# Highways Forever Response **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [January 1, 2011, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040 "2011-01-01T09:55:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/21 "2011-01-03T19:27:05Z")
> [@pawpawbear](#): > > Please, do not give trucks such a bad rap. They are totally essential to today’s economy. Without them there would no groceries in the store nor computers to write columns that trash trucks. You must have sharper eyes/ears than I do. I haven’t been aware of a lot of truck bashing. There has been some hero worship when a driver takes extreme measures to avoid harming someone on the road. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/22 "2011-01-03T20:32:10Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > You must have sharper eyes/ears than I do. I haven’t been aware of a lot of truck bashing. There has been some hero worship when a driver takes extreme measures to avoid harming someone on the road. I would have to assume that the poster was referring to the article in which Cecil claims that there is an exponential degradation of roads when you increase the weight per axle. If the poster did mean this, and Cecil’s facts are correct, then it is not truck bashing, no matter how vital they are to the economy. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/23 "2011-01-03T20:50:23Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I would have to assume that the poster was referring to the article in which Cecil claims that there is an exponential degradation of roads when you increase the weight per axle. > > If the poster did mean this, and Cecil’s facts are correct, then it is not truck bashing, no matter how vital they are to the economy. I would think it’s infrastructure bashing, and well deserved. ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/24 "2011-01-03T22:16:40Z")
> [@fgasparini](#): > > Wallenstein, we’d call that kind of a road here a “thruway” or “highway” or “toll road.” “Freeway” means the road is free to drive on, as opposed to roads where you pay tolls. That’s not universal. “Freeway” and “expressway” are generally synonymous in the U.S., although many people will avoid using “freeway” for toll roads to avoid confusion. Lumpy is correct that the “free” refers not to the lack of a levy placed on drivers but rather to the free flow of traffic along the carriageways. Powers &8^] ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/25 "2011-01-04T01:39:20Z")
I’ve lived in the Northeast and in Southern California, I have relatives I visit in several places in the Southeast, and have travelled in the northern Midwest. The only place I’ve ever heard the term “freeway” used is Southern California. FWIW, I always thought the generic term for freeway, expressway, parkway, etc.—i.e., a road with on- and off-ramps and no crossing traffic—was “limited-access highway.” ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/26 "2011-01-04T02:04:13Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > I’ve lived in the Northeast and in Southern California, I have relatives I visit in several places in the Southeast, and have travelled in the northern Midwest. The only place I’ve ever heard the term “freeway” used is Southern California. > > FWIW, I always thought the generic term for freeway, expressway, parkway, etc.—i.e., a road with on- and off-ramps and no crossing traffic—was “limited-access highway.” Come on up north, to the SF Bay Area. We call them “freeways” too. Just not “the 5” etc. We call that one I5. One woman got hired on a local tv station and tried to get everybody to adopt the LA model and say “the 5”, but a jillion or so emails etc convinced her to drop that idea. Silly woman. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/27 "2011-01-04T03:38:07Z")
Talking GPS units may induce some shifts. (Until recently, TomTom (a Dutch company) said “motorway”, which is purely British, but they seem to have shifted to “freeway” for US use.) ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/28 "2011-01-04T08:29:09Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > The only place I’ve ever heard the term “freeway” used is Southern California. I guess the influence of Hollywood might explain why many non-Americans would use that particular phrase as a catch-all term. ---
**Author:** ![President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/President_Johnny_Gentle)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/29 "2011-01-04T14:17:45Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > I’ve lived in the Northeast and in Southern California, I have relatives I visit in several places in the Southeast, and have travelled in the northern Midwest. The only place I’ve ever heard the term “freeway” used is Southern California. I’ve lived almost my entire life in the northern Midwest, and I’ve heard “freeway” used almost exclusively. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/30 "2011-01-04T15:46:10Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > FWIW, I always thought the generic term for freeway, expressway, parkway, etc.—i.e., a road with on- and off-ramps and no crossing traffic—was “limited-access highway.” Hmmm… I’m not sure whether “limited-access highway” or “divided highway” would be the better translation of UK “motorway”. I’ve never seen anything in Britain comparable to, for example, the section of US 22 in NJ between Newark and Somerville. