Drivers heading to the 536-acre Greater Fort Washington District can now exit the Pennsylvania Turnpike directly onto Commerce Drive, skipping the Route 309 interchange bottleneck that funneled traffic through local roads for decades.
The one-way "zip ramp" opened to traffic July 14, connecting the Fort Washington (Route 309) Interchange on Interstate 276 to the mixed-use district that straddles the Whitemarsh and Upper Dublin township line. A ribbon-cutting ceremony with state and local officials took place July 13.
The ramp serves 134 commercial properties, including TruMark Financial's headquarters at 335 Commerce Drive and a LifeTime Fitness site farther down the road. Workers commuting from Whitemarsh and Plymouth townships no longer need to navigate Pennsylvania Avenue or Virginia Drive from Route 309 to reach the district.
Kurt M. Ferguson, executive director of the Upper Dublin Township Municipal Authority, called the opening "a milestone event" at the July 13 ceremony. He pointed to TruMark Financial's commitment to the area, LifeTime Fitness choosing a site on Commerce Drive, and property owners reinvesting in their buildings as evidence the district's revitalization is working.
How it was funded
The project traces back to a 2015 Montgomery County study that identified destination centers needing better Turnpike access. Upper Dublin Township created its Municipal Authority in 2016 to manage the 134-property district, and the Commonwealth Financing Authority awarded just over $2 million through the Multimodal Transportation Funding Grant Program that same year. Montgomery County contributed more than a half million dollars in additional funding, according to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.
Why now
The ramp became feasible only after the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission completed its transition to Open Road Tolling in 2025. Without traditional toll plazas, the commission can add limited-access points without building full interchanges. Since 2000, the Turnpike has added four other new access points; Open Road Tolling makes future additions easier.
State Sen. Maria Collett, who attended the ribbon-cutting, said the project is "about creating better connections, improving access to jobs and businesses, and continuing to transform the Greater Fort Washington District into a thriving mixed-use destination."
What's next
The zip ramp is one-way only, carrying traffic off the Turnpike into the district but not back onto it. Montgomery County is working with Upper Dublin, Horsham, Upper Moreland, and neighboring municipalities on additional corridor access improvements, though no timelines have been announced.
