Motorway

A motorway (in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and some Commonwealth nations) is both a type of road and a classification. Motorways may also be regarded as highways designed to carry a large volume of traffic where a normal road would not suffice or would be unsafe, usually between cities. In the UK they are predominantly dual-carriageway roads, usually with three lanes in each direction although four-lane and two-lane carriageways are also common, and all have grade-separated access.

Location and construction

Major intercity or national routes are often built or upgraded to motorway standard. Motorways are also commonly used for ring roads around cities or bypasses of built-up areas. Examples of ring-road motorways are the M25 around London and the M50 around Dublin.

Related Topics:
Ring road - Bypass - M25 - London - M50 - Dublin

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In Britain there are plans to improve many motorways as well as to upgrade some roads to motorway status. In the Republic of Ireland, the National Roads Authority has been connecting main cities with motorways as part of a six-year National Development Plan. The European Union has part-funded many motorway projects in the past, as part of a Trans-European Transport Networks, and there are plans to invest billions of euro in such projects in the next ten years.

Related Topics:
National Roads Authority - Main cities - National Development Plan - European Union - Trans-European Transport Networks - Euro

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The newest UK motorway is the M6 Toll bypassing Birmingham and Wolverhampton, which opened in 2004 and is the only completely toll motorway in England. There are two other tolled sections of motorway (on the M4 and M48), but only where these motorways cross the the River Severn at the Severn crossing.

Related Topics:
M6 Toll - Birmingham - Wolverhampton - 2004 - Toll - England - M4 - M48 - Severn crossing

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