Limited-access road
A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, and partial controlled access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which has many or most characteristics of a controlled-access highway, including limited or no access to adjacent property, some degree of separation of opposing traffic flow, use of grade separated interchanges to some extent, prohibition of some modes of transport such as cars, bicycles or horses, and very few or no intersecting cross-streets. The degree of isolation from local traffic allowed varies between countries and regions. The precise definition of these terms varies by jurisdiction.
is shown with parallel service roads for local traffic in the Aptos area.
History
The first implementation of limited-access roadways in the United States was the Bronx River Parkway in New York, in 1907. The New York State Parkway System was constructed as a network of high-speed roads in and around New York City. The first limited access highway built is thought to be the privately built Long Island Motor Parkway in Long Island, New York. The Southern State Parkway opened in 1927, while the Long Island Motor Parkway was closed in 1937 and replaced by the Northern State Parkway and the contiguous Grand Central Parkway.Bike freeway
The first Dutch bike freeway route opened in 2004 between Breda and Etten-Leur; many others have been added since thenRegional implementations
In the United States, the national Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices uses "full control of access" only for freeways. Expressways are defined as having "partial control of access", meaning that major roads typically use interchanges and commercial development is accessed via cross roads or frontage roads, while minor roads can cross at grade and farms can have direct access. This definition is also used by some states, some of which also restrict freeways only to motor vehicles capable of maintaining a certain speed. Some other states use "controlled access" to mean a higher standard than "limited access", while others reverse the two terms.Oceania
Australia
While Australia's larger capital cities feature controlled-access highway networks, the smaller metropolitan areas mostly rely on limited-access highways for high-speed local traffic.In South Australia the terms "expressway" and "freeway" can be synonymous. The Southern and Northern Expressways are both controlled-access highways. However, perhaps confusingly, the Port River Expressway is a limited-access highway.
Dual carriageways that connect capital cities and regional centres, such as the M31 Hume Highway between Sydney and Melbourne, are almost all limited-access highways. In spite of this, 'freeway' terminology is used on signage for most regional limited access highways in the state of Victoria.
, a typical non-freeway-type motorway in New Zealand
New Zealand: ''Expressway, Motorway''
The terms Motorway and Expressway in New Zealand both encompass multi-lane divided freeways as well as narrower 2-4-lane undivided expressways with varying degrees of grade separation; the difference being that in New Zealand a Motorway has certain additional legal traffic restrictions.Asia
China
The Expressway Network of the People's Republic of China is the longest highway system in the world. The network is also known as National Trunk Highway System. By the end of 2016, the total length of China's expressway network reached 131,000 kilometers.Expressways in China are a fairly recent addition to a complex network of roads. China's first expressway was built in 1988. Until 1993, very few expressways existed. The network is expanding rapidly after 2000. In 2011, 11,000 kilometres of expressways were added to the network.
Pakistan
The Expressways of Pakistan are a network of multiple-lane, high-speed highways in Pakistan, which are owned, maintained and operated federally by Pakistan's National Highway Authority. They are one class lower than the country's motorways and are usually upgraded versions of the national highways. The total length of Pakistan's expressways is as of November, 2016. Around of expressways are currently under construction in different parts of country. Most of these expressways will be complete between 2017 and 2020.India
Expressways in India make up more than of the Indian National Highway System on which they are the highest class of road. The National Highways Development Project is underway to add an additional of expressways to the network by the year 2022.Iran
Expressways in Iran are one class lower than freeways and are used in large urban areas such as Isfahan, Mashhad, or Tehran and between other important cities in rural and desert areas. The speed limit in Urban areas is between and in rural and desert areas between.Japan
The term Expressway as used in English in Japan refers to both freeway-style highways and narrower, more winding, often undivided Regional High-Standard Highways 地域高規格道路. Both types of expressways have a combined length of as of April 2012.Malaysia
Limited-access roads in Malaysia usually, but not always, take the name . Highways normally have a lower speed limit than expressways, and permit at-grade intersections and junctions to residential roads and shopfronts, although grade separation is still typical. Highways are normally toll-free and are owned and operated by the federal government. Notable examples of limited-access roads are the Federal Highway, Skudai Highway, Gelugor Highway, Kuantan Bypass and Kuching Bypass.Singapore
Limited-access roads in Singapore are formally known as . While still functioning as high-speed roads, semi-expressways may still have at-grade intersections with traffic lights, and speed limits are not uniform. Grade separation is, however, still typical at major junctions. Five roads have been designated as semi-expressways: Bukit Timah Road, Jurong Island Highway, Nicoll Highway, Outer Ring Road System and West Coast Highway.South Korea