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/31 "2011-01-04T17:00:54Z")
> [@John\_W.Kennedy](#): > > Hmmm… I’m not sure whether “limited-access highway” or “divided highway” would be the better translation of UK “motorway”. I’ve never seen anything in Britain comparable to, for example, the section of US 22 in NJ between Newark and Somerville. We’d probably call that a “dual-carriageway” - these are A-road rather than full motorways, but have motorway speeds, divided roads, and two lanes in each direction, and the often travel through urban and suburban areas as well as cross-country routes. These roads tend to follow older routes (e.g. the A1 coach road) and have been upgraded over the years, whereas motorways were often created from scratch across virgin countryside. This is an example of what I mean - the [A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon](http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=cambridge&sll=52.346954,-1.572504&sspn=0.00561,0.019097&g=52.346834,-1.572473&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cambridge,+United+Kingdom&ll=52.279182,-0.026112&spn=0.089902,0.305557&t=h&z=12&layer=c&cbll=52.279182,-0.026112&panoid=mIUGUjIqO5S3EHrkK6qruQ&cbp=12,309.64,,0,8.94) - does that look similar to the 22 as you described it? ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/32 "2011-01-04T20:22:22Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > We’d probably call that a “dual-carriageway” - Those have always sounded very exotic to this American because no matter how many times I hear the phrase, it sounds like “jewelled-carriageway”. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/33 "2011-01-04T22:53:06Z")
> [@Powers](#): > > “Freeway” and “expressway” are generally synonymous in the U.S. I can’t speak generally, but that’s not true in the SF Bay Area. Here, an expressway is an arterial road. Some, but not all access is through grade-separated interchanges. Speed limits are \<=55 MPH. Freeways of course have full grade separation and \>=55 MPH speeds. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/34 "2011-01-05T21:49:40Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > We’d probably call that a “dual-carriageway” - these are A-road rather than full motorways, but have motorway speeds, divided roads, and two lanes in each direction, and the often travel through urban and suburban areas as well as cross-country routes. > > These roads tend to follow older routes (e.g. the A1 coach road) and have been upgraded over the years, whereas motorways were often created from scratch across virgin countryside. > > This is an example of what I mean - the [A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon](http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=cambridge&sll=52.346954,-1.572504&sspn=0.00561,0.019097&g=52.346834,-1.572473&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cambridge,+United+Kingdom&ll=52.279182,-0.026112&spn=0.089902,0.305557&t=h&z=12&layer=c&cbll=52.279182,-0.026112&panoid=mIUGUjIqO5S3EHrkK6qruQ&cbp=12,309.64,,0,8.94) - does that look similar to the 22 as you described it? Alas, no. [This is an example of US 22 in eastern New Jersey.](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=us+22,+union,+nj&sll=40.737148,-74.376264&sspn=0.012373,0.027874&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=U.S.+22,+Union,+New+Jersey&ll=40.691637,-74.288092&spn=0.012381,0.027874&z=16&layer=c&cbll=40.691599,-74.288415&panoid=imRzTCWuv_2oq8wRfgoc9A&cbp=12,260,,0,-5.81) Note that this shows only the westbound half – the eastbound half is on the other side of the buildings to the left. Bloody 'orrible, innit? (Note that this in the outskirts of a suburban town of some 50,000.) ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/35 "2011-01-05T23:48:48Z")
I’ve lived in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Limited access divided highways are generically called “freeways” or “the interstate”. Many people avoid “freeway” for toll roads. Those are called “tollways” or “tollroads” or by their specific designation (e.g. “Beltway”, which actually refers to the non-toll highway that the elevated tollway -the Sam Houston Parkway- replaced in most areas). ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/36 "2011-01-06T16:14:04Z")
“Tollroad” spelled thus, not as two words? That’s a new one to me. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/37 "2011-01-06T19:16:07Z")
> [@](#): > > “Tollroad” spelled thus, not as two words? I don’t know - it’s usually spoken, not written, so maybe it’s two words. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/38 "2011-01-06T20:15:03Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > I don’t know - it’s usually spoken, not written, so maybe it’s two words. Personally, I’m of the opinion that most any two words used together may be spoken or written together. For example, “doorhinge”, as coined by **Eminem** to rhyne with the unrhymable “orange”. Man’s a genius! ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/39 "2011-01-06T23:34:50Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > Personally, I’m of the opinion that most any two words used together may be spoken or written together. > For example, “doorhinge”, as coined by **Eminem** to rhyne with the unrhymable “orange”. > Man’s a genius! Pah, Etrigan the Demon came up with “whore binge”. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040/40 "2011-01-06T23:54:38Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Pah, Etrigan the Demon came up with “whore binge”. I’ll have to say that one a few times, but I don’t think it’ll work. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highways-forever-response/566040.md?page=3)