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What is the difference between a highway and a freeway?

I often hear people use freeway and highway interchangeably, and I never really thought about it until recently. Is there actually a difference between a highway and a freeway or are they the same thing?

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Eric Schad · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Highways and freeways have an important distinction. Freeways have controlled access points to enter them such as an onramp, while highways do not. Highways are simply multilane roads.
Interestingly, all freeways are highways, but highways are not necessarily freeways. They also have some other important distinctions:
  • Highways may go through residential or business districts, which means that the speeds can vary and are typically lower than that of freeways.
  • Freeways are almost always divided by a median that separates traffic going in opposite directions.
  • Highways may have medians, but this isn’t always the case.
  • Traffic goes across freeways by way of tunnels or overpasses, but traffic across highways may have a stop sign, traffic light, or uncontrolled access.
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