# What do you call your freeway? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765 "2010-03-25T16:47:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/61 "2010-03-25T22:48:39Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > In Australia (well, certainly in Victoria anyway) freeways are rarely known by their numbers but always have names assigned. So we have The Hume, The Princes, The Monash, The Eastern, etc etc. Here, if there’s a descriptive or formal name, that’s what people use e.g. Eastern Distributor, Hume, Pacific. If it has a letter/number name, then they use that in full e.g. M2, M4, M5, M7. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/62 "2010-03-25T22:57:14Z")
We have no Interstates for 50 miles, and only two state highways. Those are “the highway” (county roads are known by letters) or if we need to distinguish, “42” or “57”. It gets confusing, because midway thru the county, 57 crosses 42, so north of the dividing line, 42 is on the west side, 57 on the east. South of the line, 42 is on the east side, 57 on the west. Then in the middle, both highways share the same road for about 10 miles and it’s “highway 42/57” or just “the highway.” Life is so complicated. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/63 "2010-03-25T22:58:18Z")
Here’s a bit of trivia: I10 has a [name!](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Christophercolumbustranscontinentalhighway.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/64 "2010-03-25T23:33:54Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Western New York is weird about this. First of all, any interstate is called “the Thruway”, whether or not it is _the_ Thruway (the I-90). Second, “190” and “the 190” are interchangeable…I’ve heard both. Third, I-290 is almost universally known as “the Youngmann” or “the Youngmann Expressway.” Then there’s also “the Scajaquada” (NY-198) and “the Kensington” (NY-33). I agree with this, although I think the “the” is used more often than not. When I moved out of the area, hearing people say the numbers of local highways without the “the” was jarring. I have _tried_ to get people to go retro and refer to 17 as the Liberty Highway, but so far it’s not catching on. Damned if I’m going to start calling it the 86, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/65 "2010-03-25T23:42:38Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Here’s a bit of trivia: I10 has a > [name!](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Christophercolumbustranscontinentalhighway.jpg) So does [US 101 and part of I-5](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:El_Camino_Real_California_2.JPG) 🙂 > [@Algher](#): > > Of course, in Southern California we also mess with visitors by using the NAMES: > > The 5 can be called The San Diego and the Golden State > The 101 (binary 5 in Silicon Valley) is the the Hollywood and The Ventura > The 10 is the Santa Monica, but can also be the San Bernadino after you leave downtown LA > The 710 is the Long Beach > > When I moved to LA, I finally gave up and got an apartment near my office rather than try to figure out what they radio guys were talking about. 605 = San Gabriel River Freeway 90 = Marina freeway on the Western Half, and the Richard M. Nixon Freeway on the eastern part. 118 = The Ronald Regan Freeway, formerly the Simi Valley Freeway 210 = Foothill freeway ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/66 "2010-03-25T23:51:49Z")
Single digit highways are often but not universally prefaced with the word “route” and those of higher numbers are simply the number. Route 4, route 9, route 1, 125, 108, 495, 93…I’ve never heard of anyone saying something like I-495, though. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/67 "2010-03-25T23:57:19Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I’ve never heard of anyone saying something like I-495, though. Um…in case it’s not clear, I meant I’ve never heard anyone **here** say I-route number. I know people say it elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/68 "2010-03-26T00:05:14Z")
Buffalo follows the Southern California/Toronto convention, and uses the definite article with highway numbers: “The 90”, “The 190”, “The 33”, “the 400”, and the like. All the limited access highways have names (Youngmann Expressway, Aurora Expressway, Southern Tier Expressway, Niagara Thruway, Lockport Expressway, etc) which can be used interchangeably with the number, the extent of which can vary depending on the road. Nearby Rochester, strangely, doesn’t use the definite article with limited access highway numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/69 "2010-03-26T00:05:14Z")
