weekend. but as of wednesday night it sold less than 40 percent of its special passes. the big exception, paoli station which has sold almost 90 percent of its limit for sunday. if experts at septa's up and down center spot a surge in riders ron hopkins says an extra train can be added. >> we can send an extra train up that was not part of the schedule so we're hoping for people not have to wait more than a hour, two hours tops so we have cameras that will be looking there. >> reporter: likewise if crowds back up on the high capacity broad street line septa says it will have buses stand by as shuttles. for those coming from new jersey, patco reports it still has 55,000 of its 75,000 special passes for sale. amtrak is expecting a busy weekend. it has the capability to add 41 trains but dial that back by more than half. it has seats available.

>> a lot of folks booked last minute. we still have capacity available we still have seats available it's a great way to get here. on the train is easy. walk across the bridge and you'll be right there the in middle of the parkway. >> reporter: this will be a demanding around the clock weekend for those in mass transit. these are a few of the 400 cots septa has brought in along with a special shower unit so staffers can stay over at its headquarters. at 30th street double decker sleeper cars were brought in from chicago so amtrak staffers will have a place to catch 40 winks between shifts. i hope the folk at septa don't take this the wrong way but i think i would prefer staying here with amtrak over the weekend. going to be a long weekend for anybody involved in mass transit. as far as riders are concerned they need to be patient. a lot of people if you thinking through the system. there are going to be crowds. live at 30th street station, john rawlins channel6 "action news." back to you all. >> good advice. thank you john. delaware is also preparing for traffic to be impacted by people visiting this weekend.

septa will operate special trains on its wilmington-newark line and it will serve the wilmington train station, marcus hook and 30th street station in philadelphia. also deldot plans to keep ramps from i-95 and other roads opened but they suggest that you avoid the streets around the train station unless you plan on taking the train and you have to. >> well, pope francis' arrival in philadelphia tomorrow of course kicks off a weekend filled with major events. however, the world meeting of families has been going on all week long. >> that's right. pope francis will officially close out the meeting tomorrow night but a majority of the events have already wrapped up today and "action news" reporter vernon odom talked to some pilgrims in town from all around the world who have been there. he joins us live outside the pennsylvania convention center with the very latest. hi, vernon. >> hi, vernon. >> reporter: hi, rick, monica good to talk to both of you. this has been the eighth world meeting of families. the first ever on u.s. soil. attendance-wise it has

shattered all records and that has the civic cheerleaders shouting it to the heavens. >> i've enjoyed the week and i'm looking forward to this weekend for the papal mass. >> reporter: the world meeting of families was winding down today. more than 17,000 delegates from across the globe have attended this week. it breaks the record for attendance. >> we have over 17,000 in attendance registered compared to milan which was the largest before at 7,000. >> it's been awesome, just very uplifting and we're very excited and can't wait to be a part of the papal activity on sunday. >> people are friendly. too much security for me but this is okay. >> reporter: this family from western pennsylvania saw pope john paul in person. born in poland henry says he likes francis over john paul who was of course polish. >> i like the way he speaks up and says his mind. >> reporter: for so many who traveled so far at great expense this experience is well worth it. >> i think my life is going to

change with all the topics we heard here, really made an impact in my life. i think owl live happily with my family. >> reporter: do you think the values that the pope has been promoting are really important and i think he's doing a good job. he's done a good job so far in the united states and hope he continues that here in philadelphia. >> reporter: governor wolf will be among the dignitaries greeting the pope at the airport in the morning and he'll be speaking at some of the papal activities. live in center city, i'm vernon odom, channel6 "action news." >> thank you vernon. it was a gorgeous warm day today but with a lot of pope francis events being held outside, everybody is pretty much holding their breath for the rest of the weekend weather. >> well, meteorologist cecily -- not cecily but adam joseph is live in spring garden where the crowds will be gathered tomorrow. hi there adam. good to see you as well. >> reporter: it's great to

