Controlled-access highway

A motorway in Sweden.

A freeway in Vancouver, B.C, Canada

A controlled-access highway is a highway designed to allow traffic to safely travel at fast speeds. They are known by various terms around the world. The name motorway is used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and some other Commonwealth nations. In North America and Australia, the name freeway is used. In Germany, they are called Autobahns.

These kinds of highways have four lanes or more. They carry many vehicles. They have no traffic-lights or ground level intersections. All roads crossing the highway go over a bridge or a tunnel. Ramps connect the highways to smaller roads and other highways. The place where highways meet these roads are called junctions or interchanges. Places where cars can leave or enter the motorway are called exits. Many freeways do not allow slower traffic, such as bicycles and pedestrians, to enter them.

Most controlled-access highways are divided with at least two lanes going each way, but they can be much wider in large cities.^[1]

Gallery

Autopista Central, Santiago, Chile
Autopista Los Libertadores, (International Freeway) Santiago, Chile
Highway 417 (The Queensway) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Interstate 376 eastbound in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
International E-Road E6 E20 in southwest Varberg, Sweden
An older German Autobahn without an emergency lane
Interstate 94 entering the Lowry Hill Tunnel in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
A2 Motorway connecting the city of Bucharest with Constanta, Romania
British Columbia Highway 1 in Vancouver, British Columbia
The Italian Autostrada A26 while it enters a tunnel
The "Downtown Connector" (I-75 and I-85) in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, during rush hour

Controlled-access Highway Media

The cloverleaf interchange between US 131, M-6 and 68th Street in Cutlerville, Michigan, United States, shows many of the features of controlled-access highways: entry and exit ramps, median strips for opposing traffic, no at-grade intersections and no direct access to properties.
This sign, or some variation thereof, is used to denote controlled-access highways in many countries.
Typical overhead signage on Ontario's King's Highway network featuring an airport pictogram, distances to upcoming interchanges, and lane guidance
An aerial view of Finnish national road 3 (E12), a motorway between Tampere and Helsinki in Finland
The west coast motorway E6/E20 in central Gothenburg, Sweden
Historical map of the Autostrada dei Laghi ("Lakes Motorway"; now parts of the A8 and A9 motorway) opened on 21 September 1924, Italy, the first controlled-access highway ever built in the world.
Highway interchange between the Dolphin Expressway and Palmetto Expressway (Dolphin–Palmetto Interchange) in Greater Miami, Florida, United States
Highway 401 in Southern Ontario, Canada. An example of a collector-express freeway design, the route features four carriageways through Toronto.
The A10 near Orléans, France, showing hard shoulder and emergency telephone. The broken demarcation line for the hard shoulder is specific to France, and serves as a safety reference mark for drivers: the advisory distance from the vehicle ahead is two dashes minimum.
Diagram showing lanes and road layout (Irish road markings)