Moderator:JackFrost
MikeL wrote:As far as I am aware the term "freeway" is not used in Britain; the equivalent is "motorway". British motorways are designated M1, M4 etc.; people would say "take the M1".
In New Zealand we also have "motorways", but so few of them that they don't need numerical appellations. In Auckland we have the "Northern motorway", the "Southern" motorway (which is just the Northern motorway continued south of the city!), the "North-western motorway" and the "South-eastern motorway".
I believe that in Australia "freeway" is used instead of "motorway" as in the U.S.
Expressway
An expressway is a divided highway, usually 4 lanes or wider in size, where direct access to adjacent properties has been eliminated. However, beyond those basic requirements, the specific meaning of expressway depends upon the state, province, or country.
Some places treat "expressway" as synonymous with "freeway", meaning that an expressway is fully grade-separated from all intersecting roads and traffic smoothly enters by merging from on-ramps, and exits only through steering onto off-ramps. Often, "expressway" is such a loose term that it has been labelled to roads ranging from freeways to super-2s (intended to be upgraded to freeways) and partial control-access arterials (such as the relocated Highway 7 in Richmond Hill, Ontario). "Freeway", on the other hand, refers strictly to a full controlled-access divided roadway.
A typical Santa Clara County, California, USA, expressway. Note the presence of traffic lights.Other places, like California, draw a strong legal distinction between freeways and expressways. Section 257 of the California Streets and Highway Code is as follows:
For the purpose of this article only, and to distinguish between the terms "freeway" and "expressway," the word "freeway" shall mean a divided arterial highway for through traffic with full control of access and with grade separations at intersections, while the word "expressway" shall mean an arterial highway for through traffic which may have partial control of access, but which may or may not be divided or have grade separations at intersections.
Under this definition, many famous expressways are technically "freeways" instead of "expressways," such as the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto and the Schuylkill Expressway in Philadelphia.
The point of Section 257 is that California expressways can have at-grade intersections, which are much more dangerous than grade-separated interchanges. See the article on freeways for more information about the subtle distinctions between freeways and expressways.
The vast majority of expressways in either sense are built by state or provincial governments, or by private companies which then operate them as toll roads pursuant to a license from the government.
The most famous exception to the above rule is Santa Clara County in California, which deliberately built its own expressway system in the 1960s to supplement the freeway system then planned by Caltrans. Although there were some plans to upgrade the county expressways into full-fledged freeways, those became politically infeasible after the rise of the tax revolt movement in the mid-1970s.
Depending on the development nature and frequency of intersections, most at-grade expressways have speed limits of 45-55 mph (70-90 km/h) in urban areas and 55-65 mph (90-100 km/h) in rural areas.
JackFrost wrote:How about expressway? Is that used in California? It's an highway that usually take you from one side of the city to another in short time without facing the traffics on the streets. What that's my experience when I was on one in downtown Philadelphia.
JackFrost wrote:Back in Pennsylvania, we always call highways highways. If you say freeway, you won't be easily understood.
JackFrost wrote:And yes, we do say just the numbers. Like: take 81 south to 80 east to the Turnpike south to get to Philly, which means...interstates 80 and 81, and the Turnpike is a access restricted highway that will take you from one point to another in quicker speed, but you'll have to pay tolls to use it.
Daniel wrote:Ahh, we call them "bypass" here.
Daniel wrote:Yeah, we just have dual carriageways (two-laned motorways) and motorways (more than two lanes).JackFrost wrote:How about expressway? Is that used in California? It's an highway that usually take you from one side of the city to another in short time without facing the traffics on the streets. What that's my experience when I was on one in downtown Philadelphia.
Ahh, we call them "bypass" here. They are usually the motorways or dual carriageways designed for motorists to get from one side of the city to the other without having to cross through it and getting stuck in traffic.
Ironically however, we have a lot of problems with roads so we tend to have a lot of annoying roadworks and it is them that are actually causing the traffic jams on bypasses.
Oh yeah, that's right--you guys have turnpikes and toll roads! California has nothing that it calls turnpikes and very few toll roads. The vast majority of freeways are free.
Daniel wrote:I notice in the pictures that Kirk posted have crossroads (is that what you call them?) where you stop at the traffic lights on freeways (motorways).
Daniel wrote:Well, here we don't have crossroads (they're practically non-existant). Instead we have roundabouts (that's traffic circles to you US folks ) on freeways (motorways).
Gormur wrote:ctoncc wrote:I think the only time I hear the word freeway is when somebody is referring to California.
Probably cause we have more of them than any other state...
jonathan wrote:Do you also have U-Turns?
jonathan wrote:Do other states of things like frontage/feeders?...These are standard in Texas, but I've met many people from other states who say they've never seen a system like we have... I am just curious to know if any other places really have these.
Kirk wrote:jonathan wrote:Do you also have U-Turns?
What do you mean by U-turns? Like cul-de-sacs? I mean you can do a U-turn in a car but what's a U-turn in reference to a road design?
jonathan wrote:Kirk wrote:jonathan wrote:Do you also have U-Turns?
What do you mean by U-turns? Like cul-de-sacs? I mean you can do a U-turn in a car but what's a U-turn in reference to a road design?
Hmm, no, not cul-de-sacs— U-turns are the part of a freeway that allows you to turn around under the overpass (usually from a frontage road) to go back to the other side. It seems only logical from the viewpoint I've formed growing up, so I was a little surprised when people came from other cities and said "What's up with these u-turn things?"
Kirk wrote:jonathan wrote:Kirk wrote:jonathan wrote:Do you also have U-Turns?
What do you mean by U-turns? Like cul-de-sacs? I mean you can do a U-turn in a car but what's a U-turn in reference to a road design?
Hmm, no, not cul-de-sacs— U-turns are the part of a freeway that allows you to turn around under the overpass (usually from a frontage road) to go back to the other side. It seems only logical from the viewpoint I've formed growing up, so I was a little surprised when people came from other cities and said "What's up with these u-turn things?"
Hmmm...I'm sorry, but I'm having trouble visualizing exactly what you mean. It truly seems to be a Texas phenomenon, as a Google search for "U-turn freeway" turns up results which are almost all from Texas. I couldn't find any pictures of it tho so I still don't know exactly what it is. It seems from your description that it's connected with the frontage road system and since those are rare here it's probably related to that.
Gormur wrote:Kirk wrote:jonathan wrote:Kirk wrote:jonathan wrote:Do you also have U-Turns?
What do you mean by U-turns? Like cul-de-sacs? I mean you can do a U-turn in a car but what's a U-turn in reference to a road design?
Hmm, no, not cul-de-sacs— U-turns are the part of a freeway that allows you to turn around under the overpass (usually from a frontage road) to go back to the other side. It seems only logical from the viewpoint I've formed growing up, so I was a little surprised when people came from other cities and said "What's up with these u-turn things?"
Hmmm...I'm sorry, but I'm having trouble visualizing exactly what you mean. It truly seems to be a Texas phenomenon, as a Google search for "U-turn freeway" turns up results which are almost all from Texas. I couldn't find any pictures of it tho so I still don't know exactly what it is. It seems from your description that it's connected with the frontage road system and since those are rare here it's probably related to that.
Kirk, everyone I know calls them U-turns or U-turn lanes (or informally, "I need to make a U-ee" - make a U-turn), though I know cul-de-sac too (it's just more "proper-sounding"). I guess the terms in and around San Diego are just "fancier".
jonathan wrote:Hmm, no, not cul-de-sacs— U-turns are the part of a freeway that allows you to turn around under the overpass (usually from a frontage road) to go back to the other side.
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