HEADS UP! The Ben Franklin Bridge is Closed For the Rest of the Day

This is an important heads up if you're traveling into or out of Philadelphia today.

The east bound lanes of Ben Franklin Bridge are now closed (as of early Tuesday afternoon), and they will remain that way through the afternoon rush hour.

Eastbound is the direction of the roadway that will take you from Philadelphia into New Jersey.

It is all because all roads leading to the eastbound lanes of the bridge (including the ramp from the Vince Street Expressway/I-676) have been shut down, the Delaware River Port Authority said Tuesday afternoon.

This is all part of the road closures in the Philadelphia area ahead of tonight's presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.

The debate it self gets underway at 9 p.m. at the National Constitution Center and is hosted by ABC News.

As the initial street closures were announced, the Ben Franklin Bridge into New Jersey was originally slated to remain open until after the evening rush hour.

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So the closure of the Ben Franklin Bridge comes a MUCH earlier than many commuters planned.

The alternate roadways are the Walt Whitman or Betsy Ross Bridges into New Jersey.

Traffic westbound (Jersey into Philly) is NOT affected by the closures at this time.

Many Streets Closed in Old City, Philadelphia for Debate

In fact, other portions of I-676 are subject to closures at any moment. And the immediate area surrounding the Constitution Center is essentially shut down to motor vehicle traffic.

Local street closures are in effect from Arch to Market Street (between 4th and 7th).

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Traffic is allowed on 4th and Market streets.

Arch and Race Streets will remain closed throughout the duration of the event.

Closures will remain in effect until the event area is cleared which is expected Wednesday.

Of course, officials have been warning that additional street closures are possible and everything is subject to change throughout the day and night on Wednesday.

"Road closures, reopening, and other information related to the debate will be published on the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, City of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Police Department’s social media pages," the city of Philadelphia said.

You can also sign up for free ReadyPhiladelphia alerts by texting READYPHILA to 888-777.