see you guys as well. you're just down the road that way. we are on the opposite side of the barrier where, yes, folks will be walking along here kind of checking out the area. they've been asking me the forecast saying is it going to rain they keep asking me he from up in this third floor balcony. you know what it won't tomorrow but a question still for late sunday. take a look at double scan live right now. we've got low pressure just off of the georgia-south carolina border. heavy rain on the outer banks. some light showers far north to virginia and if we look at future tracker early tomorrow afternoon we're right on the edge of the clouds versus sun, some light showers up through richmond virginia but it's dry here. sunday afternoon sunny to the north near new york city, some light showers breaking out southern new jersey, delaware getting close to philadelphia where, yes, we could see a few showers on sunday afternoon. but here are the key he points. very windy this weekend. 25 miles an hour inland, 40 at the coast with coastal flooding beach erosion. it is dry most of the weekend. however any rain that does come to the city on sunday

will be on the light side. we'll have much more coming from the pennsylvania avenue section here where i am on the third floor balcony. i've crashed this house for the entire weekend. we'll have that seven-day forecast coming up rick and monica in just a little bit. >> sounds good. thank you so much, sir. and the action cam now taking a live look for you at the setup on independence mall, the preparations well under way they're doing final sound and light checks and all of the flags, beautiful very festive sight. there's al wider view. chopper 6hd giving you a beautiful perspective of how much has changed. jumbotrons, seating for thousands of people in expectation of the pope's visit and of course it's blocked off as well by security barriers and check points as you would imagine but pope francis will use this stage in front of the hall to give an immigration speech to crowds of tens of thousands tomorrow afternoon. >> well, speaking of security the tightest security measures yet are now in place for philadelphia residents and visitors this weekend. the he secure perimeters are in effect from the parkway to

city hall, east to 12th street and cars are now off limits within the black shaded area. people who want to cross into the red zone must pass through check points and metal detectors. the roads mark in yellow only open to authorized vehicles such as emergency equipment. residents cannot park on those highlighted streets this weekend. and "action news" will have complete team coverage of pope francis' visit to philadelphia starting tomorrow. jim gardner will lead our team of more than two dozen anchors and reporters who will be at locations across its region bringing you this history making visit and its impact on the delaware valley. >> and if you are not at home there are some other ways you can still watch our coverage on "action news." we will begin airing from the rooftop display at the corner of seventh and eighth and market street east. we'll also be showing you our coverage in atlantic city up and down the boardwalk on what we're calling the boardwalk impactivate93 work. we'll be broadcasting on praise 103.9 f.m.

it is friday night. let's check the commuter situation. matt pelman back in our 6abc studios with an update on the ride home. >> as we prepare for what some are calling the pope apocalypse o pope ageddon. off ramps have been blocked and they'll stay blocked until sometime on monday and perhaps it goes without saying some of the local streets around this area are already blocked off for the preparations. 95 in south philadelphia have an early flyers game this evening so that's why you see the crowd in the wells fargo center parking lot. 95 will stay opened all weekend long. the only thing that will close are some of these ramps like the ones here at broad street and they shut down at 10 o'clock tonight. but of course the traffic box takes effect at 6 o'clock in and around the city. in west philadelphia it's 10 o'clock for that traffic

box. think outside the traffic box no more driving in that yellow shaded area. crash on 676 northbound in camden. that cleared out but 676 is another road that will close at 10 o'clock tonight. rick and monica, back over to you. >> thank you, sir. >> thanks, matt. >> all right. of course we have much more still to come on "action news" for you. we'll continue to follow pope francis as he gets ready for mass at madison square garden in new york city tonight. melissa. >> and monica and rick, highs in the middle and upper 70's but we're tracking the possibility of some light showers for the second half of the papal visit. we've got the details coming up with the accuweather forecast. >> all right, melissa. in sports jeff skversky has good news about demarco murray's injury. as our live coverage from the parkway studio continues when "action news" comes right back.

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back. >> welcome back. in addition to this new parkway studio "action news" has a broadcast location set up at eakins oval. that's where our sharrie williams is standing by live as crews prepare for record setting crowds this weekend. hi, sharrie. >> reporter: hi, rick, hi monica. of course philadelphia is accustomed to hosting large scaling events but in speaking with those who are putting the

papal weekend together they say they have never been a part of something like this. let's take a live look the view we have here from our eakins oval studio. it is a fabulous view. we are very close to the stage. right now we know on stage going through rehearsals the pennsylvania girl choir, the the keystone state boy choir. we heard a few of the sound checks including those sound checks were of course archbishop charles chaput having some words but a lot of dignitaries also coming by to keep an eye on things and how things are working and that also included police commissioner charles ramsey so a wonderful view from our eakins oval studio. philadelphia, though, is getting ready for its big event on the world stage. production companies are working in overdrive to get everything finished in time. some crews are even staying to work overnight. they are installing massive speakers and jumbotrons. now in the middle of it all is of course the grand stage t it's set now for the world festival of families celebration on saturday night but it will quickly be

