Local Roadway Slang vs. Official Designations
Howard Fein
designations, so they're usually referred to by name rather than
number in conversation or on traffic reports.
Beyond that, the road type- usually parkway or expressway- is omitted-
except in a generic sense, especially when there are two closely
parellel roads of different types: "The expressway was packed, so I
switched over to the parkway." No local or traffic reporter ever calls
I-295 or 678 by its name; it's always "The Clearview [Expressway]" or
"Van Wyck" respectively. One Long Island station will refer to I-495
as "the Expressway", or "the L.I.E". A similar linguistic situation
often occurs when referring to Staten Island's title expressway as
"the expressway"- even though there are two other such roadways in
that borough. I-278/Brooklyn-Queens Expressway will similarly be
called "the B.Q.E"- or "the Gowanus", a monicker given to the BQE's
southern segment that never appears on maps or signs. And of course,
I-87/Major Deegan Expressway is "da Deegan".
(Staten Island only has one Parkway, which was born in 1972 as
Richmond Parkway, then renamed to Korean War Veterans Parkway a few
years ago. I've never heard it called anything but "the Parkway"- or,
by old-timers "Drumgoole", the boulevard it was built over, and the
name of its service roads. Then there's NY440, born in 1965 as the
Willowbrook Expressway and renamed the Martin Luther King Junior
Expressway- sadly to some controversy, witness repeated bullet holes
found in signs announcing its new name. It's still invariably "the
Willowbrook" to locals. But then, human nature dictates old names die
hard. The Interborough Parkway was renamed for Jackie Robinson several
years ago, and while signs and traffic reports have been very
compliant with the change, SAYING "the Jackie Robinson" will get you a
blank stare. If you then say "the Interboro", they immediately
understand.)
There are numerous misidentifications breeded when a generally
continuous road changes its official name in midstream. Most of the
Henry Hudson Parkway, at least in Manhattan, is called often the West
Side Highway- of which only the southern fifteen blocks remain. (The
remainder collapsed some years ago, replaced by a surface boulevard
along the Hudson River named 12th Avenue, then 11th Avenue, West
Street. Many traffic reports erroneously refer to a disruption on 12th
Avenue as occurring on West Street, but that's another story!) The
highway tracing Manhattan's east side changes from the Franklin D.
Roosevelt Drive to the Harlem River Drive, but the whole thing has
come to be called "the FDR", or "the Drive"- or even "East River
Drive", by older folks.
Back in 1940, what is now a 30-mile composite of the Shore, Southern,
Laurelton and Belt Parkways was planned as the Circumferential
Highway. All of these parkways even have same exit numbering system.
The first three parkways have evolved into "the Belt" verbally and on
road signs- even though the official names remain on maps.
Furthermore, the Shore and Laurelton Parkways retain service roads
whose signs- and addresses- bear those names. (Kind of like how the
L.I.E. service roads through Queens retain their names from before the
road they flank was completed through the borough- you'll see street
signs and addresses for Borden Avenue, Queens-Midtown Expressway and
Horace Harding Expressway, n.e.e. Boulevard.) But the Cross Island has
always had its own identity pretty much since 1940, and only had its
exits renumbered to continue from the Belt system in the early
seventies.
On Long Island, most Parkways have "State" in the middle of their
names, but you generally only hear that applied to the Northern and
Southern States. The other parkways- Meadowbrook, Wantagh, Bethpage,
Sunken Meadow, Sagtikos (or "Sag") are referred to only by their
'first names'. So is the Robert Moses Causeway ("the Moses" or "the
Causeway"), which has all the trappings of a Long Island Parkway, but
was named to avoid confusion with Niagara Falls' RM Parkway, which
came first. Of the Island's (more local-speak) other expressways, NY27
is still caused "the Sunrise" [Highway], as it's an easterly (most of
Suffolk County) freeway promotion of the surface boulevard it remains
in extreme west Suffolk and all of Nassau. But the Seaford-Oyster Bay
Expressway is usually called by its number, [NY] 135, possibly to
prevent confusion with South Oyster Bay Road, which close parallels a
large portion of it. Some witty business owners will mention in their
ads that they're right off "the SOB".
But some Island surface boulevards mostly are called by their numbers,
largely because NY109 through 112 may undergo several street name
changes during their lifetimes. As some numbered state routes enter
more rural areas, it's more common to call them by their numbers
rather than their official names. This would apply to NY106 and 107 in
Nassau's heavily rural northern 'Gold Coast' (yet another local
expression), which are called Newbridge Road and Hicksville Road
respectively in the much more suburbanized middle and south shore.
Likewise, NY25 is offically and commonly called Jericho Turnpike
halfway out the island, at which point it becomes Middle Country Road-
a name that most people shun in favor of just plain 25. NY25A
undergoes a similar name-to-number change the further out on the
Island you go- but there doesn't seem to be any official agreement as
to exactly where in Nassau it changes from the universally referred-to
Northern Boulevard to the never-mentioned North Hempstead Turnpike.
Street signs are wildly inconsistent.
Westchester has its own set of parkways, most of which also have
middle names. People do say "the Cross County" or "the Bronx River",
but everything else is "the Saw Mill [River]", "the Sprain [Brook]",
"the Taconic [State]" and "the Hutchinson [River]"- better known as
"the Hutch". As in most states with an official toll road (seems most
have Turnpikes, which people call "the Turnpike" or "the Pike"), we
say "the Thruway". The NY Thruway's extensions are generally called by
their names- the Berkshire, the Niagara- but its unconnected New
England Thruway extension is usually "95", or even "the Connecticut
Turnpike", to which it leads. On a somewhat related note, even though
Connecticut jettisoned tolls in the eighties and shelved the official
Turnpike designation for I-95 (and later, the "John Lodge Turnpike"),
verbal references usually split evenly between "the Connecticut
Turnpike", "up in Connecticut, the Turnpike-", and "I-95". As in NYC
and LI, CT15 is ALWAYS "the Merritt".
In Joisey, like most of the rest of America, free Interstates are
invariably called by their numbers, even when there are official names
(I-80= Bergen-Passaic Expressway; I-287= Middlesex Freeway), along
with most state and US routes, whether they're surface street, full
freeway or that unique Jersey freeway hybrid with interchanges, grade
separations and driveways to businesses. Of course, "the Turnpike",
"the Parkway" and "the [Pulaski] Skyway" are called as such (Jersey's
other Parkway is referred to as "the Palisades [Interstate]). Down
south, the unnumbered, tolled Atlantic City Expressway is usually "the
Expressway". Where it segues into the free NJ42 to the Philly/Camden
suburbs, it's co-mapped as "North-South Freeway" and called "the
freeway". The quirky half-mile approach road connecting the Holland
Tunnel and the Skyway set deep in a trench is signed as "to US1/9- No
Trucks", but generally called "the depressed highway" or "the cut".
Philadelphians seem to call the Schuylkill Expressway "the Expressway"
or "the Surekill"- or some clever derivative. Confusingly, some people
also call the Vine Street expressway "the Expressway". The Roosevelt
Expressway is called by its first name (while its parent, Roosevelt
Boulevard, is usually "the Boulevard"), while the much newer Delaware
Expressway always seems to be referred to by its number, I-95.
Supposedly, the even newer I-476 is commonly called "the Blue Route",
it's working title way back when it was originally conceived in the
forties. Apparently, the many news items regarding its protracted,
controversial completion put the Blue Route name in peoples' heads.
I haven't driven extensively outside of the metropolitan Northeast,
but from what I've observed through conversations, traffic reports and
this newsgroup:
-Boston calls I-93/JFK Expressway from downtown on south "the
expressway". While I-95 is multiplexed with MA128 most of the way
around, locals will only use the 128 designation. "The 128 corridor"
is Bahstanese for "hi-tech country", much like Walnut Creek is to the
Bay area. Even Amtrak has gotten in the act, naming a station strictly
for 128, with no mention of the locality. And no self-respecting local
ever calls it "Cape Cahd"- just "the Cape".
-Most older eastern and midwestern metropolitan areas seem to call
their limited-access highways expressways, at least collectively. This
seems to extend as far west as Saint Louis. (It does seem like more
and more Atlantans are saying "freeway", however.)
-All over California, and up the Pacific Coast the word is strictly
"freeway". It seems that all entrance ramps west of the Rockies have a
small green "Freeway Entrance" sign. Many cities have "expressways"
that Easterners would call boulevards, with frequent intersections and
suburban clutter fronting. Angelinos- and probably Bay Areans will
refer to freeways by name, much as New Yorkers will- "the San Diego";
"the Santa Monica". But you're also just as likely to hear "the 405"
or "the 10". But just try to put "the" in front of a commonly numbered
highway in the Midwest or East, and you'll get a weird look.
-Seems like the older named Chicagoland (an interesting way of putting
that metropolis) expressways are usually called by name rather than
number. Unlike NYC and Cincinnati, no one ever seems to say "tri-state
area", even though there no longer seems to be any rural transition
zone between Chicago and Milwaukee. (There's none between NY-Philly
and LA-San Diego anymore, either.)
-Albany, Schenectady and Troy are collectively "the Capital District".
Does this apply in any other state where the capital is one in a
cluster of small or mid-size cities? Harrisburg, Olympia, Springfield,
Topeka, Annapolis, Carson City and Raleigh come to mind- at least they
don't LOOK isolated on maps, unlike Helena, Jefferson City, Nashville,
Pierre, Des Moines and Bismark.
-I-4 seems to be the dividing line between the old y'awl South (to the
north) and the Land of The Early Bird Specials, whose official logo is
a hat, sunglasses and cigar behind a steering wheel.
-Wilmington is so often misidentified as Delaware's capital (even in
CAR & TRAVEL, the official AAA publication!), that Delawarites don't
even bother to get mad anymore.
-North Carolina is made up of three regions, known west to east as the
Smokies, the Golden something-or-other whose name I forget but
encompasses all that is urban and high-tech, and the Piedmont.
Daniel Davis
"Howard Fein" <hf...@nycboe.net> wrote in message
news:239c4fa3.0301...@posting.google.com...
> In NYC and LI, most limited-access highways predate Interstate
> designations, so they're usually referred to by name rather than
> number in conversation or on traffic reports.
Jacksonville has one notable case of something similar. Almost everyone in
the area refers to the "Napolean Bonaparte Broward Bridge" (on SR 9A/Future
I-295) as the "Dames Point Bridge" or "Dame Point Bridge". It refers to the
piece of land where the northern foot of the bridge connects which is known
as "Dames Point". I still don't know if it's supposed to have an S on the
the end of Dame but half the people in town say it with one, the other half
without.
> -I-4 seems to be the dividing line between the old y'awl South (to the
> north) and the Land of The Early Bird Specials, whose official logo is
> a hat, sunglasses and cigar behind a steering wheel.
That's generally pretty true.. Jacksonville is in a lot of ways, the
southernmost "southern" city. Orlando and Tampa are a weird mix of North
and South.. Miami is literally considered part of latin america by a many
university people and such.
Daniel
Jeff Kitsko
> or "the Surekill"- or some clever derivative. Confusingly, some people
> also call the Vine Street expressway "the Expressway". The Roosevelt
> Expressway is called by its first name (while its parent, Roosevelt
> Boulevard, is usually "the Boulevard"), while the much newer Delaware
> Expressway always seems to be referred to by its number, I-95.
> Supposedly, the even newer I-476 is commonly called "the Blue Route",
> it's working title way back when it was originally conceived in the
> forties. Apparently, the many news items regarding its protracted,
> controversial completion put the Blue Route name in peoples' heads.
Yes, I-476 is still called "The Blue Route" in traffic reports. As a matter
of fact, you can hear it called that in a traffic report Toni Collette is
listening to at the beginning of "The Sixth Sense."
Across the Appalachians, we call the Penn-Lincoln Parkway "The Parkway
[geographical reference]": The Parkway East (I-376), The Parkway West
(I-279), and the The Parkway North (I-279). There was a "Parkway Central"
which was used to refer to the part in downtown, but I haven't hear it used
since before I-279 opened north to I-79. I imagine that when 43 finally
enters the city limits, it will fill the gap by becoming "The Parkway
South." I-579 is called the "Crosstown Boulevard," PA 28 is called "route
28," and PA 65 is either "route 65" or "Ohio River Boulevard." However,
each traffic reporter will refer to the highways in their own manner, or
clarify the route if an accident has taken place by using both the name and
number."
--
Jeff Kitsko
Pennsylvania Highways: http://www.pahighways.com/
Ohio Highways: http://www.ohhighways.com/
Daniel Faigin
>-All over California, and up the Pacific Coast the word is strictly
>"freeway". It seems that all entrance ramps west of the Rockies have a
>small green "Freeway Entrance" sign. Many cities have "expressways"
>that Easterners would call boulevards, with frequent intersections and
>suburban clutter fronting. Angelinos- and probably Bay Areans will
>refer to freeways by name, much as New Yorkers will- "the San Diego";
>"the Santa Monica". But you're also just as likely to hear "the 405"
>or "the 10". But just try to put "the" in front of a commonly numbered
>highway in the Midwest or East, and you'll get a weird look.
Freeway has a specific meaning, and often the freeways were
expressways before being upgraded. I've just put up a page listing the
names of all the highways and structuers in California; take a look at
http://www.cahighways.org/names.html
Daniel
W/H: fai...@pacificnet.net http://www.pacificnet.net/~faigin/
Mod., Mail.Liberal-Judaism (www.mljewish.org) Advisor, s.c.j.Parenting
Maintainer, S.C.J FAQ/RL (www.scjfaq.org) Daddy to Erin Shoshana
Maintainer, Calif. Highways List (www.cahighways.org)
Webmaven, Temple Beth Torah of Granada Hills (www.bethtorah-sfv.org)
N. W. Perry
hf...@nycboe.net (Howard Fein) wrote:
> -Boston calls I-93/JFK Expressway from downtown on south "the
> expressway".
