Highway or Route........What Do You Say?

[ghYHZ]

What do you call roads in your province or state? Would you be more inclined to say "Highway" "Route" or "Trunk" ?

Here in Nova Scotia, the 100 series Freeways are usually just referred to as "The One Oh One" "The One Oh Two" etc...... and the 104, 105 & 106, collectively; "The Trans-Canada"

But the original highways; #1, #2, #3 etc are Trunk 1, Trunk 2, Trunk 3 in DOTIR documents but the public is more apt to say Highway 1 or Highway 2.  And the secondary roads....."Route 201" or "Route 345" etc,

In Newfoundland it's usually names you hear: "The Trans-Canada" "The Trans-Labrador" "The Viking Trail"  "The Burgeo Highway" or "The Stephenville Access" ect.

In New Brunswick .....they're "Routes": Route 1, Route 2 (The Trans-Canada), Route 935 etc.

Same in Prince Edward Island ....."The Trans Canada" (Route 1) or Route 2 .....the other main road across the island.

[froggie]

I believe we've had a thread on this topic before.

But that said, the Deep South, the Southeast, and the Upper Midwest tend to use "Highway".  Virginia and the Northeast tend to use "Route".

It's funny you mention Trunk.  Both MnDOT and WisDOT officially use the term "Trunk Highway", though WisDOT also applies it to county routes (CTH = County Trunk Highway), whereas MnDOT only uses it for state, U.S., and even Interstate routes.

[realjd]

In Florida - "US 1", "State Road 50", "I 4", "The Palmetto", and often in Orlando "the 417" and "the 408" with reference to the OOCEA toll roads.

[US71]

Highway 71, but Route 66   

[corco]

I usually just call interstates I-whatever and then US/state highways by the number without reference. As opposed to saying "get on Highway 2" or "get on Route 2" I'll just say "get on 2."

I feel like if I need to add the extra clarifier, I use Route and Highway fairly interchangeably.

[Brandon]

Depends on the state.  In Illinois, it's "route" that's heard most often.  In Wisconsin, it's "highway", and everything is a flippin' highway from a county trunk highway to an interstate.  Over in Indiana, "SR" for state roads, "US" for US routes, and "I" for interstates.  In Michigan, it's always "M" for state routes.  US and interstates either us "US" and "I" respectively, or the "US" and "I" is dropped and only the number is used.

[cjk374]

Highway 71, but Route 66  

I 2nd that!      But interstates are I-xx.

[agentsteel53]

I tend to use "highway" and "route" quite interchangeably.  And I pronounce "route" to rhyme with "out".

[Michael in Philly]

When speaking to normal people as opposed to roadgeeks , "route 202," say, or just "202."
"The 202" is not local usage along the east coast - closest I've heard it is Buffalo, where it may be Canadian influence.  If you're a writer on a TV show and want to annoy me, have a character who's supposedly spent her entire life in Connecticut say "the 95."

And "route" is pronounced like "root."

[ghYHZ]

And "route" is pronounced like "root."

That's how we would say it here in the Canadian Maritimes too.

[Michael in Philly]

I've heard English-language traffic reports in Quebec refer to "autoroutes" (the French term Quebec uses for expressways/freeways), with anglicized pronunciation.  (AW-doh-root)

[agentsteel53]

I've heard English-language traffic reports in Quebec refer to "autoroutes" (the French term Quebec uses for expressways/freeways), with anglicized pronunciation.  (AW-doh-root)

I had no idea that was a French-only thing.  I thought "autoroute" was a perfectly good English word as well.

and yes, I rhyme "autoroute" with "out" as well.

so much for my Boston upbringing, where everything with a number is a "root" - interstate, US, or state highway.

[Central Avenue]

I tend to say "Route 315" (rhyming with "out") or, more often, just "315".

Ohio doesn't duplicate any route numbers anyway, so there's no real reason to be specific when talking with locals about local roads.

