The record-setting, 43-day government shutdown interrupted many Philly services – including airport operations and park access. Here’s what we can expect moving forward.
Parks
With the government open again, the Liberty Bell will reopen at noon on Thursday, November 13.
Independence Hall and its West Wing – which contains original printed copies of The Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution – will remain closed until early next year. Park employees say this is due to renovations.
The National Park Service (NPS), which manages Independence Hall National Park is overseen by the Interior Department. Most parks and sites that required staffing closed for the shutdown.
How big was the shutdown’s effect? Well, Independence Hall National Park hosted over 2.7 million visitors in 2024. Over 250,000 visitors went to the landmark in October 2024. While Independence Visitor Center and Carpenters’ Hall remained open during the shutdown, no visitors were permitted inside the Liberty Bell or Independence Hall this October due to the shutdown.
Operations at other parks throughout the state will vary. Parks such as Valley Forge National Historical Park remained closed during the shutdown.
According to the NPS Contingency Plan, furloughed employees are “expected to return to regular duty on the next workday immediately after the end of the lapse in appropriations.”
Air Travel
Philadelphia International Airport travellers have experienced disruptions – including flight cancellations and delays – throughout the course of the shutdown, as air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officials worked without pay for over 40 days during the shutdown.
The stress of the shutdown exacerbated long-standing staff shortages and led the Federal Aviation Administration last week to mandate that flights be cut up to 10% at high-volume airports across the country. Flight reductions will remain at their current 6% instead of the projected 10%, according to a statement from FAA officials on Wednesday.
A TSA union representative speaking with Billy Penn during the fourth week of the shutdown emphasized that “morale is low” and that some workers were struggling to cover basic needs – such as childcare and gas.
The FAA was already facing an air traffic controller shortage before the shutdown. Some experts suggest the shutdown will lead to some air traffic controllers permanently leaving their positions, exacerbating the shortage.
The lingering impact of these challenges is expected to continue to impact air travel. According to multiple news outlets, flights may continue to be delayed or cancelled, and workers may not return to work right away.
Despite threats from the Trump administration throughout the shutdown to withhold backpay, the funding deal that opened up the government guaranteed retroactive pay for furloughed employees. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, employees should receive retroactive pay “as soon as possible after the lapse ends.”
The post Liberty Bell will reopen Thursday, Independence Hall won’t … till 2026: Philly shutdown updates appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY.
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