Only south of downtown, as far as the Braintree split (of I-93 and MA
3). Beyond the split, MA 3 is called "route 3 to the Cape" and that part
of I-93 is still called "128".
I-93 in downtown proper is called "the Artery", but as it crosses the
Charles River it's called either "upper deck" or "lower deck".
> While I-95 is multiplexed with MA128 most of the way
> around, locals will only use the 128 designation.
Right; the non-multiplexed parts are "route 95 to Rhode Island" and
"route 95 to New Hampshire." Similarly, we have "routes 3 and 93 to New
Hampshire."
> -All over California, and up the Pacific Coast the word is strictly
> "freeway". It seems that all entrance ramps west of the Rockies have a
> small green "Freeway Entrance" sign. Many cities have "expressways"
> that Easterners would call boulevards, with frequent intersections and
> suburban clutter fronting. Angelinos- and probably Bay Areans will
> refer to freeways by name, much as New Yorkers will- "the San Diego";
> "the Santa Monica". But you're also just as likely to hear "the 405"
> or "the 10". But just try to put "the" in front of a commonly numbered
> highway in the Midwest or East, and you'll get a weird look.
Except in Buffalo, where Ontario practice predominates ("the 401" just
as well as "the 290").
James Lin
news:239c4fa3.0301...@posting.google.com...
Regarding California:
> Many cities have "expressways" that Easterners would call boulevards,
> with frequent intersections and suburban clutter fronting.
Technically, expressways in California should *not* have "suburban clutter
fronting," although some do. (We will ignore Capitol Expressway Auto Mall in
San Jose.) They are supposed to be limited access but not have
grade-separated interchanges.
> Angelinos- and probably Bay Areans will refer to freeways by name, much
> as New Yorkers will- "the San Diego"; "the Santa Monica".
Bay Area people typically do *not* refer to freeways by name, although
traffic reporters will refer to some freeways by name -- Bayshore (101),
Eastshore (80), Nimitz (880), and James Lick (101) being the most popular.
They also do not put "the" in front of a number (unless you just moved from
southern California).
> But you're also just as likely to hear "the 405" or "the 10". But
> just try to put "the" in front of a commonly numbered highway in
> the Midwest or East, and you'll get a weird look.
As well as the Bay Area. (See above.) At least, you *should* get a weird
look. :P
- Jim
--
James Lin
jl...@ugcs.caltech.edu
http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~jlin/
Jeff Morrison
they are, and called by number - with the exception of old alignments.
The DM Register quoted someone in an article about US 6 as saying
something like "the DOT calls it Highway 925, but we still call it 6".
Old 6, Old 61, and Old 20 get around quite a bit. (Old 30, more
often than not, is the Lincoln Highway.) I find it interesting that
people adapted to the Great Renumbering as easily as I think they did.
It's "Highway" or "I-", with the possible exception of extreme
southern Iowa. According to my Sportsman's Atlas Van Buren County
actually labeled the county roads with "Route"; "Rte W40", etc. Too
much influence from them Missourians, I reckon. ;-)
Occasionally the county roads will be called by the old names they had
before the current alphanumeric system - or the county trunk before
that. For example, in Tama County E43 is often "the Dupanda
blacktop", and in Black Hawk the D52/US 63 intersection is referenced
by "Blessing Corner," even though the only remainder of Blessing is a
church.
A 1930 article in the Traer Star-Clipper about the straightening of
then-IA 59 (now US 63) listed all the changes based on "Wilson's
Corner" and the like.
Steve Riner
>their limited-access highways expressways, at least collectively. This
>seems to extend as far west as Saint Louis. (It does seem like more
>and more Atlantans are saying "freeway", however.)
Minneapolis-St. Paul is exclusively "freeway." In fact, the green "Freeway
Entrance" sign is common throughout Minnesota at entrances to interstates and
metropolitan area freeways.
As far as naming, there are no official freeway names in the Twin Cities.
However, I wonder how long it will take for the "Crosstown" (MN-62) name to
disappear. This was the official name for this road when it was under county
jurisdiction, but all official references were removed when the state took the
freeway over around 1990. Nevertheless, in traffic reports the name is
frequently used.
Steve Riner
Pueblo West, CO (formerly Twin Cities, MN 1977-2002)
Explore Minnesota Highways at:
http://www.steve-riner.com/mnhighways/mnhome.htm
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
John R Cambron
Howard Fein wrote:
>
> I haven't driven extensively outside of the metropolitan Northeast,
> but from what I've observed through conversations, traffic reports and
> this newsgroup:
Down here below the Mason Dixson line in Maryland and Virginia,
if it has a number be it a state, US or Interstate highway it
is commonly referred to as "route". like route 95 for I-95,
route 50 for US-50, route 5 for MD-5, route 7 for VA-7.
VA I-95 and VA I-395 is sometimes called the Shirley Highway.
The parkways maintained by the National Park Service are called
by the given name, George Washington Parkway, Rock Creek Parkway,
Claire Barton Parkway. There is one exception, the National Park
Service maintained Baltimore Washington Parkway is most of the
time called route 295 Both ends of the Baltimore Washington
Parkway connect to roads with the number 295 (MD-295 and DC-295).
The toll facility are usually referred to by there name, Dullas
Toll Road, Dullas Greenway, Fort McHenry Tunnel, Harbor Tunnel.
The major avenues that radiate out of Washington DC are called by
thier name Connecticut Avenue, Georgia Avenue, New Hampshire
Avenue. the same applies to the streets in Baltimore, York Road,
Liberty Road, Belair Road. Some times these are called route NN.
The bridges are referred to by shortened name Wilson Bridge, Key
Bridge, Memoral Bridge, Legion Bridge 14th Street Bridge.
--
======================================================================
Ever wanted one of these John R Cambron
http://205.130.220.18/~cambronj/wmata/ or North Beach MD USA
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wmata/ camb...@chesapeake.net
======================================================================
Dream Land
locals refer the beltway as beltway since it's called that from media to
common folk.
If it's signed with a "named highway" it's usually called down here as
number. If someone asks how to get to the Naval Station, they just say go
down 1069 4-5 miles you can't miss it. Or the Whataburger is on 361, no
Texas 361, no Route 361, no Highway 361, then too I think the road is called
Hwy 361 Rd (I may be wrong though). Another case in point is like when they
want to know where the ferry is to Port Aransas they would say take a right
at the HEB you can't miss it. Seeing that the right at HEB is Hwy 361. Named
routes are somewhat shorted here. Crosstown Expressway is The Crosstown.
South/North Padre Island Drive SPID?NPID, Interstate 37 is I-37.
"John R Cambron" <*camb...@Chesapeake.net*> wrote in message
news:v2hb63d...@corp.supernews.com...
jmn3
I-290 (The 290) - The Youngmann
I-190 (The 190) - The Niagara Thruway
I-990 - The 990
I-90 (The 90) - The Mainline
NY 198 (The 198) - The Scajaquada
NY 33 (The 33) - The Kensington
NY 400 - The 400
US 219 - 219, although it is rarely referred to as "The 219" also.
NY 198/NY 33 interchange - The 33-198 split
I-90/I-290 interchange - Blue Water Tower interchange
US 20/US 20A/McKinley Pkwy intersection - 7 Corners
US 20/NY 240/277/Lake Avenue intersection - 5 Corners
NY 179/NY 5/Ford Plant interchange - The 179 Traffic Circle
and yes, people really do use "The" when describing almost ANY road in
Buffalo!
Exile on Market Street
> Across the Appalachians, we call the Penn-Lincoln Parkway "The Parkway
> [geographical reference]": The Parkway East (I-376), The Parkway West
> (I-279), and the The Parkway North (I-279). There was a "Parkway Central"
> which was used to refer to the part in downtown, but I haven't hear it used
> since before I-279 opened north to I-79. I imagine that when 43 finally
> enters the city limits, it will fill the gap by becoming "The Parkway
> South."
I have a question, though, historically derived: Why is I-279 "the
Parkway North"?
The Penn-Lincoln Parkway is so named because it carried the William Penn
Highway (US 22) and the Lincoln Highway (US 30) into Pittsburgh from the
east and west. (I've seen a few maps which label the freeway from the
point where US 22 and 30 split to the Irwin Interchange on the Turnpike
the "Parkway Extension").
I-279 carries neither highway, so why is it treated as a segment of the
road that carries both?
--
Sandy Smith, Exile on Market Street, Philadelphia smi...@pobox.upenn.edu
Managing Editor, _Penn Current_ cur...@pobox.upenn.edu
Penn Web Team Member webm...@isc.upenn.edu
I speak for myself here, not Penn http://pobox.upenn.edu/~smiths/
Now we have a chance to get Pennsylvania moving forward again!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve
NJTP - The Turnpike
GSP - The Parkway
Everything else is just "Route". Or, as in the case of "1-9", it'll
even drop that. NJ 495 is Route 3 to a lot of people. Also, the
southern section of NJ 21 is sometimes called The McCarter Highway.
I wonder if the ACE is called The Expressway?
As for bridges and tunnels, there's The GWB and The Outerbridge that
stand out as having shorter names. In NYC, there are a ton of examples:
The Cross Bronx
The Throgs Neck (is a bridge)
The Bruckner
The Henry Hudson
The Battery (is a tunnel, actually the Brooklyn-Battery)
The Triboro (is a bridge)
Another post went through Long Island examples and other NYC examples,
so I won't duplicate that.
Dream Land
their route. I bet too that if roads didn't have numbers they would say the
road as The 290 would be The Youngmann and so on. Why not call Ohio Turnpike
80-90 Turnpike, yet officially they would be wrong only because part of the
turnpike is only 80 and 76. Youngstown people would sort of do a flip for
they would have to specify 80 Turnpike or 76 Turnpike depending on what
direction the person was heading.
I bet on the other side of the state, like NYC, they may call the NY
Thruway as is, instead of 87 or anything that goes with it, yet if they were
talking to you, you're thinking 90 and 90 doesn't go into NYC, yet NY
Thruway does.
Many names could effect many people but that's what makes us what we are.
Every walk of life across the nation has their own talk about the roads and
until you're able to grasp what the locals are saying, guess you would have
to just grin and bear it.
"jmn3" <jn*nospam*80...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:pr4W9.85716$VA5.13...@news1.news.adelphia.net...
Dream Land
some drop the I or Interstate from I-37 and say take 37 to exit 5 (they
wouldn't even tell the street, yet they know the exit)
When it comes to inner city talk, it's street names vice highway number like
SPID for South Padre Island Dr. for TX 358, or Saratoga for TX 357. They
even say Weber going to Driscoll even though officially Weber ends at the
city limits. Then too FM 43 terminates and becomes FM 665 from a right turn
from Old Brownsville Road. In the rural areas most don't use names but
number of the route. Some still call Business 35 .... 35 even though 35 has
been routed around town for 3-4 years now.
Sort of an oxymoron street. TX-361 in Aranasa Pass from the 90 Loop to the
Ferry is named Goodnight, seeing it maybe if you decide to speed on that
road and end up one of the channels, guess it would be goodnight all right.
Mitsguy2001
>designations, so they're usually referred to by name rather than
>number in conversation or on traffic reports.
Also, in NYC, exit numbers are never used in conversation or in directions.
Also, the Cross Bronx Expressway (mostly I-95) is always referred to as
eastbound and westbound, even though I-95 is a north / south route. Eastbound
CBE is I-95 north (even though it runs more south than north), and vice versa.
>One Long Island station will refer to I-495
>as "the Expressway", or "the L.I.E"
Everyone refers to it as either "The Expressway" or "The L.I.E.". Not just one
radio station. No one ever calls is 495. Although many signs for the road
label it as only 495, which can probably confuse some people. The same
situation exists for NY 27, which everyone calls "Sunrise Highway", but signs
sometimes say just 27.
>On Long Island, most Parkways have "State" in the middle of their
>names, but you generally only hear that applied to the Northern and
>Southern States.
Actually, these parkways are officially (at least according to signage)
"Northern Parkway" and "Southern Parkway". Although everyone inserts the word
"state" in every day conversation. This is confusing, because on maps, a
section of what everyone calls the "Belt Parkway" is labeled as "Southern
Parkway", although that name is never used.
>But the Seaford-Oyster Bay
>Expressway is usually called by its number, [NY] 135, possibly to
>prevent confusion with South Oyster Bay Road, which close parallels a
>large portion of it.
I think it also has more to do with the fact that it goes to neither Seaford
nor Oyster Bay, since both ends were canceled.
Some witty business owners will mention in their
>ads that they're right off "the SOB".
I've heard it called the SOBE. But South Oyster Bay Road I've seen as SOB
Road. Is there a North Oyster Bay Road anywhere? Why is it that nearly every
north / south parkway or expressway has a nearby surface road of the same name
(Sunken Meadow Road, Wantaugh Ave, Meadowbrook Road).
>But some Island surface boulevards mostly are called by their numbers,
>largely because NY109 through 112 may undergo several street name
>changes during their lifetimes.
Same thing with NY 106 and 107. The section of 106 and 107 that are
multiplexed are just referred to as "106107". The western section of NY 24 is
always referred to as "Hempstead Turnpike" and "Conklin Street". I know that
the section in Hemstead is officially "Fulton Ave", but I'm not sure if that
name is used (my guess is that it's still called "Hempstead Turnpike"). The
eastern section of NY 24, as far as I know, is just referred to as "Route 24",
including the section multiplexed with CR 94.
