# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![tetranz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@tetranz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tetranz)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/101 "2010-03-28T01:38:58Z")
To address the original question, around here in southern NH and I think in MA, the common name for most roads seems to be “route” and the number regardless of whether it’s an interstate, US route or state road. Luckily the numbers seem to be unique in any particular area. I notice that NH 13 conveniently joins MA 13 at the border. Is that a common thing that states try to do, i.e, match up the numbers where numbered state roads meet? ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/102 "2010-03-28T02:22:11Z")
> [@tetranz](#): > > To address the original question, around here in southern NH and I think in MA, the common name for most roads seems to be “route” and the number regardless of whether it’s an interstate, US route or state road. Luckily the numbers seem to be unique in any particular area. Yep, this is the case in the Boston area. In fact, you can find signs to Route (Interstate) 95 and the like. Methinks this is an old convention that stuck. Younger folks call the roads by their type and number, “I-93,” or just plain old “93.” ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/103 "2010-03-28T02:54:21Z")
> [@tetranz](#): > > I notice that NH 13 conveniently joins MA 13 at the border. Is that a common thing that states try to do, i.e, match up the numbers where numbered state roads meet? Not often. The numbering schemes for state highways often vary so unless it’s an interstate or US route, there’s little attempt at highway number continuity when a road crosses the border from one state into another. However, it does happen occasionally. For example, if you go keep going east on Idaho State Highway 200, it will become Montana State Highway 200, North Dakota Highway 200, and Minnesota State Highway 200. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/104 "2010-03-28T04:12:02Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Not often. The numbering schemes for state highways often vary so unless it’s an interstate or US route, there’s little attempt at highway number continuity when a road crosses the border from one state into another. However, it does happen occasionally. I’m sure it must be a coincidence, but it happens across international crossings once in a while, too. South of San Antonio on I-35, you can exit US-57, which becomes Mexican Highway 57 and 57D, which will bring you all the way to Mexico City and beyond. ---
**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/105 "2010-03-28T04:40:35Z")
In and around Philadelphia I-276 - The Turnpike I-76 (West of King of Prussia) - The Turnpike I-76 (East of King of Prussia) - The Schuykill I-676 - The Vine Street I-476 (South of Plymouth Meeting) - The Blue Route I-476 (North of Plymouth Meeting) - The Northeast Extension I-95 is called 95. I am told that the name is the Delaware Expressway but I have never heard anyone use that. For other roads US 1 (north of the Schuykill) - When its an expressway, I think people call it Route 1. Once you get into Northeast Philly, its the Boulevard (short for the Roosevelt Boulevard) US 1 (part South of the Schuykill) - City Avenue (Everyone calls it City Line) After I moved out here, I think it took me a month to understand the traffic report on the radio. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/106 "2010-03-28T08:45:29Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I’m sure it must be a coincidence, but it happens across international crossings once in a while, too. South of San Antonio on I-35, you can exit US-57, which becomes Mexican Highway 57 and 57D, which will bring you all the way to Mexico City and beyond. It’s actually not that coincidental. After the north-south US Routes were designated, some of the Canadian provinces decided to use the same numbers for many of the north-south highways that crossed the border (e.g., US 97 becomes BC 97). That way you reduce motorist confusion. ---
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/107 "2010-03-28T09:10:17Z")
Oahu, Hawaii As far as I know, everyone has always called the highways either H-1, H-2, or H-3. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/108 "2010-03-29T13:51:09Z")
> [@tetranz](#): > > I think the Everett Turnpike starts at the border with MA near exit 1. I don’t think anything special happens at exit 5. > > Something I am sure about is that the turnpike and route 3 are only the same until exit 7. They become separate roads as you leave Nashua north of exit 7. Most locals seem to be totally unaware of that and routinely refer to the turnpike as “route 3” as it goes though Merrimack and Bedford. Route 3 is the road parallel to it, i.e, Daniel Webster Highway in Merrimack and South River Road in Bedford. Some people call that the “old route 3” but that’s wrong, it’s the only route 3. I know several visitors who have been confused trying to read the signs and follow a local person’s verbal directions. Exit 5, Exit 7, wasn’t sure where it actually left. I knew it was somewhere in that space. Otherwise, all generally correct, but at my workplace in Merrimack NH, it’s referred to as “The Turnpike” if you’re heading north from here, or headed south, but not leaving the state. If you’re going down to MA, folks generally say “Get on 3 south…” When I started working here, I hadn’t had much experience with the area, other than driving through from 495 to 93 headed into Northern NH. The “Old 3” comment is very fair, though it’s the only 3. Nobody wants to drive on Old 3, as it’s a local road, but sometimes that’s where you’ve got to go. You’d never actually leave 3 at exit 7 to travel it’s length. North of there, it’s not a ‘highway’ in the same sense as it is if you learned the route with a Northern MA perspective. But I agree it’s confusing, and very local knowledge dependent, if you want to understand the directions, but it’s better than some directions I’ve gotten! “Turn left where Mabel used to live, then 3 miles up past the Benson rock to the middle logging road. Can’t miss it.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/109 "2010-03-29T14:27:34Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > - Just the number for the few stretches that aren’t named (“57” for I-57, “55” for the section of I-55 southwest of the part that’s called the Stevenson). As you note, it’s uncommon to refer to a named road by its number. I live down in the Joliet/Plainfield area and it is kind of amusing to know I say “I’m taking 55 to Bolingbrook” and “I’m taking the Stevenson into the city” despite it technically being the same stretch of asphalt. > [@](#): > > The Toll Authority assigned new names to several of the tollways a few years back (the East-West Tollway, a.k.a. I-88, became the Reagan Tollway, for example), but adoption of those new names has been slow (despite the fact that traffic reporters use them all the time). Likewise, I never hear anyone refer to 355 as the “North-South Tollway”. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/110 "2010-03-29T14:56:16Z")
