This is a question that assails many Spanish drivers while driving through them. In most cases it is difficult to notice the Differences between a highway and a highway. At least, if the requirements that both have to have, their history and current legislation are not known.
What must be clear is that both are High Capacity Roads in the eyes of the administration. That is why they have many points in common, especially for the user. In addition, the typical method of differentiating them (that some are paid and the others are free) is not even conclusive, since this is not true on many occasions.
Common characteristics between highways and highways
Despite their differences, highways and highways have several points in common that distinguish them from other types of roads:
- they have two separate driveways, each one for a direction of travel.
- They have two or more lanes for each sense.
- None of the two has Crosses or any other type of intersection at same level.
- Neither count on semaphores o roundabouts that interrupt or slow down their circulation.
- La maximum speed is 120 km/h in most of its sections and the minimum of 60 km/h, whenever traffic conditions allow it.
- Both can also function as bypasses o access to cities.
- Service Areas for rest or recharging of both combustion and electric vehicles.
How are the highways?
A highway is a road specially designed for high-speed vehicle traffic, with stricter construction and management characteristics compared to other roads. According to the Highway Law 37/2015, the criteria for a road to be considered a highway include:
- Must be exclusive for cars and must not allow direct access from adjoining properties. This ensures that there are no unexpected interruptions in traffic.
- Can not cross or be crossed at grade by any other road or railway line, ensuring a continuous flow of traffic.
- Should have Separate roadways for each direction of traffic, with a physical barrier between them, such as a median of land or containment elements that do not allow vehicles to cross between directions.
- Highways are usually managed by concessions to private companies, which means that they can be paid (with direct tolls) or free, depending on the concession policy. The financing model may include the so-called shadow toll, where the government pays the concessionaire company for the use of the road instead of the end user.
- They are marked with the code AP-(number) for toll highways. Madrid's toll radial highways are identified with the code R-(number).
- On motorways, entry and exit from the main road is strictly controlled by access systems at different levels, which minimizes the risk of accidents and ensures a constant flow of traffic.
- In them, the bicycle circulation is prohibited at all times, due to the high speed and specific design of these roads for motor vehicles.
How are the highways?
Highways, although they share many characteristics with highways, present certain important differences in their design, use and regulation:
- According to Highway Law 37/2015 of September 29, the dual carriageways are the roads that do not meet all highway requirements, but at least they have:
- Separate roads for each direction of traffic, but no such extensive separation methods.
- Access limitation to and from the adjoining properties. Which is not the same as "without access."
- They cannot have level crossings.
- Many highways are built to replace old roads, so they may have twistier sections, fewer shoulders, and shorter merge or exit lanes than highways.
- Are free and free use.
- Are managed by the state or autonomous communities.
- They are marked with the code A-(number). Those that depend on the autonomous communities may have specific codes.
- On highways the circulation of cyclists over 14 years old as long as they do it on the shoulder and it is not expressly prohibited by signs.
- In the event of congestion or closure, highways may have special openings in the medians to allow traffic in the opposite direction.
- They are not required to have service roads like highways.
Differences between motorway and expressway
In short, comparing the characteristics of both types of roads, The differences between motorway and expressway are:
- highways are concessions to private companies while Highways depend directly on the government or the autonomous communities.
- motorways can be paid or free for the user depending on the concession; highways are always free.
- highways do not they can have shortcuts to properties adjacent; highways can, albeit with limitations.
- The separation requirements between the directions of travel are older people on highways than on the highways.
- dual carriageways, having replaced old highways, may have tighter curves and shorter entry and exit lanes, characteristics less common on highways.
- The highways They must have service roads, unlike highways where it is not mandatory.
- Highways can have bus stops on the sides, something that is not allowed on highways.
As you can see, highways have stricter requirements than dual carriageways. Nevertheless, this does not mean that there are not dual carriageways as good as motorways. Especially in many of the sections where they do not pass near any town.
And what about multi-lane highways?
To this must be added a third category that can be confused with highways or expressways: the multilane highways. These have at least two lanes for each direction, with their separation or delimitation, but can be accessed from properties or other spaces and even have level crossings.
Those who do not meet the requirements of highways, motorways and multi-lane highways are simply conventional roads. That is, most of the roads that make up the road network in Spain. This does not mean that we have few High Capacity Roads, since we are the third country in the world with the most kilometers of this type.