>As some numbered state routes enter
>more rural areas, it's more common to call them by their numbers
>rather than their official names. This would apply to NY106 and 107 in
>Nassau's heavily rural northern 'Gold Coast' (yet another local
>expression), which are called Newbridge Road and Hicksville Road
>respectively in the much more suburbanized middle and south shore.
Same thing with Suffolk County roads. In suburban western Suffolk County, the
county roads are always referred to by name, and most people do not know the
numbers, and in many cases they are not even posted (or posted very rarely).
However, there are sometimes signs that list only the number, which can be
confusing. However, in rural eastern Suffolk county, the county roads are
nearly always referred to by number, such as "Route 105" and "Route 111". CR
111 is especially confusing, since there is also a NY 111, and both of them are
major roads that cross the LIE and run north / south, and both are mostly
referred to as "Route 111". There is no other useful name for CR 111, it is
officially "Port Jefferson - Westhampton Road", but it does not go to
Westhampton, and it goes nowhere near Port Jefferson, since both ends were
canceled. It also has the honorary name "Captain Daniel Roe Highway", but that
name is never used (like most honorary names).
NY 347 is usually called either "347" or "Nesconsett Highway". It also has a
rarely used name "Smithtown Bypass". My guess is that name is never used since
it is sometimes even more congested than the road it was intended to bypass. I
beleive it is officially "Nesconsett - Port Jefferson Highway", and in its
eastern section the street signs sometimes say "Port Jefferson Highway", but I
have never heard that name used, it's always either "347" (usually) or
sometimes "Nesconsett Highway".
NY 454 is usually referred to as "Vets Highway". It's full name is "Veterans
Memorial Highway", but people just call it Vets. People rarely refer to it as
454. There is a section where 347 and 454 are multiplexed, and this is usually
called either "347" or "Vets Highway".
>Likewise, NY25 is offically and commonly called Jericho Turnpike
>halfway out the island, at which point it becomes Middle Country Road-
>a name that most people shun in favor of just plain 25.
Actually, most people (even in street addresses) refer to it as "Jericho
Turnpike" even part of the section that is officially Middle Country Road.
Although further east, as it gets more rural, it's called "25".
>NY25A
>undergoes a similar name-to-number change the further out on the
>Island you go- but there doesn't seem to be any official agreement as
>to exactly where in Nassau it changes from the universally referred-to
>Northern Boulevard to the never-mentioned North Hempstead Turnpike.
>Street signs are wildly inconsistent.
Most of the "downtown" sections are called "Main Street" by the locals. The
section in Smithtown where NY 25 and 25A are multiplexed is interesting, it is
referred to as either "Main Street" (at least by locals), or "Jericho Turnpike"
or occasionally "25", almost never 25A. East of NY 111 (where the multiplex
ends) signage says "Middle Country Road", but in practice locals often still
call it "Main Street".
Street addresses on NY 25, 25A, 27, and 27A are weird. They're usually
something like "East Main Street" or "West Jericho Turnpike" or "East Sunrise
Highway", but no one can ever figure out where east and west begin and end.
NY 27A, CR 85, CR 80, and the eastern part of NY 27 are always referred to as
"Montauk Highway", or occasionally by locals "Main Street" in the "downtown"
sections. I don't think most people even know CR 85 and 80 even exist, people
just think if it as part of NY 27A, if they even acknowledge that it has a
number (signage occasionally still says 27A).
Sandor G
news:239c4fa3.0301...@posting.google.com...
In Columbus (Central Ohio)
The freeways are referred to by their numbers (70, 71, 270, 670, 315) and
generally people don't note the different types (I, US, Oh)
Partial referrals
Oh 104 - referred to by number between I-71 and US 33. South of I-71, it's
about 50/50 between 104 and Jackson Pike
US 33 - referred to by number south(east) of I-70 on the eastside, and
(north)west of I-270 through Dublin on north.
Oh 161 - referred to by number outside of I-270 (due to freeways), referred
to as Dublin-Granville Rd inside I-270
Oh 3 - northside can be referred to as Westerville Rd/pike, 3C, or Route 3.
Outside of Franklin Co/Columbus, route numbers are used exclusively in
reports.
Signposts mentioned along the way
I-70 (from east to west) - Livingston Curve (The north curve near the
Livingston Ave exit), Nelson Rd Bridge (only during the winter due to City
of Columbus (and ODOT?) having temperature sensors there to know how to
deice the roads), east & west splits (with I-71)
I-71 (from south to north) - Trash Burning plant (near Oh 104 on the near
southside), west & east splits (with I-70), and Fairgrounds area (and
occasionally now Crew Stadium, which is a 1/2 mile north)
I-270 - long bridge (bridge over Oh 745, Scioto River, Oh 257 in Dublin),
Watertowers (between Sawmill Rd and Oh 315 on the NW side. Starting point
for traffic jams back before I-270 was widened), and Easton
Oh 315 - (north to south) hospital curve(s) (315 goes from following the
Olentangy to some RR track by Ohio State), and "Campus" (includes Ackerman
Rd, Lane Ave, and Kinnear Rd interchanges).
If you mention Spring-Sandusky, most people in Columbus will know you're
talking about the road construction project near downtown. However, it is
not referenced in traffic reports or direction to get around town.
--
Sandor G
"I always thought the state bird of Pennsylvania was the vulture.
After arriving at the stadium, you soon realized the state bird was the
middle finger."
--Doug Dieken, Former OL and current broadcaster for the Cleveland Browns
Dream Land
being common place. Yet would someone in Wyoming call I-80 the NY-SF highway
even though it is, chances are no, because they want something that relates
to their state. Cowboy Highway would be one that can be used, yet once it's
in Nebraska it would turn to maybe Cornhusker Highway. Then too what would
happen if both Wyoming and Nebraska called it The Prarie Highway, well it's
possible, yet NJ/PA/OH/IN people wouldn't call it that.Illinois and Iowa
may. Understandably if everyone called it 80, then it would work, except in
OH/IN as they may refer it to as 80/90 for most of the Ohio Turnpike/Indiana
Toll Rd.
Looking through most of these posts it just depends on what area people live
in as to how they want to name their roads. Then too is there anywhere
there's an Interstate/US highway/State Hwy close enough (like within 100
miles) to make a confusion as to what Hwy someone is talking about. Then too
is there any named highways that way (including crossing state lines.)
Frank Curcio
for numbered roads.
The Parkway, (GSP)
The Turnpike (NJTP)
The Expressway (ACX or ACE since casinos came to town)
The Palisades (PIP)
Also, there's The Skyway - named as if US 1 & 9 stops at one end of the Skyway
and picks-up again at the other.
US 1 & 9 is called "one N nine" that way, any other way indicates "You ain't
from around here."
Best 1 N 9 story - back in the early 1960s, before there were female DJs,
especially in the NYC Metro area, one of the top rock (AM) stations (WINS,
WMCA, WABC forget which) was auditioning prospective morning rush DJs on air,
one each day. On this particular day they had a female DJ, first time I's heard
a female voice announcing. But I think the guys at the studio weren't ready
for a female in their midst because giving the traffic and weather that morning
she kept referring to 1 N 9 as Route Nineteen! And nobody corrected her!
Numbered roads in New Jersey practice are called by their numbers - rarely
designated as route, highway, just nimbers. A local would give directions this
way:
Take 513 to 31 South to 78 East to 22 East Meaning Take CR 513 to NJ 31 South
to I-78 East to US 22 East.
Other highway slang I've heard
The GSP folks used to call (may still) drivers who hop on the GSP for short
distances to continue an East-West or West-East trip "Z-routers." When I was
in grad school back in '62-'63, I did a lot of Z-routing visiting the girl I
was dating - I would take US 22 West, GSP South then continue west on NJ 28
(about 2 miles on the GSP)
Another road related slang term I heard was from some NJ/DOT engineers during a
public hearing on an interchange with long back-ups. The term is "Wagon
Training" and refers to left turning traffic at an on-grade intersection. The
lead left-turning car takes a long lead into the intersection and traffic
behind inches into the intersection bumper to bumper. When the signel changes,
the lead car takes off and the traffic behind squeezes through - often 7-8 cars
making the left on red cutting-off the cross traffic.
Regards,
Frank
Steve
>
> The practice in New Jersey is names for toll roads and numbers - just numbers -
> for numbered roads.
>
> The Parkway, (GSP)
> The Turnpike (NJTP)
> The Expressway (ACX or ACE since casinos came to town)
> The Palisades (PIP)
it from the actual Palisades themselves.
>
> Also, there's The Skyway - named as if US 1 & 9 stops at one end of the Skyway
> and picks-up again at the other.
>
> US 1 & 9 is called "one N nine" that way, any other way indicates "You ain't
> from around here."
>
> Best 1 N 9 story - back in the early 1960s, before there were female DJs,
> especially in the NYC Metro area, one of the top rock (AM) stations (WINS,
> WMCA, WABC forget which) was auditioning prospective morning rush DJs on air,
> one each day. On this particular day they had a female DJ, first time I's heard
> a female voice announcing. But I think the guys at the studio weren't ready
> for a female in their midst because giving the traffic and weather that morning
> she kept referring to 1 N 9 as Route Nineteen! And nobody corrected her!
>
> Numbered roads in New Jersey practice are called by their numbers - rarely
> designated as route, highway, just nimbers. A local would give directions this
> way:
>
> Take 513 to 31 South to 78 East to 22 East Meaning Take CR 513 to NJ 31 South
> to I-78 East to US 22 East.
east. Must be a dialect issue. ;)
>
> Other highway slang I've heard
>
> The GSP folks used to call (may still) drivers who hop on the GSP for short
> distances to continue an East-West or West-East trip "Z-routers." When I was
> in grad school back in '62-'63, I did a lot of Z-routing visiting the girl I
> was dating - I would take US 22 West, GSP South then continue west on NJ 28
> (about 2 miles on the GSP)
streets to make those movements though, given the current state of the
GSP.
>
> Another road related slang term I heard was from some NJ/DOT engineers during a
> public hearing on an interchange with long back-ups. The term is "Wagon
> Training" and refers to left turning traffic at an on-grade intersection. The
> lead left-turning car takes a long lead into the intersection and traffic
> behind inches into the intersection bumper to bumper. When the signel changes,
> the lead car takes off and the traffic behind squeezes through - often 7-8 cars
> making the left on red cutting-off the cross traffic.
>
> Regards,
> Frank
I don't hear this that often, but it's still in use, and definitely a
problem. Forget cars squeezing through on red. They'll also squeeze
through at the end of a left-turn arrow, or when one car has a tight but
adequate gap to turn through on green.
US 71
officially the Bobby Hopper Tunnel, but is often referred to by locals as
the Bunyard Tunnel, named for a nearby community.
Oh and US62 between I-540 in Bentonville and Bus 62 in Rogers is often
called Highway 102, which it was until 62 was rerouted. 102 now begins at
I-540 and goes west.
Marc Fannin
> -Most older eastern and midwestern metropolitan areas seem to call
> their limited-access highways expressways, at least collectively.
Generally, as concluded here collectively, this is due to the
"expressway" name for freeways being around before the "freeway" name
(the proper enginnering term IIRC) and being grandfathered.
(See also http://www.roadfan.com/mtrfaq.html#100 )
________________________________________________________________________
Marc Fannin|musx...@kent.edu or @hotmail.com| http://www.roadfan.com/
Steve
From what I read in the giant USDOT book, freeway was a term coined by
California to counter the toll turnpikes going up in the East. Of
course, it has since grown to mean any limited-access grade-separated
highway, but the original intent was, as some postulated a few months
ago, to designate a free highway.
mj...@duke.edu
> hf...@nycboe.net (Howard Fein) wrote...
>
> > -Most older eastern and midwestern metropolitan areas seem to call
> > their limited-access highways expressways, at least collectively.
>
> Generally, as concluded here collectively, this is due to the
> "expressway" name for freeways being around before the "freeway" name
> (the proper enginnering term IIRC) and being grandfathered.
Nothing was ever grandfathered. The Long Island expressway is the Long
Island Expressway and thats that. No change in engineering terminology is
going to change the name of the road. However, NYS documents refer to
I-495, the Long Island Expressway as a freeway with the name Long Island
Expressway.
BrianB4837
to give new names to some of the streets in manhttan, for example, 7th Ave =
Fashion Ave, 6th Ave = Ave of the Americas, and they put these up at every
corner. Locals never refer to such streets by the given name, always 6th Ave,
7th Ave, etc.
Dream Land
which road goes. Some use streets as one direction 0/180 and avenues as the
90/270 degree direction. It's possible that you could be at 7th and 7th, and
if you're close by, it would work. Now if you use half blocks as say Place,
then we have a complex, as if you're looking at the corner of 7th and 7th
and can't find what you're looking for, it may be an half block from you at
7th PL. Chicago has Place for half blocks on east-west street in South
Chicago except for Roosevelt, Cermak, Perishing Roads and Garfield Blvd.
(ok Chicagoans tell me if I missed one) It's good only if someone doesn't
say Place or Street. I was glad that the North-South streets weren't
numbered, but I believe Cicero was number everywhere except for Roosevelt
Road (can't remember if Cermak was 22nd St )
"BrianB4837" <brian...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030118154210...@mb-fo.aol.com...
Pete from Boston
> NJTP - The Turnpike
> GSP - The Parkway
As already mentioned, even in places equidistant to the two parkways,
"the Parkway" still means the Garden State.
> Everything else is just "Route". Or, as in the case of "1-9", it'll
> even drop that. NJ 495 is Route 3 to a lot of people. Also, the
> southern section of NJ 21 is sometimes called The McCarter Highway.
Just as in everyplace I've lived (all in the northeast), it's a small
minority that would ever even say "I-" when referring to an
interstate. And you'd NEVER catch anybody actually saying something
like "take New Jersey 17 down to the Meadowlands."