Motorways in South Korea includes various grades of highways other than expressways. Contrary to the expressway in South Korea, motorway is a measure of traffic control, rather than a class of the road. For example, Jayu-ro is a segment of the national route 77 as well as a motorway. As of June 2011, 1,610 km of highways in total were designated as motorways.Like expressways, motorcycles are not permitted.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has ensured to classify the expressways in reference to the connotation of E grades., three expressways namely the Southern Expressway, Outer Circular Expressway and the Colombo – Katunayake Expressway have been created. A tax levying structure is proposed for travelling via the expressways. Speed limits in the range of 80–100 km/h is attested for travelling through the expressways. Up to now two expressways namely the Northern Expressway and the Ruwanpura Expressway are in process to satisfy the needs of public transport.Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Expressways in Taiwan may be controlled-access highways similar to National Freeways or limited-access roads. Most have Provincial Highway status, although some are built and maintained by cities. All provincial expressways run east–west except for Provincial Highway No. 61, which runs north–south along the west coast. Some provincial expressway routes are still under construction.Europe
Austria: ''Schnellstraße''
In Austria the speed limit on a Schnellstraße is. Schnellstraßen are very similar to Austrian Autobahnen ; the chief difference is that they are more cheaply built with smaller curve radius, often undivided and have fewer bridges and tunnels.Belgium: ''Autoweg''
In Belgium an autoweg is a public road, the beginning of which is indicated by the first signboard and the end by the second sign.An important difference with an autosnelweg is that crossroads as well as traffic lights can be on an autoweg.
In Belgium there is no specific speed regulation for an autoweg.
Only motor vehicles and their trailers, agricultural vehicles and the towing of fairground vehicles, as well as four-wheelers, are allowed to drive on an autoweg.
An autoweg can consist of two or more lanes. The driving directions can be separated by a roadmarking, or by a central reservation. If a public road consists of two or more lanes that are clearly separated from each other by a roadside or a space that is not accessible to vehicles, the drivers may not drive on the lane opposite to them.
Croatia: ''Brza cesta''
In Croatia, the term brza cesta is used to describe a motor vehicle-only road, usually grade-separated, without an emergency lane, with a speed limit of, although it can be lowered, usually to. They range from 2+2 lane dual carriageways with grade-separated intersections and speed limit, four or six-lane urban streets with at-grade intersections with traffic lights or two-lane single carriageways with grade-separated intersections. They are either a standalone state road or a part of one. Some portions of motorways are expressways since they are either in construction or designed as such. As a rule, the expressways are not tolled, however major tunnels on expressways are tolled.Czech Republic: ''Rychlostní silnice''
Expressways in the Czech Republic. Expressway road signs are white on blue.Denmark: ''Motortrafikvej''
In Denmark, a 'motortrafikvej' is a high-speed highway with a speed limit between. The most common 'motortrafikvej' has two lanes or 2+1. There is no grade intersections. The signs for 'motortrafikvej' have white text on blue background.Finland: ''Moottoriliikennetie''
In Finland, highways are separated into three categories: all-access valtatie, limited-access moottoriliikennetie and finally moottoritie ; the latter two are marked with green signage, while valtatie signage is blue. While most of the network is all-access road, of it is motorway, and is limited-access road. The access is limited to motor vehicles faster than 50 km/h, thus excluding pedestrian, bicycle, moped or tractor traffic; furthermore, towing is not allowed. Limited-access roads are generally similar to motorways, but do not fulfill all the technical requirements, such as several lanes in one direction or separation of opposite directions. Limited-access roads are usually built because the local population density is too low to justify a motorway. Often space has been left during construction for an eventual upgrade to a motorway. Limited-access roads also function as feeder routes for motorways. The general speed limit on main roads and limited-access roads is 100 km/h and 80 km/h. On motorways the speed limits are 120 and 100 km/h respectively. Especially during winter the speed limits can be changed due to weather conditions.Germany: ''Kraftfahrstraße''
A Kraftfahrstrasse in Germany is any road with access limited to motor vehicles with a maximum design speed of more than, excluding pedestrian, bicycle, moped or tractor traffic. Oversized vehicles are banned.The construction of transregional Kraftfahrstraßen highways rank below the standard of German autobahns. With regard to the general German speed limits, on roads with lanes separated by a median or with a minimum of two marked lanes per direction, an advisory speed limit of applies. At-grade intersections are admissible, regulation at junctions is usually provided by traffic lights or roundabouts. U-turns and any deliberate stopping are prohibited. Kraftfahrstraßen are out of bounds to pedestrians, except for special crosswalks.
