# Why are Freeways called that? Even when there's a toll? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708 "2012-11-11T20:15:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/1 "2012-11-11T20:15:31Z")
Always bugged me. Why is an Interstate also called a Freeway? Is it free passage between towns? Or what? Is a toll road properly called a freeway? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/2 "2012-11-11T20:20:46Z")
A toll road is typically called a turnpike. See: Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Massachusetts. The reason they are called freeways is because they charged no tolls. Now the word is more akin to expressway in hat you (theoretically) get where you’re going faster than on surface streets. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/3 "2012-11-11T20:24:28Z")
If I may tack on a related question: Does a highway have to be higher than surrounding roads? If not, are turnpikes and freeways species of the highway genre? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/4 "2012-11-11T20:32:17Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Always bugged me. Why is an Interstate also called a Freeway? > > Is it free passage between towns? Or what? Is a toll road properly called a freeway? It’s a regionalism. We never called interstates anything but interstates when I lived in the East. On the West Coast, [Controlled Access Highways](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled-access_highway) are called freeways whether they are interstate or not. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/5 "2012-11-11T20:48:23Z")
They’re “free” as in unrestricted - no cross streets, traffic lights and such. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/6 "2012-11-11T21:22:23Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > A toll road is typically called a turnpike. See: Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Massachusetts. > > The reason they are called freeways is because they charged no tolls. Now the word is more akin to expressway in hat you (theoretically) get where you’re going faster than on surface streets. There are some roads that are called turnpikes today but that do not have tolls. Northern Virginia’s Little River Turnpike has been toll-free and state-maintained since the early 1800’s but it is still called a turnpike (some maps from the 1800’s just call it a “pike”, which I believe is the same thing). Wikipedia says that tolls on the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike in Pennsylvania stopped in 1917. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/7 "2012-11-11T21:39:36Z")
> [@Twoflower](#): > > They’re “free” as in unrestricted - no cross streets, traffic lights and such. I’ve always thought this is the reason. Toll roads can be called “freeways” too. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/8 "2012-11-11T22:48:05Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > If I may tack on a related question: Does a highway have to be higher than surrounding roads? If not, are turnpikes and freeways species of the highway genre? > **[Online Etymology Dictionary](https://www.etymonline.com/)** > > The online etymology dictionary (etymonline) is the internet's go-to source for quick and reliable accounts of the origin and history of English words, phrases, and idioms. > [@](#): > > highway (n.) > O.E. heahweg “main road from one town to another;” see high (adj.) in sense of “main” + way. High street (O.E. heahstræte) was the word before 17c. applied to highways and main roads, whether in the country or town, especially one of the Roman roads. In more recent usage, it generally is the proper name of the street of a town which is built upon a highway and was the principal street of the place. All the terms mentioned in this thread are essentially interchangeable in common speech. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/9 "2012-11-11T23:54:11Z")
They’re not interchangeable. All freeways are highways, but not all highways are freeways. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/10 "2012-11-11T23:54:38Z")
> [@](#): > > highway (n.) > O.E. heahweg “main road from one town to another;” see high (adj.) in sense of “main” + way. High street (O.E. heahstræte) was the word before 17c. applied to highways and main roads, whether in the country or town, especially one of the Roman roads. In more recent usage, it generally is the proper name of the street of a town which is built upon a highway and was the principal street of the place. The main shopping street in most British towns is called the High Street. I don’t think this is common in the US, where “Main Street” is more usual, but the derivation is the same. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/11 "2012-11-12T00:03:34Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > There are some roads that are called turnpikes today but that do not have tolls. The Hartford Turnpike in Hamden CT is simply a residential town road with a 25 mph speed limit and doesn’t go to Hartford at all though its course is on a straight line from New Haven to Hartford. I assume originally it did charge a toll. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/12 "2012-11-12T00:06:59Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > The Hartford Turnpike in Hamden CT is simply a residential town road with a 25 mph speed limit and doesn’t go to Hartford at all though its course is on a straight line from New Haven to Hartford. I assume originally it did charge a toll. Similarly, the Middlesex Turnpike used to be the main road from Middletown, CT to the shoreline back in the day but is now a regular surface street. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/13 "2012-11-12T00:07:46Z")
