page_title: Pennsylvania Route 309
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Pennsylvania Route 309 / History
caption_attribution_description: Northbound Pennsylvania Route 309 1 mile to the exit for Pennsylvania Route 563 in West Rockhill Township, Pennsylvania.
context_page_description: Pennsylvania Route 309 is a state highway which runs for 134 miles through Pennsylvania in the United States. The route runs from the 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, Wyoming County. It connects Philadelphia and its northern suburbs to Allentown, Hazleton, and Wilkes-Barre. A freeway portion of PA 309 in the Wilkes-Barre area is known as the North Cross Valley Expressway. A freeway portion of PA 309 in Montgomery County is known as the Fort Washington Expressway. PA 309 parallels the newer Interstate 476 and I-81 for much of its length. PA 309 was designated in 1968, replacing U.S. Route 309.
context_section_description: Starting out as a Native American path now referred to as the "Minsi Trail", this route became part of the Bethlehem Pike. In 1926, the US 309 designation was given to a route that consisted of Stenton Avenue in Philadelphia, Bethlehem Pike (Old Route 309) from the Philadelphia line to Spring House, modern-day PA 309 into Bucks County, Bethlehem Pike (Old Route 309) through Sellersville, modern-day PA 309 from Quakertown to Lanark, and modern-day PA 145 to Allentown; various city streets through Allentown, exiting northward on Walbert Avenue; modern-day PA 309 from Walbert (in South Whitehall Township) to Schnecksville, modern-day PA 873 to Weiders Crossing near Lehigh Gap, modern-day PA 248 to Weissport, modern-day US 209 to Nesquehoning, modern-day PA 93 to Hazleton, and modern-day PA 309 (and PA 309 Business) to Wilkes-Barre.
  In 1930 the highway was extended to the New York state line, following River Street to Pittston, modern-day PA 92 to Tunkhannock, modern-day US 6 to Towanda, and modern-day US 220 to South Waverly. In 1946 the route between Wilkes-Barre and Tunkhannock was changed to the modern-day PA 309 alignment from Wilkes-Barre to Bowman Creek and modern-day PA 29 to Tunkhannock.
  In 1948, US 309 was dedicated as the Joseph W. Hunter Highway in honor of the first highway commissioner in Pennsylvania.
  In 1954 the routing between Allentown and Hazleton was completely changed. US 309 was routed north on modern-day PA 145 to Fullerton, then west on the Lehigh Valley Thruway along with the rerouted US 22 to Fogelsville. US 309 then turned north on modern-day PA 100 up to Pleasant Corners, and then followed modern-day PA 309 to Hazleton.
  The late 1950s saw the beginnings of bypasses on the route. North of Philadelphia, the Fort Washington Expressway from the PA 73 interchange to north of Spring House opened in 1959; the rest of that expressway from PA 73 south to PA 152 opened in 1961. A bypass west of Allentown from Lanark to US 22 north of Cetronia was completed in 1959, and extended to Walbert in 1962 when US 309 was placed on modern-day PA 309 from US 22 to Pleasant Corners. US 309 had now completely replaced the stretch of the 1920s-era Pennsylvania Route 22 between the former PA 3 in Allentown and the former PA 19 in Wilkes-Barre.
  The north end of US 309 between Tunkhannock and Waverly, New York had always been shared with other U.S. highways (US 6 and US 220). In 1964 the US 309 designation was removed from those shared sections, leaving the northern terminus at Tunkhannock. As a result of this, the route was entirely located in Pennsylvania and no longer met the U.S. Highway standards set forth by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO), which discourages routes within a single state. On October 14, 1967, AASHO approved the elimination of the US 309 designation. US 309 was decommissioned in February 1968 and was replaced by PA 309. Signs were changed by the end of the month. In 1967, work began on an expressway for US 309 to bypass Sellersville from just north of the Montgomery/Bucks County line to just south of Quakertown. This bypass opened in 1969 as part of PA 309.
caption: PA 309 northbound approaching interchange with PA 563 in West Rockhill Township
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