Highway
For other uses, see Highway (disambiguation). |
Highway in Pennsylvania, USA |
Highway is a term commonly used to designate major
roads intended for travel by the
public between important destinations, such as
cities.
Highway designs vary widely. They can include some characteristics of
freeways and
motorways such as multiple
lanes of
traffic, a median between lanes of opposing traffic, and access control (
ramps and
grade separation). Highways can also be as simple as a two-lane, shoulderless road.
The
United States has the largest
network of national highways, including
Interstate highways and
United States Numbered Highways. This network is present in every state and connects all major cities.
China has the fastest expanding and second largest highway system in the world.
Some highways, like the
Pan-American Highway or the
European routes, bridge multiple countries.
Australia's Highway 1 connects all state
capitals and runs almost the entire way around the country.
The longest single national highway in the world is the
Trans-Canada Highway, which runs from
Victoria, British Columbia, on the
Pacific Coast, through ten provinces to the
Atlantic Coast, at
St. John's, Newfoundland.
Highways are not always continuous stretches of pavement. For example, some highways are interrupted by bodies of water, and
ferry routes may serve as sections of the highway.
The terms used for various types of highways (such as
autobahn,
autoroute,
expressway,
freeway, and
motorway) vary between countries or even regions within a country. In some places a
highway is a specific type of major road that is distinct from
freeway or
expressway; in other places the terms may overlap. In law,
highway may mean any public road or canal. However, in some countries, the term
highway is not generally used at all.
Australia
In
Australia, a
highway is a distinct type of road from freeways and motorways. The word
highway is generally used to mean major roads connecting large cities, towns and different parts of
metropolitan areas. Metropolitan highways often have traffic lights at intersections, and rural highways usually have only one lane in each direction. The words
freeway or
motorway are generally reserved for the most arterial routes, almost always with no traffic light intersections and usually significantly straightened and widened. The term
motorway is used in some Australian cities to refer to freeways that have been allocated a metropolitan route number, and in Sydney, a
motorway has a toll, whereas a
freeway is free of charge. When the Albury-Wodonga Bypass is opened, it will be possible to travel from Melbourne to Sydney without having to stop at a traffic light. Roads may be part-highway and part-freeway until they are fully upgraded.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
As for
Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Pan-European
Corridor 5c Motorway,
Budapest -
Osijek -
Sarajevo -
Ploce, is one of the most significant and project of the highest priority. The construction works on the road have already begun, but intensified beginning of the construction will be a key starter of economic and social activities, and will enable Bosnia and Herzegovina to be connected to main European traffic network, as well as to global European economic and social structure.
Construction of the motorway, whose total length is
340 km, will provide: rational connecting to neighboring countries and regions; stabilizing and developing effects will be reached; transport conditions and quality of life improvement; economy competitiveness enhancement; new projects launched and national and international private investments enhancement.
Brazil
In
Brazil, highways (or expressway/freeway) are named "
rodovia", and Brazilian highways are divided in two types: regional highways (generally of less importance and entirely inside of one state) and national highways (of major importance to the country). In Brazil, rodovia is the name given exclusively to roads connecting two or more cities with a sizable distance separating the extremes of the highway. Urban highways for commuting are uncommon in Brazil, and when they are present, they receive different names, depending of the region (Avenida, Marginal, Linha, Via, Eixo, etc). Very rarely names other than "rodovia" are used.
Regional highways are named YY-XXX, where YY is the abbreviation of the state where the highway is running in and XXX is a number (e.g. SP-280; where SP means that the highway is running entirely in the state of
São Paulo).
National highways are named BR-XXX. National highways connects multiples states altogether, are of major importance to the national
economy and/or connects Brazil to another country. The meaning of the numbers are:
*001-100 - it means that the highway runs radially from
Brasília. It is an exception to the cases below.
*101-200 - it means that the highway runs in a south-north way.
*201-300 - it means that the highway runs in a west-east way
*301-400 - it means that the highway runs in a diagonal way (northwest-southeast, for example)
*400-499 - another exception, they are less important highways and its function is to connect a city to an arterial highway nearby
Often Brazilian highways receives names (famous people, etc), but even though, they continue to have a YY/BR-XXX name (example: Rodovia Castelo Branco is also SP-280).
Canada
 |
Highway 401 that crosses Toronto, showing the wide 14-18-lane, collector/express lane cross-section. Note the safety features such as the long acceleration and decelleration lanes, emergency lanes, high mast lighting and the 3 tall concrete medians. This highway is the busiest in the world. |
*In
Canada, there is no national standard for nomenclature, although
highway appears to be the popular in most areas.
