From free + way.

• IPA: /ˈfɹiː.weɪ/, enPR: frēʹwā

freeway (plural freeways)

1. (US, Philippines, Parts of Canada and Australia) A highway with grade-separated crossings (rather than level crossings) and designed (and only permitted) for high-speed motor-traffic running in two directions on one separate carriageway each

   Synonyms: motorway, expressway, autoroute, autobahn, interstate, controlled-access highway

   • 1983, David Brodsly, L. A. Freeway: An Appreciative Essay‎^{[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Krv0fLvSc5QC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22freeway%22%7C%22freeways%22+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6kdXT_nlDcj3mAXao-meDw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22freeway%22%7C%22freeways%22%20-intitle%3A%22%22%20-inauthor%3A%22%22&f=false]}, page 1:

     Contrary to what one might expect of an essay on freeways, this one is neither a diatribe nor a paean.

   • 2008, Derek Hayes, Canada: An Illustrated History‎^{[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=hrkq7t_4080C&pg=PA257&dq=%22freeway%22%7C%22freeways%22+canada+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7EZXT53WM8nUmAX3-IHTDw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22freeway%22%7C%22freeways%22%20canada%20-intitle%3A%22%22%20-inauthor%3A%22%22&f=false]}, page 257:

     In the late 1950s and 1960s most large cities started planning freeway systems, acknowledging the incredible growth in car ownership.

   • 2010, Robert Freestone, Urban Nation: Australia′s Planning Heritage‎^{[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=v7PQxIjS1BQC&pg=PA161&dq=%22freeway%22%7C%22freeways%22+australia+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=oStXT9b6B4vjmAXyts2YDw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22freeway%22%7C%22freeways%22%20australia%20-intitle%3A%22%22%20-inauthor%3A%22%22&f=false]}, page 161:

     The Australian freeway story of the late twentieth century, like many planning stories, can be told as one of high technical expectations dashed by political controversy.

2. A toll-free highway.

   Antonyms: turnpike, tollway, motorway