Difference between a Highway and Freeway
There are all sorts of roads located across the landscape. They can range from tiny foot paths up to superhighways with multiple lanes in metropolitan areas. Some will consist no more of dirt. Others will be filled with gravel. Still more will be constructed of blacktop. And finally, we have concrete roadways that not only make up our city streets but also connect entire cities. Those roads that connect our cities and towns to each other are primarily known today as highways or freeways.
So just what is the difference between a highway and a freeway? To find the answer, let’s go back in history a bit. In the days before automobiles took us from one place to another, there were trails created by horses, carriages, and human footprints that would lead individuals from either their homes or the towns in which they resided to other homes and towns. Although paved roadways can be traced back to the ancient Romans, in almost every case these pathways consisted or bare ground worn by the travelers who used them. In time, they came to be known as highways.
With the invention of the automobile in the late 19th century, it didn’t take long to realize that these new machines and dirt roads didn’t mix. To remedy his problem, these trails that already led travelers to other places slowly began to become paved with concrete. This made automobile travel just as smooth as that of railways used by trains. The highway label remained, but now they were assigned with either a numerical or lettered designation. Two lanes of opposing traffic were separated by broken yellow lines. In hilly and/or curvy locations, solid yellow lines were painted onto the road surface to indicate zones where passing was prohibited, and these “no passing” zones still exist today. A modern highway typically has two lanes of traffic and will be designated as either a county route, a state route, or a US route. US highways therefore run through multiple states. In addition, highways have intersections that will run perpendicular to the road with cross traffic and they will run directly through cities and towns.
In the late 1930s, a new type of superhighway was being developed in Germany. Under the direction of none other than Adolph Hitler, these were known as Autobahns. It would be some 20 years before the United States would follow suit with the Interstate highway system. Interstates proved to serve a very useful purpose. Built with four lanes instead of two, they were designed for faster and far safer travel. In addition, the broken lines separating lanes were painted white. Speed limits were set higher because there were no cross intersections. Entering or exiting these roads was accomplished via ramps usually built in a cloverleaf fashion. These types of roads known as Interstates are still here today and are also commonly referred to as freeways.
However, this terminology can get confusing at times, and here’s why: Some US and even state highways have sections of four-lane, uninterrupted traffic as well. In such cases, these are technically freeways, too. On the other hand, turnpikes, which are constructed in the same manner as Interstates; are NOT considered freeways because motorists are required to pay a toll to use them. To make matters more confusing, turnpikes often double as Interstates. For example, if you are traveling on Interstate 35 through the state of Kansas, you will have to pay a toll to drive from Emporia to the Oklahoma border because this particular section of I-35 is part of the Kansas Turnpike. Thus, from Kansas City to Emporia, I-35 is a freeway, but from Emporia all the way to the Oklahoma line, it is not.
Put simply, a freeway can be defined as a toll-free, four-lane road with limited access via on and off-ramps and no cross traffic whether it is designated as an Interstate OR a highway.
A highway; on the other hand, is any road with cross traffic that connects two points.
