A typical expressway in Santa Clara County, California. California is among those U.S. states which legally distinguish between expressways and freeways. Note the presence of traffic lights.

An expressway is a divided highway for high-speed traffic with at least partial control of access. However, as explained below, the degree of access allowed varies between countries and even between regions within the same country. In some jurisdictions, expressways are divided arterial roads with limits on the frequency of driveways and intersecting cross-streets. In other jurisdictions, access to expressways is limited only to grade-separated interchanges, making them the full equivalent of freeways. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x595, 128 KB)Intersection of Santa Clara County Route G4, San Tomas Expressway, with Monroe Street, in Santa Clara, California. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x595, 128 KB)Intersection of Santa Clara County Route G4, San Tomas Expressway, with Monroe Street, in Santa Clara, California. ... “Traffic Signal” redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A limited-access road or controlled-access road is a road to which access from adjacent properties is limited in some way. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Driveway to a farm A driveway is a type of private road for local access to one or a small group of structures, and maintained by an individual or group. ... High-capacity freeway interchange in Los Angeles, California. ... Interstate 80 (Eastshore Freeway) in Berkeley, California: a typical American freeway (MUTCD definition) A freeway, also known as a highway, superhighway, autoroute, autobahn, autostrada, dual carriageway, expressway, Autosnelweg or motorway, depending on the country of discussion, is a type of road designed for safer high-speed operation of motor vehicles...

The term “expressway” is currently used in Australia, Canada, China, India, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and the United States (where the term originated).^{[citation needed]}

United States

Riding a bicycle on the expressway is both legal and popular in California

In the United States, an expressway is defined by the federal government’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices as a divided highway with partial control of access.^[1] In contrast, a freeway is defined as a divided highway with full control of access.^[2] The difference between partial and full access control is that expressways may have a limited number of driveways and at-grade intersections (thus making them a form of high-speed arterial road), while access to freeways is allowed only at grade-separated interchanges. Expressways under this definition do not conform to interstate highway standards (which ban practically all driveways and at-grade intersections) and are therefore usually numbered as state highways or U.S. highways. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x646, 207 KB) Summary A bicyclist avoiding a minivan merging into traffic on Foothill Expressway in Los Altos, California. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x646, 207 KB) Summary A bicyclist avoiding a minivan merging into traffic on Foothill Expressway in Los Altos, California. ... “Velo” redirects here. ... This article describes the government of the United States. ... The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) is a document issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to specify the standards by which traffic signs, road markings (see lane), and signals are designed, installed, and used. ... Interstate 80 (Eastshore Freeway) in Berkeley, California: a typical American freeway (MUTCD definition) A freeway, also known as a highway, superhighway, autoroute, autobahn, autostrada, dual carriageway, expressway, Autosnelweg or motorway, depending on the country of discussion, is a type of road designed for safer high-speed operation of motor vehicles... Interstate Highways in the lower 48 states. ... This article is about the idea of state highways State Highway, and is more formally known as Route 139 State highway, and state route are terms that usually apply to numbered highways that are primarily administered and financed by a state government in countries that are divided into states. ... Current U.S. Highway shield The United States Highway System is an integrated system of roads in the United States numbered within a nationwide grid. ...

This distinction was first developed in 1949 by the Special Committee on Nomenclature of what is now the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials(AASHTO).^[3] In turn, the definitions were incorporated into AASHTO's official standards book, the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which would become the national standards book of the U.S. Department of Transportation under a 1966 federal statute. The same distinction has also been codified into the statutory law of seven states: California,^[4] Mississippi,^[5] Missouri,^[6] Nebraska,^[7] North Dakota,^[8] Ohio,^[9] and Wisconsin.^[10] However, each state codified the federal distinction slightly differently. California expressways do not necessarily have to be divided, though they must have at least partial access control. For both terms to apply, in Wisconsin, a divided highway must be at least four lanes wide; in Missouri, both terms apply only to divided highways at least 10 miles long that are not part of the Interstate Highway System. In North Dakota and Mississippi, an expressway may have "full or partial" access control and "generally" has grade separations at intersections; a freeway is then defined as an expressway with full access control. Ohio's statute is similar, but instead of the vague word "generally," it imposes a requirement that 50% of an expressway's intersections must be grade-separated for the term to apply. AASHTO, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols and guidelines which are used in highway design and construction throughout the United States. ... The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) is a Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transport. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Largest metro area St Louis[1] Area  Ranked 21st  - Total 69,709 sq mi (180,693 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 300 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... Official language(s) English Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Largest metro area Omaha Area  Ranked 16th  - Total 77,421 sq mi (200,520 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Area  Ranked 19th  - Total 70,762 sq mi (183,272 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 340 miles (545 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42°30N to 47°3N  - Longitude 86°49W to 92°54W Population  Ranked...

However, many states around the Great Lakes region and along the Eastern Seaboard have refused to conform their terminology to the federal definition. The following states officially prefer the term “expressway” instead of “freeway” to describe what are technically freeways in federal parlance: Connecticut,^[11] Florida,^[12] Illinois,^[13] Indiana,^{[citation needed]} Maryland,^[14] Massachusetts,^{[citation needed]} New Jersey,^{[citation needed]} New York,^{[citation needed]} Pennsylvania,^{[citation needed]} South Carolina,^{[citation needed]} Virginia,^{[citation needed]} and West Virginia.^[15] In those states, the term "freeway" is not in common usage and it is common to find Interstate highways which bear the name “expressway.” Minnesota officially uses "freeway" and "expressway" interchangeably (with both defined as what federal officials call freeways).^[16] The Great Lakes from space The Laurentian Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada-United States border. ... Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport Largest metro area Hartford Area  Ranked 48th  - Total 5,543[2] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Official language(s) English Capital Indianapolis Largest city Indianapolis Area  Ranked 38th  - Total 36,418 sq mi (94,321 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 270 miles (435 km)  - % water 1. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N  - Longitude 75° 03′ W to 79° 29... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... “NY” redirects here. ... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32° 2′ N to 35° 13′ N  - Longitude... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... Interstate Highways in the lower 48 states. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ...

