Pennsylvania Route 309
Pennsylvania Route 309 is a state highway that runs for 134 miles through eastern Pennsylvania. The route runs from an interchange between PA 611 and Cheltenham Avenue on the border of Philadelphia and Cheltenham Township north to an intersection with PA 29 in Bowman Creek, a village in Monroe Township in Wyoming County. The highway connects Philadelphia and its northern suburbs to Allentown and the Lehigh Valley, and Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre in Wyoming Valley.
PA 309 heads north from Philadelphia and becomes a freeway called Fort Washington Expressway through suburban areas in Montgomery County, passing through Fort Washington, before becoming a surface road called Bethlehem Pike and running through Montgomeryville. In Bucks County, the route has a freeway section bypassing Sellersville before passing through Quakertown as a surface road. PA 309 then enters the Lehigh Valley, where it joins Interstate 78 on a freeway bypassing Allentown to the south before splitting to the north and running through rural areas as a surface road. The route continues north into the Coal Region, passing through Tamaqua before it reaches Hazleton. PA 309 heads into Wyoming Valley and passes through the Wilkes-Barre area on a freeway alignment along I-81 and the North Cross Valley Expressway before turning into a surface road again, where it runs through Dallas before reaching its northern terminus.
The surface road sections of the route between Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley follow a turnpike called Bethlehem Pike that was built in the 1800s. With the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926, U.S. Route 309 was designated to run from US 120 in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia north to US 11 in Wilkes-Barre. When first designated, US 309 followed the present corridor of PA 309 to Allentown before heading further east through Slatington, Palmerton, Lehighton, Jim Thorpe, and Nesquehoning and then following present-day PA 309 between Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre. In 1930, US 309 was extended north to New York State Route 17 in Waverly, New York, heading north to Pittston and Tunkhannock before following US 6 between Tunkhannock and Towanda and US 220 between Towanda and Waverly. By 1940, US 309 was extended south to US 1 Bypass /US 13 Byp./US 422 at Ridge Avenue and City Line Avenue in Philadelphia.
In the 1940s, US 309 was realigned between Ashley and Tunkhannock to Wilkes-Barre, Dallas, and Bowman Creek, with the former alignment between Wilkes-Barre and Pittston becoming unnumbered and the portion between West Pittston and Tunkhannock designated as part of PA 92. In the 1950s, US 309 was rerouted between Allentown and Hazleton to follow US 22 west to Fogelsville before turning north to Pleasant Corners and following present-day PA 309 to Hazleton. Most of the former US 309 between Allentown and Hazleton became a rerouted PA 29, which previously followed present-day PA 309 between the two cities, and is now PA 873, PA 248, US 209, and PA 93. US 309 was realigned to Fort Washington Expressway in 1960 to head to a new southern terminus at US 611 and Stenton Avenue in Philadelphia and was also realigned to bypass Allentown. US 309 was shifted to follow present-day PA 309 between Allentown and Pleasant Corners in 1962, with PA 100 extended north along the former alignment between Fogelsville and Pleasant Corners. In 1963, the northern terminus of US 309 was cut back to US 6 in Tunkhannock. US 309 was decommissioned in 1968 and replaced with PA 309. In the 1980s, the termini of PA 309 were moved to their present locations. PA 309 was realigned to follow I-81 and North Cross Valley Expressway through the Wilkes-Barre area in 1991.
