What to Know
- The "largest high school rowing regatta in the world" returns to Philadelphia Friday, May 19, and Saturday, May 20, 2023.
- The Stotesbury Cup Regatta brings high school rowers from near and far to Philadelphia's Schuylkill River.
- A partial closure of the Kelly Drive will be in place from the morning of Thursday, May 18, 2023, until Saturday night.
Give yourself some extra time to get into or out of Philadelphia Thursday, Friday and Saturday as high school rowers take over the Schuylkill River.
The 2023 Stotesbury Cup Regatta, which bills itself as "the largest high school rowing regatta in the world," is back on the Schuylkill and that means a Kelly Drive closure drivers should plan for, especially with the adjacent Martin Luther King Drive detoured.
The historic regatta dates back to 1927.
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The Stotesbury Cup Regatta Brings Kelly Drive Detour
Like other rowing competitions, the Kelly Drive (normally an alternate route for extra traffic on busy Interstate 76) is going to be closed to allow for race prep and the regatta.
The Stotesbury Cup Regatta is bringing high school rowers from around the country to the Schuylkill River Friday and Saturday.
To allow space for crews to load in equipment and needing to access the water, Kelly Drive is closed to traffic in both directions between the Strawberry Mansion Bridge and Fountain Drive starting at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 18, 2023. The closures last through all of Friday and doesn't end until 8 p.m. Saturday, Philadelphia police said.
Like happens during other regattas, drivers will be detoured through Fairmount Park, but police say delays should be "minimal."
- Southbound Kelly Drive traffic will be detoured up the Strawberry Mansion ramp to Fountain Green Drive, via Reservoir Drive.
- Northbound Kelly Drive traffic will be detoured up Fountain Green Drive along the same route.
The ongoing closure of Martin Luther King Drive on the other side of the river for recreational activities and the closure of the MLK Drive bridge for repairs, however, makes this closure more impactful. Expect some extra traffic on the already normally-busy Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) for the next few days.
Have a Traffic Plan
The best bet is to check your traffic app before you leave and during your drive and to tune to NBC10 News in the morning and our newsgathering partners at KYW Newsradio for the latest traffic reports.