Most expressways under the federal definition have speed limits of 45-55 mph (70-90 km/h) in urban areas and 55-70 mph (90-110 km/h) in rural areas. Urban expressways are usually free of private driveways, but occasional exceptions include direct driveways to gas stations and shopping centers at major intersections (which would never be allowed on a true freeway). A road speed limit is the maximum speed allowed by law for road vehicles. ... Modern gas station A filling station, gas station or petrol station is a facility that sells fuel for road motor vehicles – usually petrol (US: gas/gasoline), diesel fuel and LPG. The term gas station is mostly particular to the United States of America and Canada, where petrol is known... For the traditional meaning of the word mall, see mall. ...

The vast majority of expressways are built by state governments, or by private companies which then operate them as toll roads pursuant to a license from the state government. A state government is the government of a subnational entity in nation-states with federal forms of government, which shares political power with the federal government or national government. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

A famous example of a local government getting into the expressway business is Santa Clara County in California, which deliberately built its own expressway system in the 1960s to supplement the freeway system then planned by Caltrans. Although the county planned to upgrade the expressways into full-fledged freeways, such a project became politically infeasible after the rise of the tax revolt movement in the mid-1970s. Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a state or province. ... Santa Clara County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... The Santa Clara County Expressway System is a unique system of high-capacity, partially controlled-access roads in Santa Clara County, California (in the United States). ... Caltrans logo The soaring ramps in the stack interchanges favored by Caltrans often provide stunning views. ... A tax revolt is a political struggle to repeal, limit, or roll back a government-imposed tax. ...

Canada

In some parts of Canada, expressway is synonymous with freeway and is used to mean limited-access divided-highways with no at-grade intersections, with both terms used interchangeably. Examples include the Gardiner Expressway through downtown Toronto. Where the expressway turns into a 6-lane arterial road (Lake Shore Boulevard) east of the Don River, there is a sign warning of the end of the expressway. The Macdonald-Cartier Freeway is an example of a route that uses the freeway term. Interstate 80 (Eastshore Freeway) in Berkeley, California: a typical American freeway (MUTCD definition) A freeway, also known as a highway, superhighway, autoroute, autobahn, autostrada, dual carriageway, expressway, Autosnelweg or motorway, depending on the country of discussion, is a type of road designed for safer high-speed operation of motor vehicles... View of the Gardiner Expressway, west of downtown Toronto, from the pedestrian overpass at the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The river as it runs beneath the Bloor/Danforth trestle bridge The Don River is one of two rivers bounding the original settled area of Toronto, Canada along the shore of Lake Ontario, the other being the Humber River to the west. ... This article is about the Ontario 400-series highway. ...

The new Veterans Memorial Parkway in London, Ontario, has intersections instead of interchanges, thus the Parkway is not considered a freeway. The Parkway was designed to be a limited access highway for the city but the lack of funding for the highway forced it to be built as at-grade intersections. Other examples include the Hanlon Parkway in Guelph and Regional Road 420 in Niagara Falls. Veterans Memorial Parkway is a 11. ... Nickname: Location of London in relation to Middlesex County and the Province of Ontario Coordinates: , Country Canada Province Ontario County Middlesex County Settled 1826 as a village Incorporated 1855 as a city Government  - City Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best  - Governing Body London City Council  - MPs Sue Barnes (LPC) Glen Pearson... Interstate 80 (Eastshore Freeway) in Berkeley, California: a typical American freeway (MUTCD definition) A freeway, also known as a highway, superhighway, autoroute, autobahn, autostrada, dual carriageway, expressway, Autosnelweg or motorway, depending on the country of discussion, is a type of road designed for safer high-speed operation of motor vehicles... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Hanlon Parkway is a high-capacity at-grade suburban expressway in the city of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, which connects it with Highway 401. ... Nickname: Motto: Faith, Fidelity and Progress Coordinates: , Country Canada Province Ontario County Wellington County City Wards There are 6 Wards Founded April 23, 1827 Incorporated April 23, 1879 Government  - Mayor Karen Farbridge (elected November 2006)  - Governing Body Guelph City Council  - MPs Brenda Chamberlain (LPC)  - MPPs Liz Sandals (OLP) Area  - City... Highway 420 as part of the 400-series network Highway 420 is a 400-Series Highway in Ontario, Canada. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

In other locations, such as Alberta and most of Western Canada, an expressway is a high-speed arterial road along the lines of the California definition, while a freeway has no at-grade intersections. Motto: Fortis et liber(Latin) Strong and free Capital Edmonton Largest city Calgary Official languages English (see below) Government - Lieutenant-Governor Norman Kwong - Premier Ed Stelmach (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 28 - Senate seats 6 Confederation September 1, 1905 (split from Northwest Territories) (8th [Province]) Area Ranked... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

References

The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) is a document issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to specify the standards by which traffic signs, road markings (see lane), and signals are designed, installed, and used. ... The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) is a document issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to specify the standards by which traffic signs, road markings (see lane), and signals are designed, installed, and used. ...

See also

• Limited-access highway
• Controlled-access highway
• Supercorridor

A limited-access highway is a highway where access is limited. ... A controlled-access highway is a step up from a limited-access highway. ... Supercorridor is the name of a proposed new type of transportation infrastructure in the United States. ...

External links

• http://www.expresswaysite.com/