Pennsylvania Route 309

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PA Route 309
Length: 134 mi[1] (216 km)
Formed: 1968
South end: PA 611 in Philadelphia
Major
junctions:		 I-276/Tpk at Ft. Washington
US 202 in Montgomeryville
I-78 near Allentown
US 222/PA 222 in Allentown
US 22 in Allentown
US 209 in Tamaqua
I-81 near McAdoo
I-80 in Butler Township
I-81 near Wilkes Barre
US 11 in Kingston
North end: PA 29 near Noxen Township
Counties: Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Lehigh, Schuylkill, Carbon, Luzerne, Wyoming
Pennsylvania State Routes
< PA 308 PA 310 >
Minor - Legislative

Pennsylvania Route 309 is a major highway which runs for 134 miles (216 km) through Pennsylvania, in the United States that connects Philadelphia and its northern suburbs to Allentown, Hazleton, and Wilkes-Barre.

The highway runs from northern Philadelphia through the Lehigh Valley, the Poconos, and Wilkes-Barre to Bowman Creek, a village in Noxen Township, Wyoming County. It parallels the newer Interstates 476 and 81 for much of its length.

Contents

[edit] Route description

[edit] Philadelphia to Allentown

PA 309 begins in the East Oak Lane section of Philadelphia at N Broad St (Pennsylvania Route 611). It follows Cheltenham Avenue and Ogontz Avenue for a short distance north to become the Fort Washington Expressway, a freeway that forms a major commuter route through the northern suburbs of Philadelphia, passing north through the towns of Fort Washington and Ambler, interchanging with the mainline of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near the former. At Montgomeryville, the route becomes Bethlehem Pike, a four-lane highway through Montgomeryville, Quakertown, and Coopersburg, with alternating arterial road and freeway segments notorious for large sections of suburban sprawl. North of Coopersburg, the freeway briefly merges with Interstate 78 to bypass Allentown.

[edit] Allentown to the Wyoming Valley

Communities

The PA 309 freeway bypasses Allentown to the west, interchanging with U.S. Route 22 and Interstate 476 before emptying onto a two-lane road north of Allentown. It continues north through the Lehigh Valley suburbs of Orefield, Schnecksville, and New Tripoli then turns northwest, crossing Blue Mountain and the Appalachian Trail on the way to Tamaqua. It then parallels Interstate 81 northward, running through downtown Hazleton and meeting with Interstate 80 north of the city. North of I-80, the route climbs Nescopeck Mountain to the town of Mountain Top, then descends Penobscot Mountain into the Wyoming Valley and merges onto Interstate 81.

[edit] The Wyoming Valley to Bowman Creek

After running concurrently with Interstate 81 for several miles, PA 309 exits onto the North Cross Valley Expressway, a freeway through downtown Wilkes-Barre and across the Susquehanna River to Trucksville. The route then continues northward as an arterial through Shavertown and Dallas, to its end at PA Route 29 at Bowman Creek, south of Tunkhannock.

