In the northern parts of the Eastern seaboard, the term freeway isn't used. Here, multi-lane, high-volume roads meant for high-speed traffic known as highways are usually named and referred to by their particular sub-type: expressways, parkways, thruways, turnpikes.
For example, in the NYC metro area you'll find the Westside Highway, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Cross Bronx Expressway, the Long Island Expressway, the Major Deegan Expressway, the Henry Hudson Parkway, Palisades Parkway, Garden State Parkway, the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways, the NY State Thruway, the New Jersey Turnpike.
Then there's the FDR, the highway that runs north-south on the east side of Manhattan. Its official name is the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Drive.
In the northern parts of the Eastern seaboard, the term freeway isn't used. Here, multi-lane, high-volume roads meant for high-speed traffic known as highways are usually named and referred to by their particular sub-type: expressways, parkways, thruways, turnpikes.
For example, in the NYC metro area you'll find the Westside Highway, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Cross Bronx Expressway, the Long Island Expressway, the Major Deegan Expressway, the Henry Hudson Parkway, Palisades Parkway, Garden State Parkway, the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways, the NY State Thruway, the New Jersey Turnpike.
Then there's the FDR, the highway that runs north-south on the east side of Manhattan. Its official name is the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Drive.
Don't forget the Van Wyck Expressway -- pronounced Van Wike.
I’m from LA. Definitely Freeway. While attending college in Chicago I did hear expressway a lot as the Wisconsin poster said so that must be a Midwest thing. We never call the freeway by it’s name like the Ronald Reagan or the Golden State.
I remember during the OJ chase in 94 the announcer used numbers. Something like OJ starts at the 405, speeds up to the 210, he’s approaching the 118, to the 5… the 2…..Touchdown.
It's changed over time. I lived in West LA in the early 1970s and most people referred to freeways by their names. The Santa Monica, the Harbor, the Santa Ana, the San Diego, etc. A lot of people didn't even know the numbers but now everyone uses the numbers exclusively.
This was similar in the Bay Area. I remember when 880 was mostly referred to as the Nimitz, but I haven't heard that term for years. But, yeah, in CA it's always been freeway.
For example, in the NYC metro area you'll find the Westside Highway, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Cross Bronx Expressway, the Long Island Expressway, the Major Deegan Expressway, the Henry Hudson Parkway, Palisades Parkway, Garden State Parkway, the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways, the NY State Thruway, the New Jersey Turnpike.
Then there's the FDR, the highway that runs north-south on the east side of Manhattan. Its official name is the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Drive.
In the Tri State area, the names are all shortened. BQE, Deegan, Thruway, Turnpike, FDR, Cross Bronx, LIE, Van Wyck, The Belt, Northern State, Southern State, etc.
For example, in the NYC metro area you'll find the Westside Highway, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Cross Bronx Expressway, the Long Island Expressway, the Major Deegan Expressway, the Henry Hudson Parkway, Palisades Parkway, Garden State Parkway, the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways, the NY State Thruway, the New Jersey Turnpike.
Then there's the FDR, the highway that runs north-south on the east side of Manhattan. Its official name is the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Drive.
In the Tri State area, the names are all shortened. BQE, Deegan, Thruway, Turnpike, FDR, Cross Bronx, LIE, Van Wyck, The Belt, Northern State, Southern State, etc.
The names of these roads are shortened like you say in many contexts, particulary in spoken everyday English. But in many other contexts, such as written news stories, they're usually referred to by their full names and a variety of abbreviations.
Then there's road signs. On official road signs, the BQE is ususally "Bklyn-Queens Expway." The Deegan is "Maj Deegan Expwy" or "Deegan Expwy." The LIE is "Long Island Expway." The Belt is "Belt Pkway." The FDR is usually "FDR Drive" or FDR Dr." And so on.
Road signs have to be as clear as possible to all motorists using these roads - many of whom are not from the NYC metro area and won't be famiilar with longstanding local vernacular and abbreviations.
Many users of these roads also don't have English as their main language or as an additional language, either. This is true even for many who happen to live in the NYC tri-state are and work as taxi, limo and ride-service drivers.
According to the NY Taxi & Limousine Commission, nearly all NYC cab drivers are immigrants who hail from any one of 163 different countries around the globe - only four percent are US-born. Many of these drivers speak very little English. In fact, in 2016, the TLC dropped the rule that previously required drivers to pass a basic English proficiency test in order to get a city hack license.
This post was edited 2 minutes after it was posted.
In the Tri State area, the names are all shortened. BQE, Deegan, Thruway, Turnpike, FDR, Cross Bronx, LIE, Van Wyck, The Belt, Northern State, Southern State, etc.
The names of these roads are shortened like you say in many contexts, particulary in spoken everyday English. But in many other contexts, such as written news stories, they're usually referred to by their full names and a variety of abbreviations.
Then there's road signs. On official road signs, the BQE is ususally "Bklyn-Queens Expway." The Deegan is "Maj Deegan Expwy" or "Deegan Expwy." The LIE is "Long Island Expway." The Belt is "Belt Pkway." The FDR is usually "FDR Drive" or FDR Dr." And so on.
Road signs have to be as clear as possible to all motorists using these roads - many of whom are not from the NYC metro area and won't be famiilar with longstanding local vernacular and abbreviations.
Many users of these roads also don't have English as their main language or as an additional language, either. This is true even for many who happen to live in the NYC tri-state are and work as taxi, limo and ride-service drivers.
According to the NY Taxi & Limousine Commission, nearly all NYC cab drivers are immigrants who hail from any one of 163 different countries around the globe - only four percent are US-born. Many of these drivers speak very little English. In fact, in 2016, the TLC dropped the rule that previously required drivers to pass a basic English proficiency test in order to get a city hack license.
The OP didn't seem to refer to road signs at all. Just within speech. When was the last time you listened to a traffic report and they said Brooklyn Queens Expressway or Long Island Expressway or the New York State Thruway or the New Jersey Turnpike? It's all shorthand and everyone knows or should know what they all mean.