*In
Ontario, all
provincially managed roads are known legally as the
King's Highways, although this name is only applied to the primary highways (numbered 2 through 148) and the
400-Series Highways. In day-to-day usage, the term
highway is used. It is also common for surface routes to be referred to by the phrase
number (e.g. "Take
Number 10 from
Mississauga to
Owen Sound"), especially by older generations. The words
freeway or
expressway are sometimes used to refer to
controlled-access, high-speed, grade-separated highways such as the 400-series, the
Conestoga Parkway, the
Don Valley Parkway, or the
E.C. Row Expressway. The only highway officially labelled as a freeway is the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway, usually known as
Highway 401, or simply "the 401", the world's busiest highway. The stretch of highway 401 between London and Windsor, Ontario, is also the world's busiest truck route.
*In
Quebec, major highways are called
autoroutes in both English and French.
*
Nova Scotia numbers its freeways by the routes they parallel, for example,
Highway 107 parallels Trunk 7. This, to a lesser extent, also applies in Ontario (e.g.
Highway 410 and
Highway 420 parallel
Highway 10 and
Highway 20.)
*The
Trans Canada Highway, the highway that crosses the entire country and enters all ten provinces, holds the record as the longest national highway in the world. It ranges from a wilderness two-lane highway to a multi-lane urban
freeway.
China, People's Republic
"Highways" in
China, more often than not, refer to
China National Highways. The fully
controlled-access, multi-lane, central-separation routes are instead called
expressways.
As of 2005, there were 1.55 million km of highways and 42,000 km of expressways in China; both total lengths are second only to the United States.
In
Mainland China, private companies reimbursed through
tolls are the primary means of creating and financing the
National Trunk Highway System (NTHS).
Expressways are lumped with first-grade G-prefixed
guodaos (国", or "national highway") or A-prefixed first-grade expressways in major municipal cities. All roads in the NTHS and most A-prefixed roads are expressways.
* G-prefix: National highways (typically expressways)
* A-prefix: Municipal highways (typically expressways)
* S-prefix: Provincial highways
* X-prefix: County highways
* Y-prefix: Rural roads
* Z-prefix: Special use roads (e.g., airport expressways)
Some highways are numbered with a leading zero (e.g. G030).
The term
Freeway during the 1990s was used on a few expressways (such as the
Jingshi Freeway). The term
freeway has since been replaced with
expressway on all signs in China. The Chinese name for expressways is uniform; in pinyin, it is
gaosu gonglu, which literally means "high speed
public road".
Signs on the National Highways (G-prefix) are green, while on the lower-grade highways and urban expressways (A-prefix) are blue.
Hong Kong
In
Hong Kong, the type of high speed roads is referred to as
expressway, but some are named as
highways or
roads ('Yuen Long Highway', 'Tolo Highway', 'Tsuen Wan Road', 'Tuen Mun Road', etc.). Some others are named
corridors and
bypasses.
France
France has a national highway system dating back to the Napoleonic era. The chausees constructed at this time, radiating out from Paris, form the basis for the "routes nationales" (RN), whose red numbers differ from the yellow numbering used for secondary "routes departmentales". The RNs numbered from 1 to 20 radiate from Paris to major ports or border crossings. More recently (after the Second World War), France has constructed
Autoroutes,
superhighways (usually
toll) with a speed limit of 130 km/h (110 in rainy conditions or urban areas).
Germany
Aside from highways bearing the
Autobahn designation, Germany has many two- and four-lane roads. Federal highways not known as autobahns are called
Bundesstraßen (
Bundesstrassen) and, while usually two-lane roads, they may also be four-lane,
limited-access expressways of local or regional importance. Unlike the Autobahns, though,
Bundesstraßen (marked by black numbers on a yellow background) mostly have speed limits (usually 100 km/h, but occasionally higher on limited-access segments, and lower in urban areas or near intersections). But if these roads are built like an Autobahn (minimum 2 lanes per direction and a median), there is usually no speed limit.
India
In India, 'Highway' refers to one of the many
National Highways that run up to a total length of about 58,000 kilometers. An
expressway refers to any elevated road with grade-separated intersections.
As of 2005, there were 4,885 km of expressways in India.
Ireland
The
Republic of Ireland has a similar system to the
United Kingdom except that its major roads are classed as
'N' road or
'R' road rather than
'A' road/'B' road as in the UK.
Malaysia
The highest level of major roads in
Malaysia,
expressway (lebuhraya), has full access control, grade separated junctions, and mostly
tolled. The expressways link the major state capitals in
Peninsular Malaysia and major cities in
Klang Valley.