> As for bridges and tunnels, there's The GWB and The Outerbridge that
> stand out as having shorter names.
Except there's rarely a "B." Just plain "GW," or, in North Jersey
anyway, "the bridge" (since after all, there's only one).
> In NYC, there are a ton of examples:
> The Cross Bronx
> The Throgs Neck (is a bridge)
> The Bruckner
> The Henry Hudson
> The Battery (is a tunnel, actually the Brooklyn-Battery)
> The Triboro (is a bridge)
> Another post went through Long Island examples and other NYC examples,
> so I won't duplicate that.
I've never heard "Bronx-Whitestone" in converstaion, just "the
Whitestone."
Pete from Boston
> In article <239c4fa3.0301...@posting.google.com>,
> hf...@nycboe.net (Howard Fein) wrote:
>
>
> > -Boston calls I-93/JFK Expressway from downtown on south "the
> > expressway".
>
> Only south of downtown, as far as the Braintree split (of I-93 and MA
> 3). Beyond the split, MA 3 is called "route 3 to the Cape" and that part
> of I-93 is still called "128".
>
> I-93 in downtown proper is called "the Artery", but as it crosses the
> Charles River it's called either "upper deck" or "lower deck".
Except it's not the JFK Expressway, but rather the John F. Fitzgerald
Expressway (JFK's grandfather).
> > While I-95 is multiplexed with MA128 most of the way
> > around, locals will only use the 128 designation.
>
> Right; the non-multiplexed parts are "route 95 to Rhode Island" and
> "route 95 to New Hampshire." Similarly, we have "routes 3 and 93 to New
> Hampshire."
You do also hear it referred to on the radio as "route 95 north" and
"route 95 south," as if those sections only flowed one way.
Laura Halliday
> From what I read in the giant USDOT book, freeway was a term coined by
> California to counter the toll turnpikes going up in the East. Of
> course, it has since grown to mean any limited-access grade-separated
> highway, but the original intent was, as some postulated a few months
> ago, to designate a free highway.
Hmmm...I was always baffled by street addresses in towns
like Dallas that looked like 12345 L.B.J. Freeway, and
wondered if "freeway" meant something different in Texas
(or Quebec, where Montreal does much the same thing).
Then I went there, and saw all these places on the
parallel frontage road along the freeway proper, and it
made sense. Sorta.
Speaking of the original subject, the biggie here in
Vancouver seems to be the Ironworkers Memorial Second
Narrows Crossing, which most people just call the Second
Narrows Bridge, or even just the Second Narrows. The
other bridge across the harbour is almost invariably
the Lions Gate Bridge, though the body of water it
crosses is officially the First Narrows.
There are some very old, obsolete highway names and
numbers around here, like Highway 499, aka the Deas
Island Throughway. I haven't heard the former since
the 1970s (when B.C. abandoned 400-series numbers
for freeways - the other was Highway 401, now just
Highway 1), and the latter since the 1960s. Now it's
just Highway 99, which joins up with I-5 at the border.
Laura Halliday VE7LDH "Que les nuages soient notre
Grid: CN89lg pied a terre..."
ICBM: 49 16.57 N 123 0.24 W - Hospital/Shafte
Dream Land
business on them. Just about all of I-35 I know of except if it goes over a
waterway has a frontage road. The are even some truck stops that has an exit
ramp just about the length of their truck until you get on the frontage road
and to the truck stop.
"Laura Halliday" <mars...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:d42b5a72.03011...@posting.google.com...
Doug Weasner
Actually, "Take 65 to the Letterman" doesn't sound to bad in coversation. :)
--
Doug Weasner
Greenwood IN
I-69 WILL be in MY backyard
Mark F
>The quickest way to irritate a so-called "native" Oregonian is to
>refer to I-5 as "The 5" or "The I-5." I guess that's how we weed out
>all the Californians up here. It's ironic, because most of the traffic
>reporters on the radio came here from SoCal and say "The 5." It seems
>to slowly be creeping into Portland's vocabulary.
For what it's worth, in SoCal I've never heard "the I-5". It's
either "the 5", "I-5", or "the Santa Ana".
mj...@duke.edu
but both names are posted on signs...
Marc Fannin
> On Sat, 18 Jan 2003, Marc Fannin wrote:
>
> > hf...@nycboe.net (Howard Fein) wrote...
> >
> > > -Most older eastern and midwestern metropolitan areas seem to call
> > > their limited-access highways expressways, at least collectively.
> >
> > Generally, as concluded here collectively, this is due to the
> > "expressway" name for freeways being around before the "freeway" name
> > (the proper enginnering term IIRC) and being grandfathered.
> > (See also http://www.roadfan.com/mtrfaq.html#100 )
>
> Nothing was ever grandfathered. The Long Island expressway is the Long
> Island Expressway and thats that. No change in engineering terminology is
> going to change the name of the road.
That's my point. The term "expressway" was grandfathered for the LIE
name, otherwise it'd be the "Long Island Freeway" by now. (Yes, I can
hear all its regulars cringing all the way over here....)
Frank Curcio
> Also, the
>southern section of NJ 21 is sometimes called The McCarter Highway.
Not sometimes, all the time. I went to school on that street and drove it for
10 years before I realized it had a number. (When I lived it that area
McCarter was still cobblestone paved.)
The southern section of NJ 21, from the Viaduct to the Newark-Bellville city
lines is a wide surface street named McCarter Highway. It parallels the old PRR
mainline about a third of its distance through Newark.
As it approaches Bellville, it splits into a more freeway-looking less
surface-looking road that is signed only as NJ 21 (and referred to only as 21).
A little spur of McCarter Highway slips just west of NJ 21at this point and
continues north parallel to NJ 21 to the Bellville line where it becomes Main
St.
IIRC, McCarter was some late 19th early 20th Century transportation bigwig in
Newark and if I don't have him mixed-up with someone else, he was a pioneer in
efforts to eliminate at-grade rail and street intersections after a trolley hit
a horse-drawn-bus load of school kids in the area.
Regards,
Frank
Mark Roberts
|
| Bay Area people typically do *not* refer to freeways by name, although
| traffic reporters will refer to some freeways by name -- Bayshore (101),
| Eastshore (80), Nimitz (880), and James Lick (101) being the most popular.
| They also do not put "the" in front of a number (unless you just moved from
| southern California).
I hear "the"+number occasionally. More usual is number for
Interstates and US 101, "highway"+number for state highways.
I've never heard a Bay Area traffic report refer to the "James
Lick" freeway. I have heard "the skyway" occasionally for the
Central Skyway. Likewise, the MacArthur freeway (I-580 from the
maze to I-238) is occasionally called by its name. However, because
of the existence of a parallel MacArthur Boulevard for some of its
length in Oakland, some confusion may result.
I have yet to hear 980 referred to as the "John B. Williams
Freeway"....
--
Mark Roberts | "Man, you're everywhere, aren't you? :) tvbarn, ba.*,
Oakland, Cal.| it's hard to escape you!" -- e-mail to me based on
NO HTML MAIL | a misc.transport.road post, 1-18-2003
John David Galt
> I've never heard a Bay Area traffic report refer to the "James
> Lick" freeway.
Then you don't listen to KGO.
Pete from Boston
> IIRC, McCarter was some late 19th early 20th Century transportation bigwig in
> Newark and if I don't have him mixed-up with someone else, he was a pioneer in
> efforts to eliminate at-grade rail and street intersections after a trolley hit
> a horse-drawn-bus load of school kids in the area.
My recollection (I'm feeling a little too lazy to look this up right
now) is that he headed up Public Service Coordinated Transit, the
former dominant urban transit company which eventually shed its bus
routes as Transport of New Jersey (now mostly various NJ Transit
lines), and is now known simply as PSE&G, a major NJ energy utility.
Their main terminal was right off McCarter Highway until ~25 years
ago, and their last remaining trolley route is today's Newark City
Subway.
Andrew Muck
> Buffalo, NY...we have...
>
> I-290 (The 290) - The Youngmann
> I-190 (The 190) - The Niagara Thruway
> I-990 - The 990
> I-90 (The 90) - The Mainline
Or "The Thruway" Usually the Mainline refers to the section east of
the Williamsville Toll Booth, "The 90", "The Thruway", or just "90"
usually refers to everything west
> NY 198 (The 198) - The Scajaquada
> NY 33 (The 33) - The Kensington
> NY 400 - The 400
> US 219 - 219, although it is rarely referred to as "The 219" also.
> NY 198/NY 33 interchange - The 33-198 split
> I-90/I-290 interchange - Blue Water Tower interchange
> US 20/US 20A/McKinley Pkwy intersection - 7 Corners
> US 20/NY 240/277/Lake Avenue intersection - 5 Corners
In Pendleton,(north of Buffalo in Niagara Co.) the intersection of NY
270,(Campbell blvd.), Feigle Rd., Main Rd, and Beach Ridge Rd, is also
known as 5 Corners.
> NY 179/NY 5/Ford Plant interchange - The 179 Traffic Circle
To add to NY 5 names, "The Skyway", closer to Lackawanna, "The Father
Baker Bridge", and the "Industrial Complex", east of downtown, "Main
St."
The majority of NY 179, is usually referred to as "Mile Strip",(Mile
Strip Rd.)
Andrew Muck
Andrew Muck
> Youngstown people would sort of do a flip for
> they would have to specify 80 Turnpike or 76 Turnpike depending on what
> direction the person was heading.
Well, since I did some further extrapolation and clarification on my
old hometown of Buffalo, let me do it on my current, temporary home of
Youngstown. For the most part, people call the road by its number or
its signposted name, but here are the exceptions I notice.
Ohio Turnpike,(all parts): "The Turnpike"
I-76 portion of the Turnpike: "The Turnpike towards Pittsburgh"
I-80 portion of the Turnpike:, "The Turnpike towards Cleveland"
OH 711: "Division St.", "Division St. Bridge", "711 Connector"
US 422, in Youngstown, north of downtown: "MLK"
OH 625: "Midlothian", "Lockwood"
OH 5/82,(north of Warren): "the 5 & 82 bypass"
I have yet to figure out what people call "Youngstown's Inner Belt" I
have heard the northern section referred to by its actually name of
"The Madison Ave. Expwy.",(which is funny, as freeway seems to be the
more commonly used term out here), but I think the eastern section is
just called "62", can't confirm either really.
With Cleveland, its basically the same deal except:
I-90/OH 2,(within the city limits, mostly east of downtown): "The
Shoreway"
90/2 interchange: "Deadman's Curve"
90 in downtown: "The Inner Belt"
OH 176 freeway: "The Jennings"
90 west of downtown: "90 West"
Area near I-71/OH 176 interchange: "The MetroHealth Curve"
And in Akron:
OH 59 freeway: "The Inner Belt"
I-76/77/OH 8 interchange: "The Central Interchange"
Well, those are about all I know regarding NE Ohio, feel free to add
more.
Andrew Muck
Mark Roberts
It's pretty rare that I do. I'm not a big fan of talk radio
generally and I think KGO's newscasts are fluffy (radio *or* TV).
Ron Newman
"N. W. Perry" <webm...@empirestateroads.com> wrote:
> In article <239c4fa3.0301...@posting.google.com>,
> hf...@nycboe.net (Howard Fein) wrote:
>
>
> > -Boston calls I-93/JFK Expressway from downtown on south "the
> > expressway".
>
> Only south of downtown, as far as the Braintree split (of I-93 and MA
> 3). Beyond the split, MA 3 is called "route 3 to the Cape" and that part
> of I-93 is still called "128".
Often MA 3 is called just "Route 3 South", while US 3 leading
to New Hampshire is called "Route 3 North".
US 1 through Saugus is "Route 1" or sometimes "Route 1 North".
But the part in Chelsea and Charlestown is always "the Tobin Bridge"
or just "the Tobin".
Jamie Carlson
> In article <webmaster-7D133...@typhoon1-ge0.nyroc.rr.com>,
> "N. W. Perry" <webm...@empirestateroads.com> wrote:
>
> > In article <239c4fa3.0301...@posting.google.com>,
> > hf...@nycboe.net (Howard Fein) wrote:
> >
> >
> > > -Boston calls I-93/JFK Expressway from downtown on south "the
> > > expressway".
> >
> > Only south of downtown, as far as the Braintree split (of I-93 and MA
> > 3). Beyond the split, MA 3 is called "route 3 to the Cape" and that part
> > of I-93 is still called "128".
>
> Often MA 3 is called just "Route 3 South", while US 3 leading
> to New Hampshire is called "Route 3 North".
Which is pretty silly/confusing actually, because normally if you are on
"Route 3 South" that means that you are travelling south on Route 3.
mj...@duke.edu
We do the same thing here in Charlottesville, VA. The "sprawled" section
of US 29 north of the city is technically Seminole Trail, but most locals
refer to it as 29 north. In fact, the area along that portion of route 29
is referred to as 29 north. "WHere do you live?" "I live in downtown"
"I live at 29 north."
You can drive southbound on 29 north, as well as northbound on 29 north :)
the bypass around the city is "29 bypass"....and is a bannered bypass
route (as opposed to just plain old 29). 29 business through town is
known by the various street names is uses....Emmet Street, "JPA"
(Jefferson Park Ave), and Fontaine (Ave.).
The portion of Jefferson Park Ave that carries 29 business is "JPA". The
portion of Jefferson Park Ave north of the hospital is "JPA by the med
center". At Fountaine/Maury Ave....US 29 business south continues onto
Fontaine Ave....if you want to stay on Jefferson Park Ave, you make a left
at the light. This section of JPA is referred to as "JPA Extended"...even
though there are no signs that say this. The neighborhood around JPA and
JPA extended is often referred to as "JPA"
Emmet Street continues about half a mile north of the bypass....so part of
US 29 proper uses Emmet Street...this is merely the beginning of "29
north", never Emmet St.