Hungary: ''Autóút''
Expressways in Hungary are called Autóút. They are mostly dual carriageways.The main difference between Hungarian motorways and expressways is, that they are more cheaply built with narrower width and often undivided.
Maximum speed limit is reduced to 110 km/h for vehicles under 3.5 tons, and 70 km/h for vehicles over 3.5 tons.
In Hungary there are multiple types of dual carriageways. One part is almost identical with motorways, but the driving lanes are narrower.
Parameters of a 2+2 lane dual carriageway off-habitat area:
- Total width of road: 25.60 m
- Driving lane width: 3.50 m
- Pavement width: 2x10.25 m
- Parking lane: 3.00 m
- Middle separation area width: 3.60 m
- Total width of road: 24.10 m
- Driving lane width: 3.50 m
- Pavement width: 2x10.75 m
- Parking lane: 3.00 m
- Middle separation area width: 3.60 m
After the missing lanes are built, they will become standard motorways.
Ireland: ''HQDC''
A High-quality dual carriageway in Ireland is normally completed to a motorway standard, including no right-turns, but with no motorway restrictions. These are common on the final stretches of motorways nearing a major city, generally in order to enable use of bus stops and city bus services on the particular stretch of road.There are not yet any specific signs for this type of road, but the National Roads Authority have hinted that they are looking at implementing the German-style Autostrasse sign in Ireland.
Speed limits are normally 100 km/h compared to 120 km/h on motorways
Italy: ''Superstrada''
In Italy there are:Type B highway, commonly but unofficially known as superstrada, is a divided highway with at least two lanes for each direction, paved shoulder on the right, no cross-traffic and no at-grade intersections. Access restrictions on such highways are exactly the same of Italian motorways, as well as signage at the beginning and the end of the highway. Speed limit on type-B road is 110 km/h.
Type C highway, a single carriageway with at least one lane for each direction and shoulders. It may have at-grade, at-level crossings with railways, roundabouts and traffic lights. This category contains also dual carriageways that can not be classified as type-B highways because of the lack of one or more required features. In absence of specific regulation signs, a type-C road is accessible by all vehicles and pedestrians, even if it has separate carriageways and no cross-traffic.
The sign shown here on the left allows access only to motorized vehicles. Speed limit on type-C roads is 90 km/h.
Netherlands: ''Autoweg''
The Netherlands has much more kilometres of motorways, than expressways. The latter only form a complementary part of the country's main highway network. They are typically shorter than motorways, offering connections of a more regional significance. The general speed limit is 100 km/h. Only faster motor vehicles, both capable and legally allowed to go at least 50 km/h, may use the road. Autowegen are always numbered and mostly signposted with an N and up to three digits, like. For the most part they fall under national or provincial management.Dutch expressways are built to significantly varying standards. Designs range from fully controlled-access dual carriageways with grade separation, center dividers and full hard shoulders, to single carriageways with just one lane per direction and only intermittent shoulder patches called Vluchthavens. Intersections are frequently at grade with traffic lights, or they are roundabouts. Although there are never level railway crossings, there can be moveable bridges in these roads. In either case, the speed limit is frequently reduced to 70 km/h before reaching the junction or the bridge.
Since 1997 a national traffic safety program called Sustainable Safety has introduced a new road categorisation and new design standards. Although autowegen don't have to conform completely to the new Dutch design standard for regional flow roads, many of these roads require at least some upgrades. The ideal is to make expressways divided and grade-separated, as much as possible. Otherwise these roads are downgraded to the safety category of distributor roads, thereby losing their expressway status.
