The area around the Art Museum is starting to actually look like the NFL Draft, with the stage being built in the last week. That also means traffic is going to start getting bad.

Phase 1 of of parking and street closures went into effect this morning and will last until May 7. Only one road is closed down, along with a few lanes, but as anyone who drives near the Art Museum during rush hour can attest, the impact will be significant. Fairmount residents are certainly not taking them lightly. As one person told Newsworks, “This is a prison sentence. I can’t move my car for the next month.”

Here’s everything you need to know about parking and driving for this week, other developments with the draft and maps for which roads and areas for parking will be unavailable in the coming weeks.

Street closures/parking restrictions so far

Spring Garden, westbound from Pennsylvania Avenue.
On the westbound side of Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the left lane is closed from Eakins Oval to Spring Garden Street.
The right two lanes of Eakins Oval in front of the Art Museum.
On Kelly Drive, heading toward the Parkway, one lane is closed between 25th Street and the Parkway.
Angle parking on the south side of 2400 Pennsylvania Ave.

The stage, Rocky Steps, SEPTA and other NFL Draft news

It only took a week of work, but the NFL Draft stage is coming together.

The stage is set for the NFL Draft in Philadelphia. Credit: Paige Gross/Billy Penn

That’s good news for the NFL but bad news for tourists and runners. Because of the stage the Rocky Steps are closed off. A tourist from Europe couldn’t believe it, telling CBS3 last week, “I can’t climb the steps because of the American tradition of the Draft.”

The Art Museum is still open and will be open throughout the construction and the days of the Draft.

SEPTA will end up changing many of its bus routes by the time the Draft begins April 27. For now, there are just a few changes, with Routes 38, 43 and 27 taking different roads but picking up in the same locations.

What’s to come

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By the end of the month, pretty much the entirety of Fairmount will be closed off except for local traffic. In addition to what’s closed already, here are the additional closures by date.

April 19

Benjamin Franklin Parkway’s inner lanes shut down in both directions from 20th Street to Eakins Oval. The outer lanes will still be open.
Parking at 2400 Pennsylvania is still the only restricted area.

April 24

All lanes of Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 20th Street to the Art Museum.
Eakins Oval.
Kelly Drive between 25th and 24th Street (traffic will be detoured onto Fairmount and Pennsylvania avenues).
Parking at 2400 Pennsylvania is still the only restricted area.

April 25

As you can tell by the map, basically everything will be closed except for residents around the Art Museum. It won’t be possible for anyone else to get west of Spring Garden past 22nd Street, anywhere on the Parkway or anywhere south of Wallace Street, west of 22nd Street.

Parking will also be restricted the following places, starting on April 26 and through May 1.

South side of Pennsylvania Avenue between 22nd Street & Fairmount
Both sides of Winter Street between 20th and 22nd streets
East side of 20^th Street between Vine & Callowhill streets
Both sides of 21st Street between Ben Franklin Parkway & Race
Both sides of 22nd Street between Winter & Spring Garden streets
Both sides of Park Towne Place between 22nd and 24th streets

Philly roads closed this week for the NFL Draft, and what else you need to know