There is an epidemic of roads that change names multiple times in
C-ville....so many times locals will refer to an intersection that does
not exist, but locals know exactly what you are talking about. I've heard
people refer to the intersection of Barracks Road and 14th St. Actually,
its the intersection of Madison and Preston Avenues! 14th St changes
names to Madison AVe halfway up from the Corner, and Barracks Road becomes
Rugby Road about a half mile west of this intersection....and then Rugby
Road turns right and it becomes Preston Ave. Other examples....West Main
St.,
University Ave, and Ivy Road are used interchangeably to describe the road
that US 250 uses to get to dowtown mall from 29 bypass. Usually people
aren't off by more then one name though...so West Main might get referred
to as University, but probably not Ivy Road....but the University Ave
segment gets referred to by all 3 names. Also, Maury ROad becomes
ALderman Road, which becomes Copeley Road....most often just referred to
as "Alderman". (which by the way, Maury is the 4th road at the
intersection of Fontaine, JPA, and JPA extended).
Ron Newman
mj...@duke.edu wrote:
> There is an epidemic of roads that change names multiple times in
> C-ville....so many times locals will refer to an intersection that does
> not exist, but locals know exactly what you are talking about. I've heard
> people refer to the intersection of Barracks Road and 14th St. Actually,
> its the intersection of Madison and Preston Avenues!
When Kirkland Street in Cambridge MA crosses the city line into
Somerville, it becomes Washington Street. Just beyond the city
line into Somerville, this street intersects with Beacon Street.
You'll often hear people refer to the intersection of "Beacon and
Kirkland" even though that doesn't exist.
Adding to the confusion, a popular bar just on the Somerville side
of the line is called the Kirkland Cafe, even though its address
is 427 Washington Street.
If I recall correctly, the city of Somerville actually threatened
to withhold an occupancy permit for a new building whose developer
called it "97 Kirkland Street", until he changed the address to
435 Washington Street.
Brandon Gorte
"Howard Fein" <hf...@nycboe.net> wrote in message
news:239c4fa3.0301...@posting.google.com...
> -Seems like the older named Chicagoland (an interesting way of putting
> that metropolis) expressways are usually called by name rather than
> number. Unlike NYC and Cincinnati, no one ever seems to say "tri-state
> area", even though there no longer seems to be any rural transition
> zone between Chicago and Milwaukee. (There's none between NY-Philly
> and LA-San Diego anymore, either.)
There really isn't much "rural transition" between the two along I-94, but
even the newer expressways and tollways here get names. It is really more
of a "quad-state" area from Berrien County, MI, to Kenosha County, WI.
However, "Chicagoland" seems to be an old term for the area around Chicago.
Key (see below ofr interchange names):
Name - Local Name - Route Number - Duration
John F. Kennedy Expy - The Kennedy - I-90/94 - The Circle* to O'Hare
Dan Ryan Expy - The Ryan - I-94/90 - The Merge* to The Circle*
Dwight D. Eisenhower Expy - The Ike - I-290 - Hillside to The Circle*
Congress Pkwy - Congress - X - The Circle* to Wacker (surface street east of
there)
Dwight D. Eisenhower Expy Extension - The Extension - I-290 - Itasca to
Hillside
(no name) - Route 53 - I-290/IL-53 - Itasca to Buffalo Grove
North-South Twy - North-South Twy or 355 - I-355 - Bolingbrook to Itasca
*(The N-S Twy and Route 53 are referred to as the "53 North-South Combo" on
traffic reports.)
Edens Expy - The Edens - I-94 - The Junction* to the Spur
Tri-State Twy Edens Spur - The Spur - I-94 - T-S Twy to the Edens
Tri-State Twy - The Tri-State - I-94/294/80 - Wisconsin to the Cal
Calumet Expy - See Bishop Ford Fwy
Bishop Ford Memorial Fwy - The Ford or The Cal - I-94/IL-394 - The Split* to
Balmoral Race Track
Robert Kingery Expy - The Kingery - I-80/94 - The Cal to Indiana
Robert Kingery Hwy - 83 or Route 83 - IL-83 - Cal-Sag Bridge to I-290
*(These two can be easily mistaken for each other.)
East-West Twy - East-West Twy or 88 - I-88 - Hillside to Quad Cities
Elgin-O'Hare Expy - The Elgin-O'Hare - X - I-290 to US-20
*(Referred to commonly as "The Elgin-Nowhere Expy".)
Adlai E. Stevenson Expy - The Stevenson or The Stevie - I-55 - LSD to The
Tri-State
Joliet Rd - The Stevenson[1] - I-55 - Tri-State to N-S Twy
[1] This is an example of how a name applied to part of a road gets extended
down the length of the road. Soon enough, the Stevie will be in
Bloomington.
(no name) - The Stevenson[1] - I-55 - N-S Twy to Braidwood
Moline Expy - 80 or I-80 - I-80 - T-S Twy to Joliet
West Leg Dan Ryan Expy - 57 or I-57 - I-57 - The Split* to Kankakee
Northwest Twy - Northwest Twy - I-90 - O'Hare to Wisconsin
(no name) - 190 or I-190 or The Kennedy - I-190 - The Kennedy to O'Hare
Lake Shore Drive - The Drive or LSD or The Outer Drive - US-41 - Hollywood
to Jeffrey
*(This is three words, not "Lakeshore Dive".)
Chicago Skyway - The Skyway - I-90[2] - The Ryan to Indiana
[2] Not according to CDOT.
Indiana East-West Toll Rd - Indiana Toll Rd or The Toll Rd - I-90/80 -
Illinois to Ohio
Frank Borman Expy - The Borman - I-80/94 - Illinois to the Toll Rd
Tri-State Hwy - 94 or I-94 - I-94 - Toll Rd to Michigan
(no name) - 65 or I-65 - I-65 - Toll Rd to Indy
Cline Ave - Cline - IN-912 - The Borman to the Toll Rd
Interchanges:
Circle - jct I-90/94/290
Junction - jct I-90/94 north
Merge/Split - jct I-94/57
Hillside Strangler - jct I-88/290/294/IL-38
Brandon Gorte
Chris Aseltine
> Key (see below ofr interchange names):
> Name - Local Name - Route Number - Duration
> John F. Kennedy Expy - The Kennedy - I-90/94 - The Circle* to O'Hare
> Dan Ryan Expy - The Ryan - I-94/90 - The Merge* to The Circle*
> Dwight D. Eisenhower Expy - The Ike - I-290 - Hillside to The Circle*
> Congress Pkwy - Congress - X - The Circle* to Wacker (surface street east
> of there)
> Dwight D. Eisenhower Expy Extension - The Extension - I-290 - Itasca to
> Hillside
[snip]
How many times has this stuff been posted?
J. Scarborough
many major local arterials was new to me.
For example, no Boston local ever pronounces the entire word "avenue."
It is always just "av." And multi-syllabic names are typically
shortened as well. So you get "Com Av" (Commonwealth Avenue), "Mass
Av" (Massachusetts Avenue), etc. In my experience, the "av" rule is
applied universally around here. However, people seem to have no
compunction about pronouncing the equally lengthy word "boulevard."
At first I felt very self-conscious using the local slang, but after a
while it became second nature. Now, years later, I couldn't bring
myself to say "Massachusetts Avenue." However, I have received
mystified reactions when I try to apply this formula in other cities.
Are there other places where such abbreviations (especially the "av"
rule) are common?
David Massey
Normally numbered highways are either referred to by just their number
or street name. In Polk County (where I live):
US highways seem to be generally referred to by number except in
Lakeland and Winter Haven.
I-4 is always "I-4", never "4" or "Route 4".
US 17 is generally referred to as "17" or "17/92"
(seventeen-ninety-two) depending on where you're at. South of US 92
it's almost always referred to as "17" even in Bartow where it
multiplexes with US 98.
US 27 is always known as "27" and I don't think it has any official
street names other than US 27.
US 92 is referred to as "92" or "17/92" except in Lakeland where it's
known by street name: Memorial Blvd, Wabash Ave, and New Tampa
Highway.
US 98 south of Lake Parker in Lakeland is generally called "Bartow
Highway", north of US 92 called "98 North" but that is the official
name of that stretch of road in Lakeland.
Toll 570 is always called "The Polk Parkway" or "The Parkway". I have
never heard it refered to by number.
SR 17 is still called "Alt 27" after several years, though this
services to distinguish it from US 17.
SR 60 is always known as "60", in Bartow it is called "the 60 bypass."
Most other state highways are referred to by street name, when there
is one, the only other exception I can think of offhand is SR 540
between US 98 and US 17 is generally called "540" and not "Winter Lake
Rd"
In Tampa:
I-4, again, is always "I-4", but I have heard I-75 and I-275 referred
to without the I.
The toll roads seem to be always referred to by name, at least in
traffic reports. e.g. The Veterans or the Veterans Expressway, the
Crosstown or sometimes the Selmon Expressway.
Don't know much about numbered surface streets but I think they're
generally referred to by street name.
In Orlando:
Likewise, I-4 always has the I and there aren't any other interstates.
The Orlando toll roads seem to be generally referred to as"The
(number)" e.g. The 408, The 417, though I've heard "the East-West"
(408), and "the Greenway" (417) on occasion. Exception: I have never
heard the Bee Line Expressway (Toll 528) referred to by number, always
"The Bee Line".
Non-toll roads do not take a "The" before the number, if the number is
used. I'm less familiar with Orlando roads, so I don't know when
street names are used vs numbers.
David M.
To e-mail me, replace "ADDNUMBERHERE" with the number of the
US highway that runs from Punta Gorda, FL to Winchester, VA.
Chris Aseltine
> When I first moved to Boston, the practice of shortening the names of
> For example, no Boston local ever pronounces the entire word "avenue."
> It is always just "av." And multi-syllabic names are typically
> shortened as well. So you get "Com Av" (Commonwealth Avenue), "Mass
> Av" (Massachusetts Avenue), etc.
Reminds me of the SNL skit where they have the guys touting their
abbreviation skills. There's a guy on death row, and he's like, "When
you're waiting for the leeth- inject- on death row, you don't have much time
to spare. These abbrev-'s save me a lot of valuable time in my final days!"
Dream Land
Spaghetti Bowl as that's how it looked with all the stacks as I could
remember there was exits every which way possible. I don't know if it had
changed since the early 70s, but from a bird's eye view, it was a mess.
"Brandon Gorte" <bmg...@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:9wjX9.1368$au.489@sccrnsc02...
Ron Newman
scar4...@aol.com (J. Scarborough) wrote:
> When I first moved to Boston, the practice of shortening the names of
> many major local arterials was new to me.
>
> For example, no Boston local ever pronounces the entire word "avenue."
> It is always just "av." And multi-syllabic names are typically
> shortened as well. So you get "Com Av" (Commonwealth Avenue), "Mass
> Av" (Massachusetts Avenue), etc. In my experience, the "av" rule is
> applied universally around here.
Two other common local examples:
Mem Drive (Memorial Drive in Cambridge)
Dot Ave (Dorchester Avenue in Dorchester)
mj...@duke.edu
Now I think what gets really amusing is when you mix lingo from two
different places. All through my undergrad years, I made quate a few
trips to Boston and saw my friends up there refer to Mem Drive and Mass
Ave. Now I find myself referring to Massachusetts Ave in DC as "Mass Av"
as well. BUt that doesn't fit with other street names, so those others
don't get abreviated. I've actually said stuff like "the National
Cathedral is at the corner of Mass Av and Wisconsin Avenue". I got
strange looks from everyone in the room that night when I said that!
Kevin Lagasse
It's the same people who will only refer to I-90 as the "Mass Pike"
and I-95 as "128." The same goes for I-93 ("Central Artery" and
"Southeast Expressway").
dvs519
wrote:
At least in Southern Cal, we just say the name. We usually omit the
street, avenue or blvd. on named streets.
Because numbered streets can also be places, we usually same street or
place.
==========================================
Dave by the Beach
Southern California
Pete from Boston
It's common for all the major north/south routes here that are
bisected by Boston (1, 3, 95), at least to traffic reporters. If you
mean "going south," I guess you'd say "southbound on Route 3 south."
I admit it's confusing, but here it's barely a scratch on the tip of
the iceberg.
Tony Matt
It's generally not a problem for two reasons:
1. During rush hour(s), congestion is predominantly
in one direction, so in the morning '3 North' implies
MA 3 from the South Shore, and '3 South' US 3 from NH.
2. Exit names and intersecting routes are sufficiently
unique that both direction and location are evident
(e.g Treble Cove to Route 62), to locals at least.
The better traffic reporters refer to 'the upper end
of Route 3' (and, less frequently 'the lower end of
Route 3'), especially when there is a backup in the
non-rush direction (since US 3 is under construction,
this has been more common the last few years). 'Upper'
and 'lower' are also often applied to 128.
Tony Matt
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Marc Fannin
> Jamie Carlson <si...@wireless.spam.free> wrote...
>
> > Ron Newman wrote:
> >
> > > Often MA 3 is called just "Route 3 South", while US 3 leading
> > > to New Hampshire is called "Route 3 North".
> >
> > Which is pretty silly/confusing actually, because normally if you are on
> > "Route 3 South" that means that you are travelling south on Route 3.
>
> It's common for all the major north/south routes here that are
> bisected by Boston (1, 3, 95), at least to traffic reporters. If you
> mean "going south," I guess you'd say "southbound on Route 3 south."
"Outbound on Route 3 South."