Highway is lower level with limited access control, some at-grade junctions or
roundabouts, and generally with 2 lanes in each separated direction. These are generally untolled and funded by the federal government, hence the first one is called
Federal Highway linking
Klang and
Kuala Lumpur.
The trunk roads linking major cities and towns in the country are called
federal trunk roads, and are generally 2 lanes single carriageway roads, in places with a third climbing lane for slow lorries.
New Zealand
In
New Zealand, a
motorway runs through urban areas and an
expressway runs through rural areas. Both motorways and expressways generally have no access to adjacent properties. Although motorways provide no facility for pedestrians or cyclists, expressways such as the Bombay Expressway south of the Bombay Hills, below Auckland, and leading from the Auckland Motorway system, provides a cycleway on the outside lane. New Zealand's main routes are designated
state highways. State Highway 1 is the only route to run through both the North and South Islands, and runs (in order north-south) from
Cape Reinga to
Wellington in the
North Island, and from
Picton to
Bluff in the
South Island. State Highways 2-5 are main routes in the North Island, State Highways 6-9 in the South Island, and state highways numbered from 10 onwards are generally found in numerical order from north to south. State highways usually incorporate different types of roads, for example, State Highway 1 from
Auckland to
Hamilton incorporates the Northern and Southern Motorways in the Auckland area, the Waikato Expressway, and a rural road before passing through the streets of Hamilton. The term
freeway is rarely used relating to New Zealand roads, and can only be considered an
Americanism.
Pakistan
Pakistan has its own network of motorways. The first one, the M2 was built in 1997 with the contract being awarded to the
Korean firm
Daewoo. It linked the fedral capital
Islamabad with
Punjab's provincial capital
Lahore. The network was then extended to
Sargodha and then to
Faisalabad with the M3. There exist plans to construct the M1 motorway to the
NWFP's capital
Peshawar. N5 links
Karachi to other cities. More highways are being planned and some are also being built by local and foreign firms.
South Africa
Colloquially, the terms "freeway," "highway," and "motorway" are used synonymously. There are very few references to the term "expressway" in South Africa. A freeway, highway or motorway refers to a divided
dual carriageway with
limited access, and at least two lanes in either direction. A central island, usually either with drainage, foliage or high-impact barriers, provides a visible separation between carriageways in opposite directions. As with the UK and Australia, South Africans drive on the left-hand side of the road and all steering wheels are on the right-hand side of vehicles.
Freeways are designated with one of three labels: N (in reference to national roads), R (short for "route," in reference to provincial roads), and M (in reference to metropolitan roads). This has more to do with the location of a road and its function than anything else. In addition, "N" roads usually run the length of the country over long distances, "R" roads usually inter-connect cities and towns within a province, and "M" roads carry heavy traffic in metropolitan areas. Route markings also determine who paid for the road: "N" was paid for by national government, "R" by provincial government and "M" by local government. In recent years, some "R" roads have been re-designated as "N" roads, so that control and funding comes from the South African National Roads Agency.
Switzerland
The term
Autobahn is used for normal expressways where there is a central physical structure separating two different directional carriageways. This is often translated into English as
motorway.
In express routes where there is no central physical structure separating two different directional carriageways, but crossings are still motorway-like otherwise, and traffic lights are not present, the road is instead called an
Autostrasse, translated into English as a
motorroad.
Autostrassen often have a lower speed limit than
Autobahnen.
United Kingdom
In the
United Kingdom, unless a route is classified as a
motorway, the term used may be
main road,
trunk road,
'A' road/'B' road, or, where appropriate,
dual carriageway. In the law of
England and Wales the term
highway covers everything from a
footpath (for foot passage only), to a
bridleway (for foot, bicycle and equestrian use), to a byway open for all traffic (for all the aforementioned users, plus any motorised user), to unclassified county roads, classified roads, trunk roads, motorways and special roads. In British law, there is no definition of "road", and generally the most common usage refers to:
*"
Carriageway",
*"
Footpath",
*"
Bridleway" or
*"
Byway"
In England and Wales the public are said to have a "right of way" over a Highway. This means that, subject to statutory restrictions, the route must be kept clear to allow travel by anyone who wishes to it. At common law, it is forbidden to obstruct a highway or interfere with passage. However, many statutory provisions provide powers to do so (for instance to carry out road works). Rights of way exist both over roads maintained at the public expense (the majority of roads) and over some roads on private property. In this case, the owner must allow passage over the highway. A right of way may be created by custom (i.e. the road has been used for a long period of time) or under the relevant positions of the Highways Act 1980. A right of way may by only be extinguished or diverted by or under an Act of Parliament. For instance, under the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act 1996 authority is given for the builder of the rail link to stop up certain highways mentioned in Schedule 3 of the act.