Norway: ''Motortrafikkvei''
In Norway, a motortrafikkvei, formerly called motorvei klasse B is a high-speed highway with a speed limit of up to 90 km/h. There are no at grade intersections. Direction signs for motortrafikkvei have black text on yellow background, while same signs on motorvei have white text on blue background. As of October 2017 the Norwegian Road DataBase show approximately 455km of motortrafikkvei in Norway., Poland
Poland: ''droga ekspresowa''
Droga ekspresowa in Poland refers to a network of roads fulfilling the role of bringing traffic to the motorways, and serving major international and inter-regional purposes. They are often built as ring roads since they take less space than motorway and allow more entrances and exits. All expressways start with the letter S, followed by a number. They can be dual or single carriageways and have reduced number of one level intersections. As of May 2004 the Polish government documents indicated that the country had plans of an expressway and motorway network totalling . The speed limit is 120 km/h and 100 km/h.Portugal: ''via rápida''
In Portugal, a non-motorway limited access road is commonly referred as a via rápida, although there is not a specific official technical designation for it.The legal term via reservada a automóveis e motociclos is used to designate a non-motorway road where motorway rules apply. However, this term refers only to the road rules and not to the road technical characteristics.
There are two main types of roads commonly referred as vias rápidas in Portugal. The first type is a limited access road, with dual carriageway and with interchanges grade separation. Many of these roads have all or almost all the technical characteristics of full motorways. Examples are the several urban highways in cities like Lisbon, Oporto, Coimbra and Braga. In Madeira, the main regional highways, that connect the cities and other important places of the island, are mainly of these type, there are two vias rápidas classified as motorways in the region, VR1 and VR2.
The second Portuguese type of via rápida is a highway with all the same characteristics of the above first type, except the number of carriageways that is only one. Examples of this type of roads are the ancient IP4 and IP5, the Portalegre-Beja section of the IP2, the Coimbra-Viseu section of the IP3 and several complementary routes.
The dual carriageway vias rápidas can be classified and signalized as reserved ways for automobiles and motorcycles, cases in which general motorway rules apply, except speed limited which is never above 100 km/h. In dual carriageway vias rápidas not signalized as reserved ways, normal road rules apply, including speed limit which is never above 90 km/h. Single carriageway vias rápidas cannot be classified and signalized as reserved ways and so normal road rules always apply there.
Romania
In Romania, such roads are called drumuri expres. Whilst there are no expressways in Romania so far, their main difference from regular motorways are the lack of hard shoulders and a slightly lower speed limit of 120 km/h, otherwise, being similar to a motorway regarding grade separation and featuring at least 2 lanes per direction.Expressways were introduced for the first time on the 2014 roads masterplan. This masterplan envisaged building most planned motorways up to expressway standards, provided that in the future they would be converted to actual motorways. However, by mid-2019, no expressway has been built, nevermind starting works on one, although contracts were signed to allow for their construction, meaning that in the 2020s the first expressways will likely be completed.
Planned expressways according to CNADNR, based on the 2014 roads masterplan:
Russia
Russia has a large federal highway network that totals approximately. Federal highways in the country are classified into two categories: "motorways" and "other".Spain: ''Autovía''
Unlike Spain's Autopistas, specifically reserved for vehicles able to sustain at least 60 km/h, and usually tolled, Autovías are usually upgrades from older roads, and never toll roads. In general, slow vehicles like bicycles and agricultural machinery are allowed under certain restrictions.Sweden
The Swedish road type motortrafikled is a road with limited access and two or three lanes. According to the EU's multilingual term base, motortrafikled should be translated to expressway, rapid road or road with limited access. The same rules apply to a motortrafikled as to a motorway - it is basically a half motorway. The speed limit is usually 90 – 100 km/h. Many motortrafikleder are built as 2+1 roads, alternating two lanes in one direction and one in the other, with a narrow fence in between.Switzerland
In Switzerland Autostrasse, semi-autoroute, or semiautostrade is a highway that is only allowed to high-speed traffic with no crossings, but it is not the highest class road, the motorways. The speed limit on these roads in Switzerland is. Most of the Autostrasse / semi-autoroutes / semiautostrade have no central barrier separating the lanes in different directions.United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the second tier of high speed roads below Motorways are typically dual carriageways. Many roads such as the A1, the A14, the A19 and the A42 are built to a high quality, in many places they are only intersected by grade-separated junctions, have full barriers at both the road side and the central reservations and in some cases three lanes of traffic, however for at least one reason they fall short of motorway standard. They may lack some features that a motorway would have, such as hard shoulders, and may have tighter bends and steeper gradients than would be allowed on a motorway or have established rights of way that cannot be removed. The standard motorway speed limit for cars of also applies to many dual carriageways.In March 2015, it was announced that a new standard would be developed to formally designate certain high-quality routes in England as Expressways.