(Not that this is actually used there specifically, it's just the way
that I've heard similar situations in various large American cities)
Christopher K Davis
> On 21 Jan 2003 23:31:23 -0800, KML...@AOL.COM (Kevin Lagasse) wrote:
>> It's the same people who will only refer to I-90 as the "Mass Pike"
>> and I-95 as "128." The same goes for I-93 ("Central Artery" and
>> "Southeast Expressway").
> Yes, but somehow folks in Seattle just don't get it when one refers to
> I-90 as the MassPike (they're soo provincial). <g>
"Heavy traffic on the MassPike floating bridge..."
--
Christopher Davis * <ckd...@ckdhr.com> * <URL:http://www.ckdhr.com/ckd/>
Of course I feel old. The videos I used to watch on MTV (back when they
still showed videos) moved to VH1, and now they're on "VH1 Classic".
Doug Krause
J. Scarborough <scar4...@aol.com> wrote:
#For example, no Boston local ever pronounces the entire word "avenue."
#It is always just "av." And multi-syllabic names are typically
#shortened as well. So you get "Com Av" (Commonwealth Avenue), "Mass
#Av" (Massachusetts Avenue), etc. In my experience, the "av" rule is
#applied universally around here. However, people seem to have no
#compunction about pronouncing the equally lengthy word "boulevard."
The trouble is that Massachusetts Boulevard would become
"Mass Bull". You may insert your own joke here. :-)
Joe Fineman
Av".
--
--- Joe Fineman j...@TheWorld.com
||: November: the eleventh twelfth of a weariness. :||
Compañero Señor Yamamoto de Hollywood
<mj...@duke.edu> wrote in message
news:Pine.GSO.4.51.03...@godzilla4.acpub.duke.edu...
Better yet, abbreviate "National Cathedral". Imagine the looks you'd get
when you talk about the "Nat Cat". That'd be flip city, daddy-o
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Scott M. Kozel
wrote:
>
> <mj...@duke.edu> wrote:
>
> > Now I think what gets really amusing is when you mix lingo from two
> > different places. All through my undergrad years, I made quate a few
> > trips to Boston and saw my friends up there refer to Mem Drive and Mass
> > Ave. Now I find myself referring to Massachusetts Ave in DC as "Mass Av"
> > as well. BUt that doesn't fit with other street names, so those others
> > don't get abreviated. I've actually said stuff like "the National
> > Cathedral is at the corner of Mass Av and Wisconsin Avenue". I got
> > strange looks from everyone in the room that night when I said that!
>
> Better yet, abbreviate "National Cathedral". Imagine the looks you'd get
> when you talk about the "Nat Cat". That'd be flip city, daddy-o
Natl Cath
--
Scott M. Kozel Highway and Transportation History Websites
Virginia/Maryland/Washington, D.C. http://www.roadstothefuture.com
Philadelphia and Delaware Valley http://www.pennways.com
Dyche Anderson
* SR-37 is often referred to as "the four lane", as it is/was the only four
lane
highway in the area. This designation is even more common south of
Bloomington
towards Bedford.
* SR-46 (& 45 for most of the length) is known as the "bypass" - because it
was
at one time (as I understand it) BYP-46 (and maybe BYP-45), with the
originals
running through town. The moniker still makes sense. A strip mall at the
corner
of 10th Street and this road calls itself "10th & the Bypass".
* Many rural roads have no offical designation outside of "CR nnn".
However,
some of these have unofficial names such as "Washboard Road" or "Seibolt
Quarry Road". Washboard Road, though unofficial, also shows up (IIRC) on an
crossroad marking on SR-37. This common nickname designation is true in
many rural areas.
Michigan
Detroit
Even MDOT can't keep track of the official name of the [presently] M-10
freeway between
8 Mile Road and Telegraph (US-24) in Southfield (Metro Detroit).
Originally, it was
Northwestern Highway. The service drive is still Northwestern, as is the
road northwest of
Telegraph where it is no longer a freeway. As far as the freeway is
concerned, BGSs say
Lodge Fwy, but other official documents say Northwestern Highway.
Mackinac Bridge
a.k.a. "The Bridge". Need I say more? For that matter, the entire area,
including St. Ignace
and Mackinaw City, are often referred to as "the Bridge", as in "I spent the
night at The Bridge.
Old US-12/Old M-14 in between Plymouth and Ann Arbor
This road in Ann Arbor is known as Plymouth Road. In Plymouth it is known
as Ann Arbor Road.
In between, it is officially Plymouth-Ann Arbor Road, but all three names
are commonly used.
There are many, many more.
Dyche Anderson
"Howard Fein" <hf...@nycboe.net> wrote in message
news:239c4fa3.0301...@posting.google.com...
> In NYC and LI, most limited-access highways predate Interstate
> designations, so they're usually referred to by name rather than
> number in conversation or on traffic reports.
>
> Beyond that, the road type- usually parkway or expressway- is omitted-
> except in a generic sense, especially when there are two closely
> parellel roads of different types: "The expressway was packed, so I
> switched over to the parkway." No local or traffic reporter ever calls
> I-295 or 678 by its name; it's always "The Clearview [Expressway]" or
> "Van Wyck" respectively. One Long Island station will refer to I-495
> as "the Expressway", or "the L.I.E". A similar linguistic situation
> often occurs when referring to Staten Island's title expressway as
> "the expressway"- even though there are two other such roadways in
> that borough. I-278/Brooklyn-Queens Expressway will similarly be
> called "the B.Q.E"- or "the Gowanus", a monicker given to the BQE's
> southern segment that never appears on maps or signs. And of course,
> I-87/Major Deegan Expressway is "da Deegan".
>
> (Staten Island only has one Parkway, which was born in 1972 as
> Richmond Parkway, then renamed to Korean War Veterans Parkway a few
> years ago. I've never heard it called anything but "the Parkway"- or,
> by old-timers "Drumgoole", the boulevard it was built over, and the
> name of its service roads. Then there's NY440, born in 1965 as the
> Willowbrook Expressway and renamed the Martin Luther King Junior
> Expressway- sadly to some controversy, witness repeated bullet holes
> found in signs announcing its new name. It's still invariably "the
> Willowbrook" to locals. But then, human nature dictates old names die
> hard. The Interborough Parkway was renamed for Jackie Robinson several
> years ago, and while signs and traffic reports have been very
> compliant with the change, SAYING "the Jackie Robinson" will get you a
> blank stare. If you then say "the Interboro", they immediately
> understand.)
>
> There are numerous misidentifications breeded when a generally
> continuous road changes its official name in midstream. Most of the
> Henry Hudson Parkway, at least in Manhattan, is called often the West
> Side Highway- of which only the southern fifteen blocks remain. (The
> remainder collapsed some years ago, replaced by a surface boulevard
> along the Hudson River named 12th Avenue, then 11th Avenue, West
> Street. Many traffic reports erroneously refer to a disruption on 12th
> Avenue as occurring on West Street, but that's another story!) The
> highway tracing Manhattan's east side changes from the Franklin D.
> Roosevelt Drive to the Harlem River Drive, but the whole thing has
> come to be called "the FDR", or "the Drive"- or even "East River
> Drive", by older folks.
>
> Back in 1940, what is now a 30-mile composite of the Shore, Southern,
> Laurelton and Belt Parkways was planned as the Circumferential
> Highway. All of these parkways even have same exit numbering system.
> The first three parkways have evolved into "the Belt" verbally and on
> road signs- even though the official names remain on maps.
> Furthermore, the Shore and Laurelton Parkways retain service roads
> whose signs- and addresses- bear those names. (Kind of like how the
> L.I.E. service roads through Queens retain their names from before the
> road they flank was completed through the borough- you'll see street
> signs and addresses for Borden Avenue, Queens-Midtown Expressway and
> Horace Harding Expressway, n.e.e. Boulevard.) But the Cross Island has
> always had its own identity pretty much since 1940, and only had its
> exits renumbered to continue from the Belt system in the early
> seventies.
>
> On Long Island, most Parkways have "State" in the middle of their
> names, but you generally only hear that applied to the Northern and
> Southern States. The other parkways- Meadowbrook, Wantagh, Bethpage,
> Sunken Meadow, Sagtikos (or "Sag") are referred to only by their
> 'first names'. So is the Robert Moses Causeway ("the Moses" or "the
> Causeway"), which has all the trappings of a Long Island Parkway, but
> was named to avoid confusion with Niagara Falls' RM Parkway, which
> came first. Of the Island's (more local-speak) other expressways, NY27
> is still caused "the Sunrise" [Highway], as it's an easterly (most of
> Suffolk County) freeway promotion of the surface boulevard it remains
> in extreme west Suffolk and all of Nassau. But the Seaford-Oyster Bay
> Expressway is usually called by its number, [NY] 135, possibly to
> prevent confusion with South Oyster Bay Road, which close parallels a
> large portion of it. Some witty business owners will mention in their
> ads that they're right off "the SOB".
>
> But some Island surface boulevards mostly are called by their numbers,
> largely because NY109 through 112 may undergo several street name
> changes during their lifetimes. As some numbered state routes enter
> more rural areas, it's more common to call them by their numbers
> rather than their official names. This would apply to NY106 and 107 in
> Nassau's heavily rural northern 'Gold Coast' (yet another local
> expression), which are called Newbridge Road and Hicksville Road
> respectively in the much more suburbanized middle and south shore.
> Likewise, NY25 is offically and commonly called Jericho Turnpike
> halfway out the island, at which point it becomes Middle Country Road-
> a name that most people shun in favor of just plain 25. NY25A
> undergoes a similar name-to-number change the further out on the
> Island you go- but there doesn't seem to be any official agreement as
> to exactly where in Nassau it changes from the universally referred-to
> Northern Boulevard to the never-mentioned North Hempstead Turnpike.
> Street signs are wildly inconsistent.
>
> Westchester has its own set of parkways, most of which also have
> middle names. People do say "the Cross County" or "the Bronx River",
> but everything else is "the Saw Mill [River]", "the Sprain [Brook]",
> "the Taconic [State]" and "the Hutchinson [River]"- better known as
> "the Hutch". As in most states with an official toll road (seems most
> have Turnpikes, which people call "the Turnpike" or "the Pike"), we
> say "the Thruway". The NY Thruway's extensions are generally called by
> their names- the Berkshire, the Niagara- but its unconnected New
> England Thruway extension is usually "95", or even "the Connecticut
> Turnpike", to which it leads. On a somewhat related note, even though
> Connecticut jettisoned tolls in the eighties and shelved the official
> Turnpike designation for I-95 (and later, the "John Lodge Turnpike"),
> verbal references usually split evenly between "the Connecticut
> Turnpike", "up in Connecticut, the Turnpike-", and "I-95". As in NYC
> and LI, CT15 is ALWAYS "the Merritt".
>
> In Joisey, like most of the rest of America, free Interstates are
> invariably called by their numbers, even when there are official names
> (I-80= Bergen-Passaic Expressway; I-287= Middlesex Freeway), along
> with most state and US routes, whether they're surface street, full
> freeway or that unique Jersey freeway hybrid with interchanges, grade
> separations and driveways to businesses. Of course, "the Turnpike",
> "the Parkway" and "the [Pulaski] Skyway" are called as such (Jersey's
> other Parkway is referred to as "the Palisades [Interstate]). Down
> south, the unnumbered, tolled Atlantic City Expressway is usually "the
> Expressway". Where it segues into the free NJ42 to the Philly/Camden
> suburbs, it's co-mapped as "North-South Freeway" and called "the
> freeway". The quirky half-mile approach road connecting the Holland
> Tunnel and the Skyway set deep in a trench is signed as "to US1/9- No
> Trucks", but generally called "the depressed highway" or "the cut".
>
> Philadelphians seem to call the Schuylkill Expressway "the Expressway"
> or "the Surekill"- or some clever derivative. Confusingly, some people
> also call the Vine Street expressway "the Expressway". The Roosevelt
> Expressway is called by its first name (while its parent, Roosevelt
> Boulevard, is usually "the Boulevard"), while the much newer Delaware
> Expressway always seems to be referred to by its number, I-95.
> Supposedly, the even newer I-476 is commonly called "the Blue Route",
> it's working title way back when it was originally conceived in the
> forties. Apparently, the many news items regarding its protracted,
> controversial completion put the Blue Route name in peoples' heads.
>
> I haven't driven extensively outside of the metropolitan Northeast,
> but from what I've observed through conversations, traffic reports and
> this newsgroup:
>
> -Boston calls I-93/JFK Expressway from downtown on south "the
> expressway". While I-95 is multiplexed with MA128 most of the way
> around, locals will only use the 128 designation. "The 128 corridor"
> is Bahstanese for "hi-tech country", much like Walnut Creek is to the
> Bay area. Even Amtrak has gotten in the act, naming a station strictly
> for 128, with no mention of the locality. And no self-respecting local
> ever calls it "Cape Cahd"- just "the Cape".
>
> -Most older eastern and midwestern metropolitan areas seem to call
> their limited-access highways expressways, at least collectively. This
> seems to extend as far west as Saint Louis. (It does seem like more
> and more Atlantans are saying "freeway", however.)
>
> -All over California, and up the Pacific Coast the word is strictly
> "freeway". It seems that all entrance ramps west of the Rockies have a
> small green "Freeway Entrance" sign. Many cities have "expressways"
> that Easterners would call boulevards, with frequent intersections and
> suburban clutter fronting. Angelinos- and probably Bay Areans will
> refer to freeways by name, much as New Yorkers will- "the San Diego";
> "the Santa Monica". But you're also just as likely to hear "the 405"
> or "the 10". But just try to put "the" in front of a commonly numbered
> highway in the Midwest or East, and you'll get a weird look.
