freeway

Etymology

free + way

noun

1. (In parts of Canada, the U.S. and Australia) A highway with grade-separated crossings (rather than level crossings) and designed (and only permitted) for high-speed motor-traffic running in two directions on one separate carriageway each
   Contrary to what one might expect of an essay on freeways, this one is neither a diatribe nor a paean. 1983, David Brodsly, L. A. Freeway: An Appreciative Essay, page 1
   A 106-kilometer section of this 117-kilometer new freeway (between Hsinchu and Hsichih 汐止) was opened to traffic in 1997, and the entire line will be finished in December 1999. 1999 June, “Transportation”, in A Brief Introduction to the Republic of China, Government Information Office, →OCLC, page 110
   In the late 1950s and 1960s most large cities started planning freeway systems, acknowledging the incredible growth in car ownership. 2008, Derek Hayes, Canada: An Illustrated History, page 257
   The Australian freeway story of the late twentieth century, like many planning stories, can be told as one of high technical expectations dashed by political controversy. 2010, Robert Freestone, Urban Nation: Australia′s Planning Heritage, page 161
2. A toll-free highway.