Is your freeway "the 5", "I-10" or "80"?

[zephead]

I found an interesting discussion (to me, at least, being a major roadgeek) on some random blog about how you refer to your local highways/freeways. They had a good discussion going too, until it died out and eventually got closed due to spam. What you call the freeways doesn't seem like that big of a deal until you give or get directions from someone from out of state.

I've lived in SoCal most of my life, and of course, the vast majority of our freeways are referred to as "the [number]", such as the 60, the 5, and the 101 for CA 60, I-5, and US 101. Many freeways (usually closer to LA) are also called by name, which would make those numbers the Pomona Freeway, the Golden State/Santa Ana Freeway, and the Hollywood/Ventura Freeway, respectively. Pretty much the only qualification for getting a "the" is the fact that it's a freeway-standard road. State Routes on surface streets, such as Beach Blvd (SR 39) and Whittier Blvd (SR 72) are almost never referred to by number.

Of course, this is different from residents of No(r)Cal p) and apparently the rest of the country, who refer to their freeways as "15", "40", or "80", with names and/or "I-[number]" also interchangeably used.

As stated in the blog, I would also like your opinions on where the "the" starts and stops, and whether it's used in any other part of the country, just to prove to ourselves that we're not crazy (even though we are).

 

[SactoGuy18]

Here in Sacramento, CA, we just call it the "5", "50", "80", and "99".

 

[iGary]

"50" "301" "I-97" (sans "the").

Seems like a California phenomenon to me.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

No "the" here either in St. Louis. We also call one of our major highways by its old U.S route number instead of the new(er) Interstate number. You can tell the difference between someone who has lived in St. Louis for a long time and someone who is visiting/just moved by whether they call it Highway 40, or I-64.

 

[garybUK]

i call our Motorways M60 / M56 / M67 / M62 depending which one i'm on....

They are also (though unofficially in the UK) called E roads, an E road can form parts of many national and cross border roads to form a E- Road ....

The E05 will take you from Greenock, Scotland to Algeciras, Spain via many national roads.

 

[r.j.s]

Here, it is just "190" or Highway 190, since there is a Business Loop 190, also called Veteran's Memorial, that is parallel to the highway.

 

[SLC Flyfishing]

We call them I-15 and I-80 in Salt Lake City, but we refer to I-215 as simply "215".

SLC

 

[QuarterSwede]

We just call it by number in Colorado (25, etc). In Northern Virginia where the rest of my immediate family lives also that way for Interstates (95, etc.). However the exception is Route 1. Everyone just calls it that because saying "1" leaves people wondering exactly what you're talking about ... "One what?"

 

[mkrishnan]

In Detroit, we referred to them by a mix of number and name -- like the Lodge (John C. Lodge Freeway) was always called that way (and almost never called M-10). I-94 and I-96 were sometimes called that way and sometimes called by their names. I-75 I usually called I-75.

In Florida, oddly, I-10, I called I-10, but I-95 and I-295 I just called the 95 and 295.

In Chicago, I don't use the interstates that much but usually refer to them by name (particularly the Dan Ryan and the Skyway).

 

[ipodtoucher]

"114" "460" "i-81"

 

[ucfgrad93]

We just call it by number in Colorado (25, etc).

I generally refer to them with their I designation. I-25, I-70, etc.

 

[lozanoj83]

like the OP, in LA I call them the 105, 405 (living nightmare/death trap), 110, 605, 5, 101, the 2 and the 91.

However here in Riverside since I attend UCR, its the 60, 215, 15 and 91

 

[wordmunger]

Here, it's just "77" and "85" -- no Is or thes.

 

[7on]

In Kansas it's four-thirty-five (435) or eye-thirty-five (i35) or eye-seventy (i70).

 

[GimmeSlack12]

In SF I call them "The 280" and "The 101". I live in the Presidio.
To the OP you're near the 60 and the 5? Sounds like a Diamond Bar resident perhaps?

 

[Tanglewood]

My old roommate from Dallas used to bring this up. I always put 'the' in from of the number whether it be a state route (the 163, the 52, the 78) or an interstate (the 5, the 15, the 8). He was from Dallas so he always referred to the interstates with "I-<number>".

It really almost gets down to the pop, soda, or coke discussion when it comes to soft drinks.

 

[dmr727]

I put "the" in front of freeway names. For example, I take the 55 to work.

I think this is mainly a Socal thing. I've never heard it done elsewhere.

 

[yg17]

No "the" here either in St. Louis. We also call one of our major highways by its old U.S route number instead of the new(er) Interstate number. You can tell the difference between someone who has lived in St. Louis for a long time and someone who is visiting/just moved by whether they call it Highway 40, or I-64.

Then there's also 270 (never heard anyone use I-270). I just call it what it is....a parking lot

 

[zephead]

To the OP you're near the 60 and the 5? Sounds like a Diamond Bar resident perhaps?

Nope, the 60 and the 5 is East LA, you're thinking of the 60 and the 57. Either way, I live way out in Moreno Valley near the 60 and the 215.

 

[Rapmastac1]

We call them I-15 and I-80 in Salt Lake City, but we refer to I-215 as simply "215".

SLC

I second this, exactly.

 

[rdowns]

In the greater NYC area, we have names for all of our expressways and parkways (we don't have no stinking freeways). Other than I-95, we rarely refer to any by number.

Some of them are:

Long Island Expressway
Grand Central Parkway/Northern State Parkway
Southern State Parkway
Belt Parkway
Cross Island Parkway
Gowanus Expressway
Cross Bronx Expressway

Trucks are not allowed on our parkways.

 

[0098386]

Just "motorway" here. Occasionally "the motorway" or with certain passengers "the motorway".

 

[sfh]

it's "80" and "5" never "the 80 or the 5" SO-Cal is crazy about "the"

 

[themoonisdown09]

I say "75" or "the interstate I get my speeding tickets on" for "I-75".

 

[zephead]

In the greater NYC area, we have names for all of our expressways and parkways (we don't have no stinking freeways). Other than I-95, we rarely refer to any by number.

Oddly enough, we do have one expressway: the Corona-Pomona Expressway (CA 71). I don't exactly know why it's the lone expressway in the land of freeways, but it probably has something to do with it not being entirely a freeway, since in certain parts it's one lane in each direction and it has a regular street intersection with Mission Blvd. Nevertheless, we still just call it the 71.