The contrast to a Highway is a private road over which no right of way exists. Travel on a private road is subject to the consent of the owner of the land.
United States
In the United States, "highway" is a general term for denoting a public way, including the entire area within the right-of-way, and includes many forms:#a high-speed,
limited-access road like
expressways and
freeways.#an important road that connects cities.#any road at all
The familiarity of the
Interstate Highway system implies "highway" describes any
freeway, regardless of whether it is part of the Interstate Highway system.
However, the
United States Numbered Highways system, which predates Interstate Highways, can vary from 2 lanes (1 lane each direction), shoulderless, paved roads with no access control to roads built to the same standards as Interstate Highways. These roads are usually distinguished by being important, but not always primary, routes that connect populated areas.
"Highway" even includes roads that serve similar purposes to United States numbered highways but which are numbered and maintained by state or local governments.
Finally, in some places, "highway" is a synonym for "road" or "street". For example, California Motor Vehicle Code § 360 states: "'Highway' is a way or place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. Highway includes street."
Arguably, the most famous United States highway is
Route 66. It is immortalized in the song "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66." Other famous highways of song include Carefree Highway in Arizona (Gordon Lightfoot, 1974), Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California (Jan & Dean, also Beach Boys, 1964), Ventura Highway in California (America, 1972).
By reducing travel times relative to arterial streets, highways have a positive effect upon balance of leisure or productive time through reduced commute and other travel time. However, highways have criticisms, partially due to being an extended
linear source of
pollution:
*
Community cohesion: Where highways are created through existing communities, there can be reduced community cohesion and more difficult local access.
*
Roadway noise: Highways generate more roadway noise than
arterial streets due to the higher operating speeds. Therefore, considerable
noise health effects are expected from highway systems.
Noise mitigation strategies exist to reduce sound levels at nearby
sensitive receptors.
*
Air quality issues: Highways may contribute fewer
emissions than arterials carrying the same vehicle volumes. This is because high, constant-speed operation creates an
emissions reduction compared to vehicular flows with stops and starts. However, concentrations of air pollutants near highways may be higher due to increased traffic volumes. Therefore, the risk of exposure to elevated levels of air pollutants from a highway may be considerable, and further magnified when highways have
traffic congestion.
For information on the history and local styles of highways around the world refer to
*
Autobahns of Austria (
Austria)
*
Autobahns of Germany (
Germany)
*
Autobahns of Switzerland (
Switzerland)
*
Autocesta (
Croatia)
*
Auto-Estrada (
Portugal, notable for the introduction of the world's first
electronic toll collection system, the
Via Verde.)
*
Autopista (
Spain)
*
Autoput (
Serbia)
*
Autoput or
Autocesta (
Bosnia and Herzegovina)
*
Autoroute (
France)
*
Autoroute (
Quebec)
*
Autostrada (
Italy,
Poland,
Romania,
Egypt)
*
Avtocesta (
Slovenia)
*
Expressway (
Mainland China)
*
Expressway (Lebuhraya) (
Malaysia)
*
Freeway,
Expressway, and
Parkway (
United States)
*
Freeway (
Canada)
*
Kōsokudōro (
Japan)
*
Manitoba's Primary Routes (
Manitoba)
*
Motorväg (
Sweden)
*
Motorway (
United Kingdom)
*
Motorway (
Ireland)
*
National Highways (
India)
*
National Trunk Highway System (
Mainland China)
*
Rodovia (
Brazil)
*
Transportation of Israel Israeli Expressways, named "Kvish Mahir" (expressway in Hebrew)
*
100-series Highways /
100-Series Highways (
Nova Scotia)
*
200-Series Highways (
Alberta)
*
400-Series Highways (
Ontario)
*
Air pollution*
Bypass route*
Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000*
FHWA Series fonts, the standard typeface for highway signs in the United States and Canada
*
Global highway*
Highwayman*
List of roads and highways*
Roadway noise*
Roadway air dispersion modeling*
Passing lane*
Ring road*
Road*
Road junction*
Road safety*
Toll road*
Legal definition in Canada*
Legal opinion, Kansas, U.S.A.*
U.S. Highways: From US 1 to (US 830)*
Mile By Mile U.S. Highway Travel Information Guides*
Full list of Euroroutes with distances*
Proposed Trans-Global Highway