Yup, same thing in Houston. US-59 is a freeway in and around Houston, but it probably just turns into a regular highway with crossroads and streetlights as you get way out of the city. All interstates, as far as I know, are freeways. So basically think of it like this: if it has stoplights, crossroads, intersections, it’s not a freeway. If it has onramps and offramps, it’s a freeway. Interstates are always freeways (in my experience, anyhow. Any exceptions to this?) US and State highways can often be freeways but usually turn into regular highways outside of major cities. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/14 "2012-11-12T00:10:53Z")
> [@barbitu8](#): > > I’ve always thought this is the reason. Toll roads can be called “freeways” too. That the meanings have been altered over time does not change the original meanings. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/15 "2012-11-12T00:11:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Interstates are always freeways (in my experience, anyhow. Any exceptions to this?) Using the limited-access definition, yes. But there are some interstates that are toll roads, such as large portions of I-80 in Ohio and Pennsylvania. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/16 "2012-11-12T00:33:57Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > US and State highways can often be freeways but usually turn into regular highways outside of major cities. Not necessarily. “Interstate” means the freeways are federally funded and that they must be constructed to specific federal standards. These were the creation of the Eisenhower administration. Ike enjoyed the autobahns in Germany during the US occupation following WW2. So the intention of the Interstate system was to provide transportation from state to state, with straight stretches and curves of large radii. Up to then, highways pretty much followed the terrain, with many twists and turns that slowed travel. Once the Cold War kicked in high gear, the Interstates were also designated by the Civil Defense as evacuation routes from the big cities. There is also legends that the straight stretches could provide airstrips during wartime. Highways with a “US” designation may or may not be freeways, and are partially federally funded. They also maintain the same numerical designation from state to state. The highway system in the United States uses the convention that east-west routes are even numbered, north-south routes are odd numbered. Three digit Interstate numbers have the last two digits coinciding with the Interstate highway passing directly through a city. An odd digit for the first number of the three digit designation indicates a route that also goes through the city. An even digit for the first number of the three digit designation indicates a route that generally circles around the city. These three digit routes will eventually rejoin the original two digit Interstate route. Got that? LOL ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/17 "2012-11-12T00:56:14Z")
I’ve always believed in the derivation that “freeway” originally referred to a toll-free limited access highway, in the days when this was a new thing in the American West (as opposed to the toll roads in the more eastern parts of the country). But ALL such limited access highways in the West were free (once upon a time, when the world was much younger), so the distinct meaning of “freeway” was largely forgotten over the years. So when some limited access highways in California began to charge tolls (an utterly blasphemous abomination!) they continued to be called “freeway” because the word had simply come to mean a limited access highway. The few remaining Old Ones among us who remember these things will never be heard to call any toll road a “freeway”. What a gruesome grotesque oxymoron! ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/18 "2012-11-12T01:02:08Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Interstates are always freeways (in my experience, anyhow. Any exceptions to this?) [Interstate 180 in Wyoming.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_180_%28Wyoming%29) ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/19 "2012-11-12T01:04:02Z")
“Freedom of movement”. My cite is driver’s Ed. from 30 years ago, where they specifically told us that and specifically said that it would be on the test, so we should all get it right. And it was on the test, and I did get it right, and now it’s so deeply etched in my brain it will never come out. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708/20 "2012-11-12T01:48:55Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > A toll road is typically called a turnpike. > [@robert\_columbia](#): > > There are some roads that are called turnpikes today but that do not have tolls. While we’re at it, can somebody explain why roads, toll or otherwise, are called “turnpikes”? It’s always struck me as a weird word. I tried looking it up, but all I found for the origin is > [@](#): > > Middle English _turnepike_ revolving frame bearing spikes and serving as a barrier, from _turnen_ to turn + _pike_ which doesn’t explain how we got from a revolving frame bearing spikes to a type of road. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-freeways-called-that-even-when-theres-a-toll/640708.md?page=2)