[edit] Major intersections

This section contains a table that is missing mileposts for one or more junctions. Please help by adding the missing mileposts.
County Location Mile Exit number Destinations Notes
Philadelphia East Oak Lane 0.0 PA 611 (Old York Road) Interchange
South end of expressway section
Montgomery Cheltenham 2.4 PA 152 north (Easton Road) – Glenside, Mount Airy, Germantown
Springfield Township Paper Mill Road - Springfield
5.2 PA 73 (Church Road) – Flourtown
Oreland Southbound exit, northbound entrance
Fort Washington 6.6 I-276 / PA Turnpike – Fort Washington, Harrisburg, New Jersey
Highland Avenue Northbound exit, southbound entrance
Upper Dublin Township Susquehanna Road Northbound exit, southbound entrance
Butler Pike - Ambler Southbound exit, northbound entrance
Lower Gwynedd Township Norristown Road Northbound exit, southbound entrance
Bethlehem Pike Southbound exit, northbound entrance
North end of expressway section
12.2 PA 63 (Welsh Road)
Montgomeryville 14.4 US 202 south (DeKalb Pike) South end of US 202 overlap
15.3 US 202 north (Doylestown Road) / PA 463 (Cowpath Road, Horsham Road) North end of US 202 overlap
South end of expressway section
Bucks Souderton 21.5 PA 113 (Souderton Road) – Souderton
West Rockhill Township 23.3 PA 152 south (State Road) – Telford
Sellersville 25.3 PA 563 (Ridge Road) – Perkasie access provided via Lawn Avenue
North end of expressway section
Quakertown 31.2 PA 663 south (Johh Fries Highway) / PA 313 east (Broad Street)
Lehigh Center Valley 37.5 PA 378 north
South end of expressway section
Summit Lawn 40.7 60 I-78 east / PA 145 north (South Fourth Street) – Bethlehem Access to PA 145 from northbound.
South end of I-78 overlap
59 To PA 145 – Summit Lawn Southbound exit, northbound entrance
Allentown 58 Emaus Avenue south Northbound exit
57 Lehigh Street
44.9 55 PA 29 south (Cedar Crest Boulevard)
46.1 54 US 222 south / PA 222 north (Hamilton Boulevard) Signed as exits 54A (south) and 54B (north) northbound
46.6 53 I-78 west (Walter J. Dealtrey Memorial Highway) – Harrisburg Northbound exit, southbound entrance.
North end of I-78 overlap
47.4 QR 1002 (Tilghman Street) to I-476 to PA Turnpike Former US 22
48.3 US 22 (Lehigh Valley Thruway) to I-476 to PA Turnpike – Bethlehem, Harrisburg
North end of expressway section
Schnecksville 54.3 PA 873 north (Main Street)
Heidelberg Township 59.1 PA 100 south
New Tripoli 61.7 PA 143 south (Decatur Street/Kings Highway)
Schuylkill West Penn Township 69.4 PA 895 (Lizard Creek Road/Summer Valley Road)
73.9 PA 443 east (Blakeslee Boulevard) South end of PA 443 overlap
75.0 PA 443 west (Clamtown Road) North end of PA 443 overlap
Tamaqua 78.1 US 209
Hometown 80.2 PA 54
McAdoo 84.7 I-81 Interchange
No junctions in Carbon County
Luzerne Hazleton 88.3 PA 424
90.2 PA 93
91.1 PA 924 south
91.5 PA 940 east
Butler Township 98.1 I-80 Interchange
Mountain Top 108.0 PA 437 south
South end of expressway section
Wilkes-Barre 110.8 165 PA 309 Bus. – Wilkes-Barre Northbound exit
I-81 south – Harrisburg Southbound exit
South end of I-81 overlap
168 Highland Park Boulevard - Wilkes-Barre
115.9 170 I-81 north / PA 115 south – Scranton, Bear Creek Signed as exits 170A (PA 115) and 170B (I-81)
North end of I-81 overlap
117.1 1 PA 315
2 North Wilkes-Barre Boulevard/North Washington Street
3 South River Street
Kingston 4 Rutter Avenue Northbound exit, southbound entrance[2]
120.2 5 US 11 (Wyoming Avenue) Southbound exit, northbound entrance[2]
Pringle 6 Union Street Northbound exit, southbound entrance[3]
Luzerne Main Street Southbound exit, northbound entrance[3]
North end of expressway section
Dallas 126.1 PA 415 north
Wyoming Noxen Township 134.4 PA 29

[edit] History

Starting out as a Native American path now referred to as the "Minsi Trail", this route became part of the Bethlehem Pike. In 1926, all of modern-day PA 309, as well as a small section of Pennsylvania Route 29 from Bowman Creek to Tunkhannock, was designated U.S. Route 309. In 1968, US 309 was decommissioned and was replaced by PA 29 north of Bowman Creek and PA 309 south of Bowman Creek.

[edit] Business route



PA Route 309 Business
Location Wilkes-Barre Township

Pennsylvania Route 309 Business, often referred to as Business Route 309 or PA 309 BR, is the original alignment of PA Route 309 before the road was realigned to run concurrent with Interstate 81 between Exits 165 and 170. This business route stretches approximately 4.7 miles through Wilkes-Barre Township.

[edit] Route description

When PA 309 merges onto Interstate 81 at Exit 165, Business Route 309 heads north on Wilkes-Barre Township Boulevard. The route intersects with main streets such as Blackman Street, East Northampton Street, Highland Park Boulevard, Coal Street, Mundy Street, and Scott Street. It then follows along Kidder Street where it forms the northern boundary of the Wyoming Valley Mall property and rejoins PA 309 at the intersection of PA Route 315 near Exit 170 of Interstate 81.

At the intersection of Business Route 309 and Casey Avenue is a park and ride facility with 75 total spaces.[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Pennsylvania Highways - Pennsylvania Route 309
  2. ^ a b US 11 and Rutter Avenue interchanges. Google. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
  3. ^ a b Exit 6. Google. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
  4. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Park and Ride Locations (2006). Retrieved May 28, 2008.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Roads of the Wyoming Valley
Interstate Highways
I-80, I-81, I-84, I-380, I-476 (Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike)
Expressways
U.S. Routes
Pennsylvania Routes