[english si]

I tend to use autoroute for motorways in French-speaking countries (and Autobahn in German, and am mixed about Spanish, Italian and Dutch terms (Autopista/Autovia, Autostrada and Autosnelweg)) as that's what I used when I was there. For similar reasons, my German and French geography would use native terms (Bodensee, rather than Lake Constance) due to my original sources being in the native tongue, rather than English. I'm sure I heard Cologne before Köln, but as I have heard the latter much more, it's the latter in my mind.

However the native lingo doesn't work for Steòrnabhagh, Caergybi, Cluain Meala, Hellys, Doolish or any other Celtic language in the British isles - unless there's no English equivalent (eg Llanelli, which used to have the English 'Llanelly' but it was pointless so dropped). Likewise places I've not been, or can't pronounce. Mexico City is Mexico City in my mind.

As for the original question, neither. I guess it's partially due neither words coming up much in road names here and the alphanumeric system meaning that we'd just say "take the M25 then the A41 from junction 19" or even just "take the 25 then the 41 at 19".

[huskeroadgeek]

I usually use "highway", except never for interstates. Interstates are always "I-xx". When being specific, like giving directions, I will use the "US" or state designations for highways. Otherwise, I will say "Highway x". That's common in Nebraska-you never hear "Route x". I do use the word "route" in some general contexts though, such as "what route are you going to take?"-in this case "route" signifying the total collection of highways used to get from point A to point B. Interestingly, I also tend to pronounce the word differently based on the context-when used in a general context, I rhyme it with "out", but if I'm using it to designate a particular road, I pronounce it like "root".

[J N Winkler]

It's funny you mention Trunk.  Both MnDOT and WisDOT officially use the term "Trunk Highway", though WisDOT also applies it to county routes (CTH = County Trunk Highway), whereas MnDOT only uses it for state, U.S., and even Interstate routes.

Michigan DOT also uses the term "trunkline highway" (I think, though I have not checked, as their private term for a primary state highway).

Before MnDOT moved toward using route markers instead of text designations for non-TH routes on interchange sequence and post-interchange confirmation signs, they were referred to without "Route" or "Highway"--e.g. "County J."  Similarly, Arizona DOT used to refer to state highways in this context without "Route" or "Highway"--e.g. "State 189."  As in Minnesota, this practice was eventually dropped in favor of route shields.

Regarding pronunciation and choice of "Route" versus "Highway," I use whatever is idiomatic for the given state.  If there is a handy system identifier (as in Kansas), I use that:  K-7, M-10, etc.  For Minnesota state routes I use TH (never for US or Interstate routes in Minnesota even though those are also THs).  In Oklahoma I use "SH" because that is what appears on interchange sequence signs.  For TxDOT I use the expansions which logically correspond to the standard two-letter system designations (SH, LP, BW, etc.), and use "IH" for Interstates even though I use "I-" everywhere else.  I pronounce "Route" both ways, but tend to rhyme with "out" in the phrase "State Route" and with "root" when I don't identify the system.  I get irritated when Californians use the definite article to refer to primary state highways outside California.

[hbelkins]

Just please don't say "federal route" when you are talking about US highways! 

[J N Winkler]

I don't, but GDOT does.  (I covered this up when there was still a hope of getting Carl Rogers to give up on MTR, but that battle has long been lost.)

[agentsteel53]

I know several old-school sign collectors who use "federal route".  apparently in the 40s it was the colloquial designation especially in the east.

[Michael in Philly]

I know several old-school sign collectors who use "federal route".  apparently in the 40s it was the colloquial designation especially in the east.

I believe "Federal Highway" appears as a local street name for a US route (forget which) somewhere in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area.  Or am I thinking of "State Road 7" (which is not actually Fla. 7 any more, I believe), and "Federal Highway"'s somewhere else?  Of course, there could be more than one "Federal Highway"....
For that matter, there's a suburb of Seattle called "Federal Way."

[Michael in Philly]

I've heard English-language traffic reports in Quebec refer to "autoroutes" (the French term Quebec uses for expressways/freeways), with anglicized pronunciation.  (AW-doh-root)

I had no idea that was a French-only thing.  I thought "autoroute" was a perfectly good English word as well.