Parkway East or West depending on the side of the city (Pittsburgh) and not the direction of travel. Parkinglot East or West if you have to drive them at rush hour. ---
**Author:** ![Terra1041](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Terra1041](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terra1041)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/111 "2010-03-29T20:31:49Z")
Here (Detroit) it’s either the number by itself (696) or the name with The (The Lodge). Some freeways are overwhelmingly known one way or the other. Calling a non-Interstate by its number tends to be unusual. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/112 "2010-03-29T20:50:50Z")
> [@Terra1041](#): > > Calling a non-Interstate by its number tends to be unusual. M-24… I can’t even remember the name of it. Maybe… Lapeer Rd. or something? And then there’s M-29 and M-25. Just a lot easier to call them that than all of the different names they have along their course. Finally, M-59, even the “Hall Rd.” portion, is referred to just as much by the moniker M-59 as Hall Rd. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/113 "2010-03-29T23:11:42Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > In Central Texas it’s I-35, 35, or even IH-35. > > Never “the” 35. As a lifelong central Texan, I’ve always favored IH-35. And then there’s Loop 1, pronounced MoPac. ---
**Author:** ![tetranz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@tetranz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tetranz)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/114 "2010-03-30T11:14:56Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > Exit 5, Exit 7, wasn’t sure where it actually left. I knew it was somewhere in that space. I get what you’re saying now. I misunderstood your first post and thought you meant that the turnpike name didn’t start until exit 5 when you’re heading north and the part between 1 and 5 was officially just route 3. I wasn’t trying to nickpick about the split being at 5 or 7. I work in Bedford and several times I’ve heard people on the phone giving directions like “come up route 3 until exit 12, then you’ll get onto umm… another route 3”. I’ve also heard “yeah this road used to be route 3, some of the old signs are still there”. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/115 "2010-03-30T14:56:10Z")
The area between The Hooksett Tolls & the NH/MA border in Nashua is confusing with the route names. The same bit of highway (meaning you don’t exit with a great turn), changes from Rt 3, to the Everett Turnpike, to 293, to 93. You don’t have to do anything to start on the “new route,” but it can suddenly have a different name. Explaining it can be great fun! I didn’t do a very good job in my first post. It’s a tough thing to explain, and often depends on who you’re talking to when giving directions or describing a location. I still get baffled with the 111/111A/101/101A/ and associated bypasses a bit west of Merrimack. I’m always like “it’s one of those.” ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/116 "2010-03-30T21:16:28Z")
WE don’t really have any freeways near us. The closes we get are US highways that have been split. And we call them either the number by itself, or we put Highway in front of it. We also tend to refer to the part of the highway that was redesigned to go around the town as a Bypass. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/117 "2010-03-31T01:17:01Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > 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. What’s interesting is that the main highway running the length of NZ is called State Highway 1 - and that’s what everyone calls it (or at least did when I lived there). Not “The One” or anything. Occasionally it’s shortened to “State Highway” (We’ll probably take the State Highway down towards Ashburton then turn off towards Methven), IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/118 "2010-03-31T05:01:10Z")
Here in Houston, they decided to give names to all the freeways. I-10 on the west side is the Katy Freeway; on the east side, it’s unimaginatively called the East Freeway. I-45 on the north side is the North Freeway, but on the south side, it’s the Gulf Freeway. ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/119 "2010-03-31T13:56:06Z")
Here in South Africa (at least in Cape Town) it’s always “the Xy”, so “the N2” or “the M5”. But they mostly have names as well, and it seems like older people prefer the names. We manage to make things slightly more confusing by having a highway that’s called the “Simon van der Stel Freeway” officially and on the maps, but that everyone calls the “Blue Route”, for reasons lost in the mists of time. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765/120 "2010-03-31T16:15:52Z")
> [@caveman](#): > > As a lifelong central Texan, I’ve always favored IH-35. > > And then there’s Loop 1, pronounced MoPac. Yeah, I do like the IH convention. I think it’s uniquely Texan. The mess of Texas highway nomenclature leaves much to be desired. SH, FM, RM, RR, and so forth? We use numbers mostly. US-183 is always just “183,” as is “290.” Loop 1 (which isn’t even a loop) is MoPac, which I believe does not have Missouri Pacific trains on the railway that the road is named for. Go figure. Then we’ve got 130, which in some quarters is called the Mo-Kan Expressway. Some cool info on what could have been - Austin freeways, [here](http://www.texasfreeway.com/austin/historic/freeway_planning_maps/freeway_planning_maps.shtml). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-freeway/533765.md?page=7)