Route description
Philadelphia and Montgomery counties
PA 309 begins at an interchange between PA 611 and Cheltenham Avenue on the border between the East Oak Lane section of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County to the south and Cheltenham Township in Montgomery County to the north. From this interchange, the route heads northwest on four-lane divided Cheltenham Avenue along the border between Philadelphia and Cheltenham Township. A short distance from the PA 611 interchange, the road comes to an intersection with the northern terminus of Broad Street. PA 309 continues northwest as a four-lane undivided road through urban residential and business areas, passing to the north of Northwood Cemetery. The road crosses Washington Lane and heads to the south of Greenleaf at Cheltenham shopping center before it comes to an intersection with Ogontz Avenue north of the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia, with SEPTA's Cheltenham-Ogontz Bus Loop located on the northwest corner of the intersection. At this point, PA 309 turns north-northwest onto four-lane divided Ogontz Avenue and fully enters Cheltenham Township in Montgomery County, passing businesses as it heads to the west of the shopping center. The route intersects Limekiln Pike and assumes that name, running near suburban residential areas in Cedarbrook.PA 309 becomes a four-lane freeway called the Fort Washington Expressway and passes between a high-rise apartment complex to the west and Cheltenham High School to the east as it comes to a diamond interchange with the southern terminus of PA 152 at Easton Road southwest of Wyncote. From there, the route heads northwest and passes to the southwest of Arcadia University and to the northeast of Holy Sepulchre Cemetery before it runs near wooded areas and suburban residential development, crossing into Springfield Township. The freeway curves west and comes to a diamond interchange at Paper Mill Road, where it makes a turn to the northwest as it passes northeast of Springfield Township High School. PA 309 reaches a diamond interchange with PA 73 near Oreland and continues through suburban areas, entering Whitemarsh Township. The freeway heads north as it passes near business parks, crossing Sandy Run. The route heads north-northeast and comes to a bridge over SEPTA's Lansdale/Doylestown Line before it bends north and passes under Norfolk Southern's Morrisville Line. PA 309 enters Upper Dublin Township and comes to a modified cloverleaf interchange connecting to the Fort Washington interchange with the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Pennsylvania Avenue in Fort Washington. From here, the freeway runs near business parks before heading north-northwest through wooded residential areas to a partial interchange with Highland Avenue consisting of a northbound exit and southbound entrance. The route heads north through more suburban development to the east of Ambler, passing west of Upper Dublin High School, and reaches a northbound exit and southbound entrance at Susquehanna Road. PA 309 curves northwest and comes to a southbound exit and northbound entrance at Butler Pike a short distance later. The freeway runs through woodland and residential development, crossing into Lower Gwynedd Township and turning north to reach a diamond interchange serving Norristown Road to the east of the community of Spring House. The route runs near business parks and curves northwest, heading near residential development before it comes to the north end of the Fort Washington Expressway and merges onto Bethlehem Pike, with a southbound exit and northbound entrance for Bethlehem Pike.
PA 309 continues north on Bethlehem Pike, a four-lane divided highway with a Jersey barrier and several intersections controlled by jughandles. The route comes to a junction with PA 63, at which point it enters Horsham Township. There, the road narrows to four lanes and passes between two shopping centers, crossing into Montgomery Township and heading into the North Penn Valley region. The route bends to the northwest and continues through commercial areas, running to the west of a quarry past the Hartman Road intersection. PA 309 passes more businesses as it continues along the four-lane divided highway and comes to an interchange with the US 202 parkway consisting of a ramp from northbound PA 309 to northbound US 202 and a two-way quadrant ramp on the northwest side of the interchange providing all other movements; PA 309 also crosses under the US 202 Parkway Trail that follows US 202. The road intersects US 202 Bus. and Upper State Road in Montgomery Square. At this point, US 202 Bus. becomes concurrent with PA 309 and the road passes between the Montgomery Mall to the west and the Airport Square shopping center to the east. The two routes head north past more businesses five-lane road with a center left-turn lane past the North Wales Road intersection. PA 309/US 202 Bus. turns into a four-lane divided highway again and continues into Montgomeryville. Here, the roadway comes to the Five Points intersection, where PA 463 crosses PA 309/US 202 Bus. and US 202 Bus. splits from PA 309 by heading northeast onto Doylestown Road.
Past this intersection, the route transitions into a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane and runs north past more businesses with some wooded residential development, bending northwest. The road enters Hatfield Township and reaches Colmar, where it intersects Broad Street and crosses SEPTA's Lansdale/Doylestown Line at-grade to the west of Colmar station. PA 309 continues past commercial development, crossing the West Branch Neshaminy Creek and passing through Trewigtown. The route becomes a four-lane divided highway and comes to an intersection with Line Lexington Road/County Line Road in Line Lexington, at which point it turns northwest and forms the border between Hatfield Township in Montgomery County to the southwest and New Britain Township in Bucks County to the northeast. After the Hilltown Pike junction, the road runs along the border between Hatfield Township, Montgomery County, to the southwest and Hilltown Township, Bucks County, to the northeast and heads northwest through commercial development and some fields as a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane. In Unionville, the route intersects Unionville Pike, which heads southwest toward Hatfield.