>
> -Seems like the older named Chicagoland (an interesting way of putting
> that metropolis) expressways are usually called by name rather than
> number. Unlike NYC and Cincinnati, no one ever seems to say "tri-state
> area", even though there no longer seems to be any rural transition
> zone between Chicago and Milwaukee. (There's none between NY-Philly
> and LA-San Diego anymore, either.)
>
> -Albany, Schenectady and Troy are collectively "the Capital District".
> Does this apply in any other state where the capital is one in a
> cluster of small or mid-size cities? Harrisburg, Olympia, Springfield,
> Topeka, Annapolis, Carson City and Raleigh come to mind- at least they
> don't LOOK isolated on maps, unlike Helena, Jefferson City, Nashville,
> Pierre, Des Moines and Bismark.
>
> -I-4 seems to be the dividing line between the old y'awl South (to the
> north) and the Land of The Early Bird Specials, whose official logo is
> a hat, sunglasses and cigar behind a steering wheel.
>
> -Wilmington is so often misidentified as Delaware's capital (even in
> CAR & TRAVEL, the official AAA publication!), that Delawarites don't
> even bother to get mad anymore.
>
> -North Carolina is made up of three regions, known west to east as the
> Smokies, the Golden something-or-other whose name I forget but
> encompasses all that is urban and high-tech, and the Piedmont.
Steve
Steve
I thought you called it SoCal...
IronPig
to Buffalo. But (like the Mass Pike) it was built before Interstate
designations. To this day, everyone still calls it "The Thruway".
Also I-87 (from Albany to Montreal) was also constructed before Interstate
designations and was originally called "The Adirondack Northway". Today,
although every sign and road map labels it only as I-87, most people still
call it "The Northway".
I lived in South Florida for 20 years where US-1 is commonly called "Federal
Highway" and it's costal-local alternate (Florida SR-A1A) is called just
"A1A". Although I now live in Boston, I personally haven't broken those
habits. When I refer to our Massachusetts SR-1A as "A1A", my friends all
seem to know I mean "1A". But when I call US-1 "Federal Highway", nobody
knows what I'm talking about.
Another regional difference I've noticed is how people refer to state
highways. In Florida for example, common usage is "State Road X" as in
"State Road 7". In the Northeast, they're called "Route X" as in "Route 7".
In other parts of the country, they're called "Highway X" as in "Highway 7".
Personally, I like the "State Road X" moniker because it specifies that you
are referring to a state highway rather than a US route or Interstate.
IronPig
John Brocato
> In Iowa, usually, highways (state routes and up, at least) are what
> they are, and called by number - with the exception of old alignments.
> The DM Register quoted someone in an article about US 6 as saying
> something like "the DOT calls it Highway 925, but we still call it 6".
> Old 6, Old 61, and Old 20 get around quite a bit. (Old 30, more
> often than not, is the Lincoln Highway.) I find it interesting that
> people adapted to the Great Renumbering as easily as I think they did.
> It's "Highway" or "I-", with the possible exception of extreme
> southern Iowa. According to my Sportsman's Atlas Van Buren County
> actually labeled the county roads with "Route"; "Rte W40", etc. Too
> much influence from them Missourians, I reckon. ;-)
Although MODOT uses the word "Route", I do not hear people in St.
Louis use that word. We tend to use the word "highway" for all types
from Highway W (secondary state highway, often mistaken for a county
road) to Highway 70 (Interstate 70).
As for our quirks, I can think of two.
1) Calling Interstate 64 by its pre-1987 designation, Highway 40
2) Referring to the Bernard F. Dickmann Gateway Bridge (I-55/64/70
over the Mississippi River) as the Poplar Street Bridge
John Brocato
mj...@duke.edu
> "Compañero Señor Yamamoto de Hollywood" <ham@eggs@breakfast.letseat>
> wrote:
> >
> > <mj...@duke.edu> wrote:
> >
> > > Now I think what gets really amusing is when you mix lingo from two
> > > different places. All through my undergrad years, I made quate a few
> > > trips to Boston and saw my friends up there refer to Mem Drive and Mass
> > > Ave. Now I find myself referring to Massachusetts Ave in DC as "Mass Av"
> > > as well. BUt that doesn't fit with other street names, so those others
> > > don't get abreviated. I've actually said stuff like "the National
> > > Cathedral is at the corner of Mass Av and Wisconsin Avenue". I got
> > > strange looks from everyone in the room that night when I said that!
> >
> > Better yet, abbreviate "National Cathedral". Imagine the looks you'd get
> > when you talk about the "Nat Cat". That'd be flip city, daddy-o
>
> Natl Cath
>
Thats kinda hard to pronounce though.
I just thought of this...one road I tend to refer to a lot by its signed
abreviation is the "Balto-Wash" Parkway. Of cours I've never met anyone
else that does this besides me :)
mj...@duke.edu
> The New York State Thruway is I-87 from NYC to Albany and I-90 from Albany
> to Buffalo. But (like the Mass Pike) it was built before Interstate
> designations. To this day, everyone still calls it "The Thruway".
>
> Also I-87 (from Albany to Montreal) was also constructed before Interstate
> designations and was originally called "The Adirondack Northway". Today,
> although every sign and road map labels it only as I-87, most people still
> call it "The Northway".
Actually, at least as of 4 years ago, signs on small local roads the
intersect the Northway said "I-87, Adirondack Northway, 1/4 mile". Then
the Jct. I-87. THen the route marker assemblies. For whatever reason,
NYS never posted Albany and Montreal signs on entrance ramps in the
Adirondack area.
J Mello
You mean people who have lived here more than one year?
-JMello
Robert Coté
<115967b1.03012...@posting.google.com>,
jo...@allston.org (J Mello) wrote:
People "adopt" Boston in short order. Other cities take
decades to grow on some but Boston is an exception. It
probably has to do with a confluence of colleges and money
and history along with demographics and several unique
identifiers.
Do they still say things like "hang a Roscoe" for make the
next righthand turn or "pull a U" for make a U-turn?
Regards from someone who has lived on both Comm Ave and
"Pahk Ave."
Pete from Boston
> I lived in South Florida for 20 years where US-1 is commonly called "Federal
> Highway" and it's costal-local alternate (Florida SR-A1A) is called just
> "A1A". Although I now live in Boston, I personally haven't broken those
> habits. When I refer to our Massachusetts SR-1A as "A1A", my friends all
> seem to know I mean "1A". But when I call US-1 "Federal Highway", nobody
> knows what I'm talking about.
>
> Another regional difference I've noticed is how people refer to state
> highways. In Florida for example, common usage is "State Road X" as in
> "State Road 7". In the Northeast, they're called "Route X" as in "Route 7".
> In other parts of the country, they're called "Highway X" as in "Highway 7".
> Personally, I like the "State Road X" moniker because it specifies that you
> are referring to a state highway rather than a US route or Interstate.
When I worked on the co-signed US 5/MA 10 in South Deerfield, MA, the
company's address was actually on "State Rd." Further north, in
Greenfield, it's "Federal St." I honestly don't know the specific
origins of either, but always assumed this was in reference to their
classifications. Is this common anywhere else?
Doug Krause
dvs519 <dvs...@earthlink.net> wrote:
#At least in Southern Cal, we just say the name. We usually omit the
#street, avenue or blvd. on named streets.
In some places like Irvine there are lots of streets without an
identifier.
Conversely, in Springfield MA, there is a St. James Boulevard,
St. James Circle, and St. James Avenue. (The avenue and boulevard
intersect.)
Dream Land
people confused. Just as I-69 going to cross US 69 (unless they truncate US
69) it will meet in Texas. Not sure if I-69 would meet with TX 69.
"IronPig" <FJ...@TheIronPig.com> wrote in message
news:KVSX9.71499$0t2.942@FE07...
Dream Land
intersecting streets naming the name. Like Art Museum would be at Art and
Museum. Speaking of Boston, to say Fleet Center would be at the corner of
Fleet and Center. How often is that common around this country.
You can even use statues leaving out the word statue. Like a statue of
George Washington would be at the corner of George and Washington.
Suffixes doesn't matter.
"Steve" <smal...@mit.edu> wrote in message
news:3E2F9CB0...@mit.edu...
mj...@duke.edu
In some cities, the identifier is omitted on city street signs. San
Francisco comes to mind. (A sign might say "Van Ness", meaning Van Ness
Ave....er...US 101 :) )
US 71
"Dream Land" <y...@yes.net> wrote in message
news:v31alj...@corp.supernews.com...
> Would be something landmarks as building or sports complex would be on two
> intersecting streets naming the name. Like Art Museum would be at Art and
> Museum. Speaking of Boston, to say Fleet Center would be at the corner of
> Fleet and Center. How often is that common around this country.
>
> You can even use statues leaving out the word statue. Like a statue of
> George Washington would be at the corner of George and Washington.
Fayetteville, AR has such a thing: the Lafayette Gregg house at the corner
of Lafayette and Gregg. Mr Gregg was an early resident of the town.
Patrick Humphrey
>It's only good as long as there is no two highways at the same area to get
>people confused. Just as I-69 going to cross US 69 (unless they truncate US
>69) it will meet in Texas. Not sure if I-69 would meet with TX 69.
I-69 will cross US 69 in Lufkin (or just west of it), but it won't cross Texas
69 -- because that was decommissioned a decade or so ago. What was Texas 69,
between current Texas 6 in Eastland and US 183 just south of Gunsight, was
renumbered as Texas 112. (Something tells me the 112 signs aren't "borrowed"
anywhere near as often as were the Texas 69 signs. :-)
--PLH, who'll check the TxDOT route log to see if there's an FM 69 lurking
somewhere
Emi Melissa Briet
> When I worked on the co-signed US 5/MA 10 in South Deerfield, MA, the
> company's address was actually on "State Rd." Further north, in
> Greenfield, it's "Federal St." I honestly don't know the specific
> origins of either, but always assumed this was in reference to their
> classifications. Is this common anywhere else?
When I used to live in Truro, I was probably the only one who didn't call
MA-6A in P'town by its local name Bradford St. I got into the habit of
calling it "6A" when I was about 5 or 6.
--
Emi Melissa Briet -- Kawaii techie-chan and DDR Maniac! ^.^v
Keep your ear to the radio, and keep hot water with you at all times!
Bennett Jason L Contr AFRL/IFOS
>
> Except in Buffalo, where Ontario practice predominates ("the 401" just
> as well as "the 290").
Which serves it's purpose. Oddly enough, Buffalo's Interstates do not
extend their selves as NY routes so there's no need to discern between
I-290 and NY 290 (which would be near Syracuse anyway). Of course, if
the common lay person were to sign Buffalo routes, they'd all probably
be the same type of shield, be it Interstate, US or NY route.
There's a road back in my hometown that is known by two names. The
first one, it's official designation by the county, is called "Dutch
Hill Road". The second one, known to the locals, is called "Rogers
Road". I simply refer to it as CR 26, which happens to be the same
route for my parent's house, which is called "Maple Hill Road". Now,
the fun part of this is way back when my parents bought that house,
"Maple Hill Road" was know as "Dutch Hill Road" and it's still listed in
the phone book today as such.
Another "two name" street is one that my grandparents house is on. The
first one, it's official designation by the town, is called "Virginia
Street". The second one, known to the locals, is called "Elm Street".
This "street" is actually more like a one lane, L shaped alley that has
about three residences on it. My grandparent's house is on the corner
with Flanigan Street, which also happens to be CR 26 - the same 26 as my
parent's house, and would you believe, my aunt & uncle also live on CR
26, Gile Hollow Road.
Jason L. Bennett
Oriskany, NY
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J Mello
You mean "pull a yue-ee?" Yup.
That's not a universal expression?
-JMello
John F. Carr
Pete from Boston <mass...@my-deja.com> wrote:
>When I worked on the co-signed US 5/MA 10 in South Deerfield, MA, the
>company's address was actually on "State Rd." Further north, in
>Greenfield, it's "Federal St." I honestly don't know the specific
>origins of either, but always assumed this was in reference to their
>classifications. Is this common anywhere else?
The names may also date from the days when state-built and federal-aid
highways were new. Counties used to have primary responsibility for
roadbuilding.
The MassHighway road inventory tells me that the following cities and
towns have a "Federal Street": Agawam, Andover, Belchertown, Beverly,
Billerica, Blackstone, Boston, Easthampton, Fitchburg, Gloucester,
Greenfield, Haverhill, Huntington, Lynn, Marlborough, Montague,
Nantucket, Newburyport, Northampton, Pittsfield, Reading, Salem,
Springfield, Walpole, Weymouth, Wilmington, Woburn, and Worcester.
These have "State Road": Blandford, Danvers, Dartmouth, Great
Barrington, Lancaster, North Adams, Phillipston, Plymouth, Revere,
Salem, Stow, Templeton, Warwick, Westminster, Whately, and Worcester.
(Many more have "Bay State Road", "Old State Road", etc.)
--
John Carr (j...@mit.edu)
David S Chesler
> When I used to live in Truro, I was probably the only one who didn't call
> MA-6A in P'town by its local name Bradford St. I got into the habit of
> calling it "6A" when I was about 5 or 6.
cf. "Upper County Road", "Lower County Road" in Dennis.
--
- David Chesler <che...@post.harvard.edu>
Iacta alea est
Pete from Boston
>
> > When I worked on the co-signed US 5/MA 10 in South Deerfield, MA, the
> > company's address was actually on "State Rd." Further north, in
> > Greenfield, it's "Federal St." I honestly don't know the specific
> > origins of either, but always assumed this was in reference to their
> > classifications. Is this common anywhere else?
>
> When I used to live in Truro, I was probably the only one who didn't call
> MA-6A in P'town by its local name Bradford St. I got into the habit of
> calling it "6A" when I was about 5 or 6.
