 |
|
|
Freeway vs. Expressway
Understanding the differences between a freeway and an expressway is important,
if you want to understand the issues surrounding the K-61 Enhancement project.
A key decision was whether the proposed four-lane K-61 highway would be built
as a freeway or as an expressway.
FREEWAY--A
freeway is a multilane divided highway that allows access only at
interchanges (see Fig. 1). Some examples of freeway facilities in
Kansas are I-70 and I-135.
Advantages
-
Typically has fewer fatal accidents per vehicle mile than other highway designs
-
Has a lower total cost over its design life than other highway designs if all
user costs (travel time, fuel costs, accidents) are taken into consideration
-
Has a longer useful life and is more able to serve increasing traffic as
communities and traffic grow
-
More likely to draw traffic from parallel routes due to improved safety,
convenience and capacity
|
 |
| Fig. 1: a freeway. |
|
EXPRESSWAY--An
expressway is a multilane divided highway that allows access at public roads
via
at-grade intersections (see Fig. 2). Two examples of expressways in
Kansas are K-254 between Wichita and El Dorado and K-96 between Hutchinson and
Wichita. There are two approaches that can be taken to construct an expressway:
1) Upgradeable Expressway - An expressway where sufficient
right-of-way is purchased to eventually construct interchanges when they become
necessary.
Advantages
-
Has a longer useful life because it can be upgraded in the future without
further disruptions or displacements
-
Saves initial construction costs by providing sufficient right-of-way for
interchanges but not constructing them
2) Non-Upgradeable Expressway - An expressway where only the
right-of-way necessary to build the expressway is purchased. This design
approach does not prevent the conversion to a freeway in the future, but the
future conversion to a freeway may be prohibitively expensive due to
development and growth in the corridor.
Advantages
-
Has the lowest initial cost compared to other options
-
Makes greatest use of the existing roadway and right-of-way
-
Changes access to the existing highway but leaves more access points in place
than either a freeway or an "upgradeable" expressway
|
 |
| Fig. 2: an expressway. |
|
|