Well, I can't think of anywhere else in the English-speaking world it's used.  I suppose you could consider it Quebec English.  But do Anglophone Quebeckers use it in non-Quebec contexts, to refer to the 401 or I-87?

[Michael in Philly]

I tend to use autoroute for motorways in French-speaking countries (and Autobahn in German, and am mixed about Spanish, Italian and Dutch terms (Autopista/Autovia, Autostrada and Autosnelweg)) as that's what I used when I was there. For similar reasons, my German and French geography would use native terms (Bodensee, rather than Lake Constance) due to my original sources being in the native tongue, rather than English. I'm sure I heard Cologne before Köln, but as I have heard the latter much more, it's the latter in my mind.

However the native lingo doesn't work for Steòrnabhagh, Caergybi, Cluain Meala, Hellys, Doolish or any other Celtic language in the British isles - unless there's no English equivalent (eg Llanelli, which used to have the English 'Llanelly' but it was pointless so dropped). Likewise places I've not been, or can't pronounce. Mexico City is Mexico City in my mind.

As for the original question, neither. I guess it's partially due neither words coming up much in road names here and the alphanumeric system meaning that we'd just say "take the M25 then the A41 from junction 19" or even just "take the 25 then the 41 at 19".

I tend to do this as well.  In the US, I vacillate between "freeway" and "expressway" as generic terms for limited-access highways.  (I'm aware that in parts of the country, and the MUTCD, these terms are not synonymous, but the MUTCD doesn't have jurisdiction over language as used by non-specialists.  But let's not delve into that can of worms for now.)  I'll say "Interstate" for a road that actually is one.  "Freeway" or "Expressway" work for Canada, but none of those three work in the U.K.  So "Motorway" in British contexts.  Which presents the problem, when talking in English about, say, France, that there's no really good, universally-understood English word....  On a British forum I'd probably call any limited-access road outside North America a "motorway," but on an international forum I wouldn't expect Americans and Canadians to understand that.

Mods - sorry for the sequential posts; don't know how to combine them.

[Henry]

As a native Chicagoan, I almost always use the term "Route"...and only then, said as "root." I'm never comfortable referring to it as a "rout," which is a blowout win that ocurs in a sporting event.

[hbelkins]

I tend to call them by their names -- Kentucky 52, West Virginia 10, US 25, I-65, etc. Although I do use the M-xx terminology on the rare occasions I have to discuss Michigan highways.

I pronounce "route" to rhyme with "out."

I don't, but GDOT does.  (I covered this up when there was still a hope of getting Carl Rogers to give up on MTR, but that battle has long been lost.)

The PR person for one of Ohio DOT's districts also uses this term. I want to pull my hair out every time I see her use it.

I tend to do this as well.  In the US, I vacillate between "freeway" and "expressway" as generic terms for limited-access highways.  (I'm aware that in parts of the country, and the MUTCD, these terms are not synonymous, but the MUTCD doesn't have jurisdiction over language as used by non-specialists.  But let's not delve into that can of worms for now.)

Reminds me of when I posed a question on m.t.r. about the interstates in New York City and called them "freeways." That racist he-who-never-bathes idiot Randy Hersh jumped all over me because I called them "freeways" instead of "expressways."

[corco]

Actually, now that I think about it, I say whatever gets the thing up to multiple syllables. I'd never say "take 1," I'd say "take highway 1" or "take route 1," but I'd always say "take 272"

I tend to call them by their names -- Kentucky 52, West Virginia 10, US 25, I-65, etc. Although I do use the M-xx terminology on the rare occasions I have to discuss Michigan highways.

For me if the general prefix is one letter I'll say the prefix, so I'd say I-70, C-470, E-470, K-177, probably M-whatever if I ever discussed those (I don't think I ever have out loud), with the exception of Nebraska where I just say the route number. I've never really heard anybody say "N-71" or whatever, but in talking abut Kansas or one of the 470s in Denver the prefix is always there