North America
Canada
In Ontario, expressway is synonymous with freeway and is used to mean limited-access divided-highways with no at-grade intersections. An example of this is the Gardiner Expressway through western and downtown Toronto, and once it turns into a 6-lane arterial road east of the Don River, there is a sign warning of the end of the freeway. The E. C. Row Expressway in Windsor, Ontario is a controlled-access divided freeway with grade-separated interchanges, between Ojibway Parkway at its western terminus and Banwell Road at its eastern terminus, where there are traffic intersections at both termini. The Macdonald–Cartier Freeway would be an example of a route that uses the term freeway, however, that name is being phased out by the Ministry of Transportation. In general, the term "expressway" is used more frequently for municipally maintained roads, while provincial freeways are known more by their route number despite some of them having an "expressway" name for all or part of their length, such as the.The Veterans Memorial Parkway in London, Ontario, has intersections instead of interchanges, and thus is considered an expressway and not a freeway. It was originally designed with sufficient right-of-way to be built as a full freeway, but a lack of funding forced it to be built with at-grade intersections. Similarly, the Hanlon Parkway in Guelph and Highway 40 in Sarnia, Ontario were originally opened with intersections in lieu of interchanges, save for the couple grade-separated interchanges. Regional Road 420 in Niagara Falls is also an expressway. While Allen Road and Highway 400 were originally full freeways, their extensions were built as expressways with at-grade intersections.
Two sections of Highway 11, between Barrie and Orillia as well as between Orillia and Gravenhurst, are a Right-in Right-out expressway rather than a full freeway. The southern portion of Highway 35 is also a RIRO expressway.
In most of Western Canada, an expressway is a high-speed arterial road along the lines of the California definition, while a freeway is fully controlled access with no at-grade intersections. In Alberta, the term "Trail" refers to both full freeways, or high-speed arterials with a mix of signalized intersections and interchanges. The Yellowhead Trail as it passes through Edmonton, Alberta has both intersections and interchanges. It is the main east-west artery for the northern half of the city. There are plans to upgrade many of the most congested remaining intersections into interchanges in the near future.
In Quebec, the term freeway is never used, with the terms expressway and autoroute being preferred. English terms are rare, and only found on bilingual signage of expressways found in Montreal around bridges and on the Bonaventure Expressway; these signs are controlled by the federal government. Most of the Autoroutes are built or at least designed to be upgrade to a full freeway, a notable exception is the section of Autoroute 20 through Vaudreuil-Dorion and L'Île-Perrot which is an 8 km urban boulevard.
United States
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. In contrast, a freeway is defined as a divided highway with full control of access. The difference between partial and full access control is that expressways may have a limited number of driveways and at-grade intersections, while access to freeways is allowed only at grade-separated interchanges. Expressways under this definition do not conform to Interstate highway standards and are therefore usually numbered as state highways or U.S. Highways.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. 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 eight states: California, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
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. Only Minnesota enacted the exact MUTCD definitions, in May 2008.
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, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, and West Virginia. In those states, it is common to find Interstate highways that bear the name expressway. Ultimately, it is the federal definition that defines a road's classification whether it is an expressway or freeway no matter the preferred term. No state, for instance, could have what is technically an expressway given Interstate status just because semantically they use the term interchangeably with freeway.
Most expressways under the federal definition have speed limits of 45-55 mph in urban areas and 55-70 mph in rural areas. Urban expressways are usually free of private driveways, but occasional exceptions include direct driveways to gas stations and shopping malls at major intersections.
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 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 originally 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, which began with California Proposition 13 in 1978.