transformed into an altar come sunday with lights and a special green screen and what looks like stained glass windows, the oval truly has been transformed. it really is going to be spectacular. we of course have been watching how the pope has been received in both washington and also in new york and of course philadelphia is up next and we have a wonderful view right here of course at our eakins oval studio. we'll have more reports coming of course throughout the evening. for now i'll send it back over to jeff skversky with a look at sports. jeff. >> hey, sharrie. well, this is the last thing the oh and two eagles need, three key defensive players officially ruled out for sunday's game against the jets. line backers mychal kendricks and kiko alonzo both out plus defensive end said trick thornton, uh oh, out, too. eagles running back demarco murray back at practice today as a full participant. murray off to the worst start of his career listed as questionable for sunday

because of a hamstring. barring a set back he's expected to play. if they're going the play well the offensive line has to play better. seven rushing yards last week, no, that does not cut it. >> sounds like musical chairs when it comes to people messing up. four guys play good, one guy play have a mistake but that's the deal with the o-line. you have to have five guys playing together as one to make a full execution of a play so that's what we got to do. >> jeff's corner drill read this will be a game time decision. coming to the end of the road for the phillies. so what is there to play for? how about avoiding 100 losses. the phillies can eliminate everyone's favorite team the nationals from playoff contention. former philly jonathan papelbon suspended for three games and fined for throwing a baltimore's manny machado on wednesday but pap is appealing this ruling. so he will be available to pitch against the phils tonight in washington. papelbon and the nats face jared eickhoff for the phils.

it's been the debate tabor years. will former phillies star pete rose ever get into the baseball hall of fame? rose met with new baseball commissioner rob manfred yesterday to plead his case for reinstatement. manfred told rose he will decide by the end of the year. rose agreed to a lifetime ban 26 years ago for betting on baseball. we're right back for more pope coverage from the parkway after this. everyone is saying, "hey! you gotta get fios!" but why? well, fios is a 100 percent fiber optic network, so you can get 100% out of all your devices. so whatever speed you need, fios has it with the fastest internet and wi-fi available, from 50 to 500 mbps. but the main reason to get fios? we're rated number 1 in customer satisfaction. ultimately, that's why. get 50 meg fios internet, tv & phone starting at $79.99 a month. plus get $300 back with a two year agreement.

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but playing outside should be. >> and you're looking live back in new york city and of course the pope is getting

ready to speak at madison square garden for a mass at 6:00 p.m. he has just arrived there and take a look he's in a moving vehicle it looks like a golf cart from this vantage pointer inside the garden many people of course had to have tickets to come in here as well so they've all cleared security but he's making his way through a huge crowd in a white golf cart and waving to the crowd and of course ready for another big event and that is the final event of his day in new york before he has a night to relax. >> obviously if you've ever been to madison square garden you would realize how big it is. thousands of people are there waiting to see the man of the moment the pontiff and yes, this is his final public appearance in the big apple before he retires, gets some rest and then heads to philadelphia tomorrow morning. >> laid down a white carpet for him, beautiful white roses there next to the dais for him. he looks relaxed and happy. of course he's had a very full day in new york city a busy day but he expected that. he wanted that. he wants to touch as many

people from all ranks of life from the most powerful to the lowest among us and he just wants as many people as possible to be part of this historic six day visit to the u.s. >> what did we ever do before cell phones. look at all those phones. >> quite a sight and really just hard to take your eyes off of that as he waver to the crowd, blesses people and makes individual eye contact which i think people love so much about him is he tries to make it an individual experience, any other just a glance at the masses but a true one-on-one contact. very special. meantime all across the delaware valley churches and businesses already have signed up welcoming pope francis to our city, the city of brotherly love. chopper 6hd at saint john the baptist church in manayunk to show you what it look like from there, beautiful banner can be seen even from the schuylkill expressway. >> very nice. now looking live again from our sky6 atop the dow building and independence mall, finishing touches under way because this is where pope francis will be just a little less than 24 hours from now and of course everyone keeping

