Many countries have national networks of controlled-access highways, the names of which vary from one country to another e.g. freeway or motorway. The networks do not always include all such highways, or even all the major ones in the country.
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or a translation for Autobahn, autostrada, autoroute, etc.
The Quebec Autoroute System or le système d'autoroute au Québec is a network of freeways within the province of Quebec, Canada, operating under the same principle of controlled access as the Interstate Highway System in the United States and the 400-series highways in neighbouring Ontario. The Autoroutes are the backbone of Quebec's highway system, spanning almost 2,400 km (1,491 mi). The speed limit on the Autoroutes is generally 100 km/h (62 mph) in rural areas and 70–90 km/h (43–56 mph) in urban areas; most roads are made of asphalt concrete.
A dual carriageway (BrE) or a divided highway (AmE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are designed to higher standards with controlled access are generally classed as motorways, freeways, etc., rather than dual carriageways.
A routenumber, designation or abbreviation is an identifying numeric designation assigned by a highway authority to a particular stretch of roadway to distinguish it from other routes and, in many cases, also to indicate its classification, general geographical location and/or orientation. The numbers chosen may be used solely for internal administrative purposes; however, in most cases they are also displayed on roadside signage and indicated on maps.
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 slow modes of transport, such as bicycles, horse-drawn vehicles or ridden horses, or self-propelled agricultural machines; and very few or no intersecting cross-streets or level crossings. The degree of isolation from local traffic allowed varies between countries and regions. The precise definition of these terms varies by jurisdiction.
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms include throughway or thruway and parkway. Some of these may be limited-access highways, although this term can also refer to a class of highways with somewhat less isolation from other traffic.
The Spanish motorway (highway) network is the third largest in the world, by length. As of 2019, there are 17,228 km (10,705 mi) of High Capacity Roads in the country. There are two main types of such roads, autopistas and autovías, which differed in the strictness of the standards they are held to.
Switzerland has a two-class highway system: motorways with separated roads for oncoming traffic and a standard maximal speed limit of 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph), and expressways often with oncoming traffic and a standard maximal speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph).
A two-lane expressway or two-lane freeway is an expressway or freeway with only one lane in each direction, and usually no median barrier. It may be built that way because of constraints, or may be intended for expansion once traffic volumes rise. The term super two is often used by roadgeeks for this type of road, but traffic engineers use that term for a high-quality surface road. Most of these roads are not tolled.
The Autopista AP-6 (also called Autopista del Noroeste or Carretera de La Coruña is a part of the Spanish A-6 Autopista del Noroeste starting at Las Rozas de Madrid and finished at Adanero. Between Las Rozas and Collado Villalba, is a freeway. All of it is a Free/tollway or a Motorway. Las Rozas-Collado Villalba is not a Spanish "Autovía" autopista toll route which starts in Collado Villalba and ends in Adanero. The portion, between Las Rozas and Collado Villalba, forms part of it, but without toll. Madrid-Las Rozas, Adanero-Arteixo on the same route is a Spanish "autovía" not a free/tollway, motorway, either a two-lane road. "Autovia" is in the middle between both road types, but the crosses always are with bridges like in the motorways/toll/freeway.
Highways in Croatia are the main transport network in Croatia. The Croatian classification includes several classes of highways:
This article describes the highway systems available in selected countries.
The Beijing–Lhasa Expressway, commonly abbreviated to Jingzang Expressway, is part of the Chinese national expressway network and is planned to connect the nation's capital, Beijing, to the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Lhasa.
The Freeway Bureau is the government agency under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of the Taiwan (ROC) in charge for freeway-related matters.
Roads in Bosnia and Herzegovina are the most important traffic branch in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an important part of the European road network. Roads are built, maintained and supervised by companies run by the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska. The total length of roads in the country as of 2020 is 9,110 km (5,660 mi), and they are categorized as motorways, main and regional.