Yes, but I guess what I'm talking about is official given street names
that are generic descriptions, like "State St." for a street that's
also state highway.
Of course, the absurd extreme of this is Street Road in Philly.
US 71
"John F. Carr" <j...@mit.edu> wrote in message
news:3e315894$0$3933$b45e...@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu...
> The names may also date from the days when state-built and federal-aid
> highways were new. Counties used to have primary responsibility for
> roadbuilding.
>
> The MassHighway road inventory tells me that the following cities and
> towns have a "Federal Street": Agawam, Andover, Belchertown, Beverly,
> Billerica, Blackstone, Boston, Easthampton, Fitchburg, Gloucester,
> Greenfield, Haverhill, Huntington, Lynn, Marlborough, Montague,
> Nantucket, Newburyport, Northampton, Pittsfield, Reading, Salem,
> Springfield, Walpole, Weymouth, Wilmington, Woburn, and Worcester.
>
> These have "State Road": Blandford, Danvers, Dartmouth, Great
> Barrington, Lancaster, North Adams, Phillipston, Plymouth, Revere,
> Salem, Stow, Templeton, Warwick, Westminster, Whately, and Worcester.
> (Many more have "Bay State Road", "Old State Road", etc.)
>
There's an "Old State Road" that runs through Mattoon, IL
Michael Moroney
>In article <b282e3e6.03012...@posting.google.com>,
>Pete from Boston <mass...@my-deja.com> wrote:
>>When I worked on the co-signed US 5/MA 10 in South Deerfield, MA, the
>>company's address was actually on "State Rd." Further north, in
>>Greenfield, it's "Federal St." I honestly don't know the specific
>>origins of either, but always assumed this was in reference to their
>>classifications. Is this common anywhere else?
Too many cases where it has little or nothing to do with the classification.
I know of at least two instances of "State St." in New York that are
actually US highways, and several "State Streets" that are minor city
streets (Buffalo, Troy, Jamestown) that I can't see as ever being any sort
of state route.
>The MassHighway road inventory tells me that the following cities and
>towns have a "Federal Street": Agawam, Andover, Belchertown, Beverly,
>Billerica, Blackstone, Boston, Easthampton, Fitchburg, Gloucester,
>Greenfield, Haverhill, Huntington, Lynn, Marlborough, Montague,
>Nantucket, Newburyport, Northampton, Pittsfield, Reading, Salem,
>Springfield, Walpole, Weymouth, Wilmington, Woburn, and Worcester.
Federal St. in Fitchburg is yet another minor city street with a pretentious
name.
>These have "State Road": Blandford, Danvers, Dartmouth, Great
>(Many more have "Bay State Road", "Old State Road", etc.)
Or "town" State Rd. like Ashby State Rd. in Fitchburg which becomes Fitchburg
State Rd. in Ashby (MA Rt. 31, it deserves these names).
-Mike
Frank Curcio
mass...@my-deja.com (Pete from Boston) writes:
>When I worked on the co-signed US 5/MA 10 in South Deerfield, MA, the
>company's address was actually on "State Rd."
[snip]
> Is this common anywhere else?
Not common, but examples probably abound. In New Jersey, US 206 north of
Princeton to Montgomery is named State Road - which most likely dates from the
time it was only a state route, i.e., prior to the US designation being
assigned.
South of Princeton, Federal City Road (Exit 5, I-95) dates to the time Trenton
was temporary US Capital.
On the other hand, State St. in Trenton is obvious - it passes in front of the
State House and office complex.
My personal favorite is the New Jersey custom of not "decommissioning" a
highway "name" (i.e., number) Which includes Old Highway 22 (now actually
signed NJ 173) and Old Highway 28. These "Old" names are the actual street
addresses of houses and businesses on the roads.
So throughout the state you'll find "old highway" "old turnpike" "Pike road"
"shunpike" and "shunpike road."
Regards,
Frank
Michael Moroney
>> highways. In Florida for example, common usage is "State Road X" as in
>> "State Road 7". In the Northeast, they're called "Route X" as in "Route 7".
>> In other parts of the country, they're called "Highway X" as in "Highway 7".
>> Personally, I like the "State Road X" moniker because it specifies that you
>> are referring to a state highway rather than a US route or Interstate.
Another difference is in the Northeast both US routes and state routes (and
sometimes interstates) are called "Route N". This is because while US routes
are very important out west, in the northeast many state routes are more
important than US routes and the US routes are sometimes fairly minor.
-Mike
Barry L. Camp
> <snip>
>
> Michigan
>
> Detroit
> Even MDOT can't keep track of the official name of the [presently] M-10
> freeway between
> 8 Mile Road and Telegraph (US-24) in Southfield (Metro Detroit).
> Originally, it was
> Northwestern Highway. The service drive is still Northwestern, as is the
> road northwest of
> Telegraph where it is no longer a freeway. As far as the freeway is
> concerned, BGSs say
> Lodge Fwy, but other official documents say Northwestern Highway.
I was in Detroit last weekend for the Auto Show and stayed at the
Courtyard By Marriot on Northwestern at Lahser, which is Freeway, but
is not part of the Lodge. The M-10/Northwestern/Lodge confusion arises
because many (locals and out-state Michiganians) are under the
impression that the Northwestern Highway portion of M-10 is only the
"boulevard" section west of Telegraph and that the Lodge is the whole
freeway. But in fact the Lodge officially is only the section of
freeway within the Detroit City Limits - south of 8 Mile. The rest of
M-10, freeway north of 8-Mile AND the boulevard, are all part of
Northwestern Highway.
Speaking of 8 Mile - that's the road that carries for M-102, which
also divides Detroit from the northern suburbs, and Wayne County
(mostly Detroit) from Oakland and Macomb Counties (suburbs). Mention
M-102 to locals and prepare to get blank stares.
Other Detroit local references:
M-10: Northwestern (Hwy), "The Lodge"
M-8: Davison Expressway, Davison Freeway, "The Davison"
M-39: Southfield Freeway, Southfield Road, "The Southfield"
I-75: Chrysler Freeway (north of downtown), "The Chrysler"
Fisher Freeway (south of downtown), "The Fisher"
I-94: Ford Freeway, "The Ford"
I-96: Jeffries Freeway, "The Jeffries"
(I-96/I-275/M-14 JCT to downtown only)
I-275: Just "The 275" (including the section muxed w/I-96)
I-696: W.P. Reuther Freeway, "The Reuther", or "The 696"
Almost all other trunklines are referred to by thier local names, e.g.
M-3 from downtown northeast is Gratiot Avenue, simply referred to as
"Gratiot"; US-24, Telegraph Road, etc...
...Except for M-59. M-59 is the oddball here.
It is referred to universally as... M-59.
Non-Trunkline roads in the Detroit Suburbs:
There are a series of parallel east-west roads at one mile intervals
counting upwards from 8 Mile Road, e.g. 9 Mile Road, 10 Mile Road,
etc. Most refer to the number only, such as for a restaruant you would
go to "15 and Van Dyke".
Some have aliases, such as 15 Mile Road being Maple Road in spots.
Some way "Maple and Evergreen", others, "15 and Evergreen". It can be
confusing to out-of-towners, but it's not to tough to catch on once
you get used to the area.
Grand Rapids:
M-6: Officially called the Paul Henry Freeway, but locals call it
the "South Beltline", as this was a working title for the freeway
project.
I-196: G.R. Ford Freeway, "The Ford" or just "196"
(but only by the news media for traffic reports, others say
"196")
M-11: 28th Street/Wilson Ave/Remembrance Rd - the local names are
used.
US-131: There is a section downtown known as "The S-Curve".
Self-explanatory.
The rest is simply "131"
Most other trunklines are known by thier local names, most prominently
Alpine Ave (M-37 North of I-96) ,East Beltline (M-44 North of
I-96/M-37 South of I-96) or "The Beltline" (NOT the same as the "South
Beltline" above), and Lake Michigan Drive (M-45).
Mackinac Bridge:
The Mackinac Bridge is also known as "The Mac", "The Mighty Mac" or
"The Big Mac" (honest).
> Mackinac Bridge
> a.k.a. "The Bridge". Need I say more? For that matter, the entire area,
> including St. Ignace
> and Mackinaw City, are often referred to as "the Bridge", as in "I spent the
> night at The Bridge.
>
> Old US-12/Old M-14 in between Plymouth and Ann Arbor
> This road in Ann Arbor is known as Plymouth Road. In Plymouth it is known
> as Ann Arbor Road.
> In between, it is officially Plymouth-Ann Arbor Road, but all three names
> are commonly used.
>
> There are many, many more.
>
> Dyche Anderson
>
Ubermonkey
> intersecting streets naming the name. Like Art Museum would be at Art and
> Museum. Speaking of Boston, to say Fleet Center would be at the corner of
> Fleet and Center. How often is that common around this country.
>
> You can even use statues leaving out the word statue. Like a statue of
> George Washington would be at the corner of George and Washington.
I used to live in Worcester near the corner of Elm & Park, where you
will find Elm Park.
A few blocks away is Institute & Park, but Institute Park is on the
other side of WPI, the Institute in question.
Joel
JTL
> > Highway" and it's costal-local alternate (Florida SR-A1A) is called just
> > "A1A". Although I now live in Boston, I personally haven't broken those
> > habits. When I refer to our Massachusetts SR-1A as "A1A", my friends all
> > seem to know I mean "1A". But when I call US-1 "Federal Highway", nobody
> > knows what I'm talking about.
> >
> > Another regional difference I've noticed is how people refer to state
> > highways. In Florida for example, common usage is "State Road X" as in
> > "State Road 7". In the Northeast, they're called "Route X" as in "Route 7".
> > In other parts of the country, they're called "Highway X" as in "Highway 7".
> > Personally, I like the "State Road X" moniker because it specifies that you
> > are referring to a state highway rather than a US route or Interstate.
I try to find out and call roads by the regional moniker. In some
cases, you need to be more specific such as "State Road (or route)
771" in Florida because you also have "County Road 773" probably right
next to it. Florida's distinct numbering system demands that you be
more specific than "Highway 773". This is FDOT retaining the special
number system where county roads used to be both state secondaries AND
county. Likewise, some highways are only referred to by local
name-this is *usually* because they were named before they were
numbered. Some other common references I am aware of are:
Route (Rt): VA, WV and the Northeast. In VA, state secondaries are
also referred to as "route" and misspelled "rte"
M-nnn: Michigan Highway nnn
U-nnn: Utah Highway nnn
State Route (SR): Southeast and West. Often used interchangeably with
"Highway"
State Highway (SH): Texas, Colorado and other states in the Plains
County Road (CR), County Highway (CH) or Road (for a county or
secondary road)
MI, MN and WS often call their roads "Trunk Routes and Trunklines" and
often sign their roads as "TR" and "CTR". MN has the unique "CSAH"
for "County State-Aid Highway.
"TR" can also refer to a Township or Town Road. State maintained town
streets in VA have the prefix T-n so one may often find something like
a T-1007 sign in towns that contract with VDOT for routine
maintenance.
In GA, GDOT references roads by "State Route" and the average person
calls them "Highway" (though either is understood and usually doesn't
raise eyebrows).
A few other states have their distinct ways of referring to routes and
some, such as HI and AK don't ever refer to roads by route
numbers-only by name-so don't ask for Highway 200-it is the Saddle
Road or Highway 11-it is the Dalton Highway. (the former example
related by Oscar Voss)
Pete from Boston
Actually, I think "Old State Rd" shows up occasionally where old
rights-of-way split off from Route 2, which is exactly what I'm
talking about. I'm thinking of like the Erving area.
Pat O'Connell
>
> e...@emiofbrie.com (Emi Melissa Briet) wrote in message news:<emi-240103...@rrcs-central-24-123-116-102.biz.rr.com>...
> > When I used to live in Truro, I was probably the only one who didn't call
> > MA-6A in P'town by its local name Bradford St. I got into the habit of
> > calling it "6A" when I was about 5 or 6.
>
> cf. "Upper County Road", "Lower County Road" in Dennis.
How about extremely common names for major streets, like Main St.,
High St., Broad St., Meridian St., Central St., Broadway, 1st St., 2nd
St., 3rd St.,...A St., B St., C St....?
--
Pat O'Connell
Take nothing but pictures, Leave nothing but footprints,
Kill nothing but vandals...
Dream Land
Maryville, and in Knoxville it's Maryville Pike (TN - 33)
"Michael Moroney" <mor...@world.std.spaamtrap.com> wrote in message
news:H989A5...@world.std.com...
Dream Land
Maryville, but Airport Hwy in Alcoa (seeing it's next to the Knoxville
Airport). Within the Twin Cities (Maryville-Alcoa) I don't ever recalling
that Maryville having a Alcoa *roadway* and Alcoa having a Maryville
*roadway*
*roadway* = any suffix
"Michael Moroney" <mor...@world.std.spaamtrap.com> wrote in message
news:H989A5...@world.std.com...
Dream Land
would be a first.
"Patrick Humphrey" <pat...@io.com> wrote in message
news:szk3cnj...@eris.io.com...
Dream Land
If to say I live on Main, but has no suffix, a person would ask is it road,
street, avenue, parkway, etc. You tell them "no" it's just Main seeing there
is no suffix on the sign.
<mj...@duke.edu> wrote in message
news:Pine.GSO.4.51.03...@godzilla1.acpub.duke.edu...
Dream Land
maintenance, quality) so it doesn't get a 4di, yet a state highway signed?
Could this happen anywhere?
"Bennett Jason L Contr AFRL/IFOS" <Jason....@rl.af.mil> wrote in message
news:3E31462B...@rl.af.mil...