an eye to the sky. >> all right. so let's go back to our main city line avenue studio where meteorologist melissa magee has your exclusive accuweather forecast. we had a little fear about sunday maybe having some rain, melissa. any update on the whole weekend weather? >> yeah, monica and rick, we're tracking it very closely for you. all in all it's going to be a dry weekend, although he it's going to be rather cloudy across the region. we are tracking the possibility of some stray showers as we get into the second half of our weekend and we'll talk about that in a moment. here's storm tracker6 live double scan radar. you can see it's dry and quiet across much of the delaware and lehigh valleys. a really nice day and a pretty comfortable afternoon. the high in philadelphia 78 degrees. currently 72. 65 up in the poconos. 72 for allentown, the lehigh valley. same thing in lancaster. along the coast in sea isle city up to beach haven numbers are in the upper 60's. here's part of the reason why. the wind speeds any other terrible sustained from 7 miles an hour in the poconos to as high as 20 miles per

hour in atlantic city but the wind directions if you look at the wind particles coming in from an east to northeasterly direction so the constant wind will be with us for the majority of our weekend. here's satellite6 along with action radar and the two players that we're tracking as we he progress through our weekend here, this area of low pressure pressing over areas in the carolinas and also into georgia where we are dealing with some soaking rain. high pressure to the north, so if this ridge of high pressure wins out it will help to suppress this moisture to the south and west of our region. if this ridge of high pressure breaks apart this area of low pressure could stream northward pressing into our region. so meteorologist adam joseph is standing by. we've got a lot of excitement 15 hours away from now adam right along the parkway. >> yeah, i'm right across the street from eakins oval and spring garden right along pennsylvania avenue and folks are already gathered. they want to wave, they want to say hello and they are ready for the pope and to see the activities here in the city over the week. take a look at the forecast for the festival of families

and concert. temperatures are going to be in the upper 60's to low 70's to start at 6 o'clock and then dropping to the mid 60's at 10 o'clock, rather cloudy and a cool breeze, light jacket needed and then for the papal mass at 10 o'clock in the morning 66. as you get into the afternoon temperatures will drop from 70 at 4 o'clock to 68 degrees at 7 o'clock and there is a chance of a shower so definitely want to bring at least a light rain jacket if you're coming down to the parkway to see that mass. more "action news" coming up right after this break. 130 yards now...

bill's got a very tough lie here... looks like we have some sort of sea monster in the water hazard here. i believe that's a "kraken", bruce. it looks like he's going to go with a nine iron. that may not be enough club... well he's definitely going to lose a stroke on this hole. if you're a golf commentator, you whisper. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. this golf course is electric...

>> students in wilmington held a rally in school today in anticipation of pope francis' visit to philadelphia. >> ♪ this is our pope song >> ♪ >> these students reworked the lyrics of rachel platt's top 10 hit song fight song into what they now call the pope song which is so catchy and clever and very sweet. the girls gathered in the gym at saint mary magdelene school to sing that song and share their excitement for the papal visit. >> speaking of excitement let's take one live look from new york city. madison square garden and look at the stage there as they get ready for the papal mass as we just saw the pontiff was circulating madison square garden in a golf cart so to

speak and as we take a look at the pomp and circumstance and the ceremonial splen sore of the stage at madison square garden they're getting ready for this wonderful mass that begins in a couple minutes from now. >> months and years into planning and now the culmination here in new york and in a couple of days tomorrow hits philadelphia for two years. we'll be right back with much more. stay with us. ññ

>> ♪ >> "action news." delaware valley's leading news program. with ducis rodgers, meteorologist cecily tynan and jim gardner. >> ♪ >> this is the scene live at madison square garden in new new

york city. pope francis has arrived for a mass his final event in new york before he gets a good night's sleep and moves on to philadelphia tomorrow. 20,000 pilgrims have assembled at madison square garden. it has been another extraordinary day for the pontiff as new yorkers have gone gaga over pope francis. it is friday night. and big story on "action news" tonight is next stop philadelphia. and that means final security and traffic measures have just gone into effect. as of one minute ago, if you drive out of the francis festival grounds, the area shaded in light green, you cannot drive back until monday. "action news" reporter david henry is live in center city tonight. david, it is the final countdown. >> reporter: yeah, jim, the security noose is getting tighter by the hour. it is an eerie sight out here. center city is looking like a