I’ve lived in a lot of places. In New York most of the parkways and expressways predated the Interstate Highway system, and so names are almost always used. The Clearview Expressway in Queens was right across the street from my house, and I don’t know its number off the top of my head. Parkways don’t allow trucks, Expressways do. No one calls them freeways or interstates. In the middle of nowhere Illinois and Louisiana they were commonly referred to as interstates, with their numbers. No “the.” In mid New Jersey it was the Turnpike, routes or US 1 (a weekly freebie in Princeton was U.S. 1) or numbers - I commonly told people to take 295 to 95, to the befuddlement of all. Northern California has been covered - 880 is officially the Nimitz, but no one except traffic reporters call it that. ---
**Author:** ![Suse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Suse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suse)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/70 "2010-03-26T00:13:33Z")
NE Indiana area - we have I69 but also 469. Neither one is prefaced by ‘the’. And then some of us refer to 469 as ‘the Reagan’ just because we can. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Stilettos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Red\_Stilettos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Stilettos)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/71 "2010-03-26T00:41:07Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Buffalo follows the Southern California/Toronto convention, and uses the definite article with highway numbers: “The 90”, “The 190”, “The 33”, “the 400”, and the like. All the limited access highways have names (Youngmann Expressway, Aurora Expressway, Southern Tier Expressway, Niagara Thruway, Lockport Expressway, etc) which can be used interchangeably with the number, the extent of which can vary depending on the road. > > Nearby Rochester, strangely, doesn’t use the definite article with limited access highway numbers. I was born and raised in Atlanta, where it is just the number (i.e.- 75, 85, 75/85, 285, 20, and 400). However, when I moved to Buffalo, I easily picked up the “the” convention. It came so easily to me that I found myself on more than one occassion saying something like, “traffic on the 33 was almost as bad as 85” (comparing highways from the two cities). It just doesn’t sound right to talk about _the_ 85 or just 33. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Landshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/77aa72/32.png) [@Landshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Landshark)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/72 "2010-03-26T01:00:19Z")
Somewhat surprised I’m apparently the first current San Diegan on this thread. Yes, freeways are referred to as “the” here: the 5, the 8, the 805, the 15, the 52, etc. There was a mention earlier of areas just north of here referring to freeways by names: the San Diego (which is entirely outside of San Diego County, incidentally), etc. To best of my knowledge, that does not occur at all in the San Diego area. If freeways in the area have names, which I’m uncertain of, they are very obscure. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/73 "2010-03-26T01:25:08Z")
Also in the NYC Metro, alot of the highways which have names, go further and have really commonly used nicknames. The Anne Hutchinson River Parkway-- is known as “The Hutch.” The Jackie Robinson Parkway – is known as “The Interboro.” (at least this was actually its name until relatively recently) The Southern Parkway – has been known by an unofficial name “The Southern State” since before it was even built. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/74 "2010-03-26T01:26:24Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > So does [US 101 and part of I-5](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:El_Camino_Real_California_2.JPG) > 🙂 > > 605 = San Gabriel River Freeway > 90 = Marina freeway on the Western Half, and the Richard M. Nixon Freeway on the eastern part. > 118 = The Ronald Regan Freeway, formerly the Simi Valley Freeway > 210 = Foothill freeway 110 = Pasadena Fwy north of downtown, and the Harbor Fwy south of it. Suddenly, I can’t think of the name of the 105 Fwy. Is it the Artesia? No, that’s the 91 (which I believe is the Riverside Fwy east of a certain point). Hmm. Well, I’ll be on it shortly, so I’m sure it’ll come to me. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/75 "2010-03-26T01:29:56Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Here in Toronto, it’s known as “the Evil Death Highway of Doom”, also “King’s Highway No. 401”, and formerly “the McDonald-Cartier Freeway”, and even sometimes these days “the Highway of Heroes”. But everyone calls it “the 401”. In Ontario, we tend to put “the” in front of freeway numbers, or say “Highway \”. I used to call it “the fucking 401”, because it’s a fucking horrible highway. Also, “the bloody DVP” and “the fucking 403/QEW”. I’m glad I live nowhere near there anymore! Occasionally, they were all at some point referred to as the parking lot! The highways in/around Montreal also get “the” in front of them. The 20, the 40 (or “the Met/Metropolitan”), the Decarie (rarely the 15 for the bit parallel to Boulevard Decarie, but it becomes the 15 once you’re beyond that point), the Ville-Marie (rarely the 720), etc. It’s similar in French - la 20, la Ville-Marie, la Décarie, la 40 (I never hear it called the Metropolitain in French). The usual term for the roads are “highway” or “autoroute” in English and “autoroute” in French. The Met and Decarie are apparently Expressways, but I rarely hear them called that in actual conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/76 "2010-03-26T02:48:17Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > I used to call it “the fucking 401”, because it’s a fucking horrible highway. Also, “the bloody DVP” and “the fucking 403/QEW”. I’m glad I live nowhere near there anymore! Occasionally, they were all at some point referred to as the parking lot! Hence the lyrics from the Arrogant Worms’ _Horizon_: One day on the parking lot they call the 401/ My car became the meat within a Buick/Honda bun… Incidentally, the numbers of the highways are pronounced “four oh one”, not “four zero one” or even “four hundred one”. Similarly, “four oh three”, “four oh four”, etc, four highways up to the 409, and then “four sixteen”, “four seventeen”, for later ones. In Ontario, _names_ of highways are preceded by “the”: the Gardiner Expressway, the Don Valley Parkway (DVP), the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW). We also use the abbreviations, as **mnewmosyne** noted. I tend to use “the” with numbers of freeways only. Otherwise, I say “Highway 12”, “Regoinal Road 23”, County Road 29", and so on. I have some friends who use “the” with the numbers of roads of any description, but this jars me a little. I remember my parents saying things like “the Lakefield Highway” for the road leading north from Peterborough to Lakefield, but I spoke of it as “Highway 28”. (Now it’s Peterborough County Road 2 **9** , as for as the interseaction with Old Highway 134, which has been renumbered to be Highway 28, reflecting changed patterns of ownership and responsibility. Thanks, Ministry of Transportation!) > [@mnemosyne](#): > > The highways in/around Montreal also get “the” in front of them. The 20, the 40 (or “the Met/Metropolitan”), the Decarie (rarely the 15 for the bit parallel to Boulevard Decarie, but it becomes the 15 once you’re beyond that point), the Ville-Marie (rarely the 720), etc. It’s similar in French - la 20, la Ville-Marie, la Décarie, la 40 (I never hear it called the Metropolitain in French). > > The usual term for the roads are “highway” or “autoroute” in English and “autoroute” in French. The Met and Decarie are apparently Expressways, but I rarely hear them called that in actual conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/77 "2010-03-26T03:02:01Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Here’s a bit of trivia: I10 has a > [name!](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Christophercolumbustranscontinentalhighway.jpg) You can’t fool me. That’s Interstate 2, in binary. 🙂 (Is that kudzu around the sign in the picture?) ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/78 "2010-03-26T03:29:41Z")
It’s Ivy, that sign is about 1 mile from my work. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/79 "2010-03-26T03:46:19Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Here in Toronto, it’s known as “the Evil Death Highway of Doom”, also “King’s Highway No. 401”, and formerly “the McDonald-Cartier Freeway”, and even sometimes these days “the Highway of Heroes”. But everyone calls it “the 401”. In Ontario, we tend to put “the” in front of freeway numbers, or say “Highway \”. This might be an outgrowth of the first Ontario freeway, the QEW, which of course is always named with the direct article; perhaps that habit started there, and so Ontarians just started using the direct article for all freeways, instead of going straight to the number. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/80 "2010-03-26T03:53:30Z")
Phoenix. Usually “the 10” “the 51” “the 202”. I’ve been told that adding the article is due to the large number of Southern California transplants here. The freeways also have names, but I only can remember a few. The 17 is the Black Canyon Freeway. The 51 is the Squaw Peak (or Piestawa), and the 202 is the Red Mountain. The vast majority people just use the numbers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765.md?page=5)