Do people in your area say "the" before route numbers?

[Mem]

I was speaking to someone yesterday and they said the 78, and the 22 and the 1&9, when referring to highways.

I asked them is they were not from this area, and they were from California.

Out there they say the 405, or the 101.

We just say we are taking 22 or route 22. We never say the 22, it sounds bizzare if you do.

We also do not normally use the term freeway here.

 

[Jovial]

Yeah there are more freeways/highways in southern California. On the east coast you would say "I'm taking 95". On the west coast if you say you're "taking 5" someone would think you are taking a break from work, not driving somewhere. :tongue:

But I think you are correct. In California they use "the", although I didn't find it odd when I first moved here. I guess I just thought it sounded cool or something.

 

[prepstudinsc]

I was speaking to someone yesterday and they said the 78, and the 22 and the 1&9, when referring to highways.

I asked them is they were not from this area, and they were from California.

Out there they say the 405, or the 101.

We just say we are taking 22 or route 22. We never say the 22, it sounds bizzare if you do.

We also do not normally use the term freeway here.

It seems to be a Southern California thing. In the San Francisco area, people just say 101 or 280, not "the 280". Around here, people just say the number 77 or 85 OR sometimes I-77 and I-85 for "interstate". We just say highway, not freeway, but if I'm not mistaken, roadsigns call them freeways in CA.

 

[Mem]

Another local pet peeve I have is when people say I'm taking the Garden State, instead of saying the Parkway. Usually it's the older folk.

 

[Osiris]

Here in Seattle it's I-5, 522, 202, and 405, but no "the" unless you are the news guy who says "The I-5 Corridor".

 

[novice_btm]

Growing up in Detroit, it was an expressway, but now living in Los Angeles, it's a freeway. A convo I had:
"We call it a FREEway, because there's no toll."
"Yeah, well we call it an EXPRESSway, because ours actually go fast."

In Detroit, it's "I-75", or just "75", for interstates, and "M-59" (M=Michigan route), for intrastate routes. However, it was always "The Stevenson", and "The Walter Reuther", or just "The Reuther".

Popping across the border to Ontario (Canada, not the "Ontario" just outside of L.A.), we always said "The Q.E.W", "The 401", and "The 403". So, moving to L.A. and saying "The 405" was really easy, and by extension, "The 10", and "The 101". In L.A., instead of "The 10", sometimes it's "The Santa Monica (Freeway)", which transitions to "The Pacific Coast Highway", but never "The P.C.H.". It's either the full name, with or without "The", or just "P.C.H.".

 

[Gillette]

We also do not normally use the term freeway here.

You're in Jersey. With all those tolls "freeway" would be a misnomer.

To the or not to the, this is the question?
Seems natural to me to use 'the' before the highway designation as you are describing the route being taken.

Imagine it in more local terms. "Yeah, I know where that is. Just follow (the) road north and take (the) second left."

Sounds weird without.

 

[Pecker]

No, not in the Virginia.

 

[D_Theophallus Kneedgroin]

In Western New York we have The 90, The 190, The 290, The 33, The Skyway, The Blvd and The Big Blue Water Tower.

 

[B_VinylBoy]

I only hear the word "the" when the highway has a non-numerical name, such as the Mass Pike or the NJ Expressway. Otherwise, I hear people say route or "I".

 

[Mem]

You're in Jersey. With all those tolls "freeway" would be a misnomer.

To the or not to the, this is the question?
Seems natural to me to use 'the' before the highway designation as you are describing the route being taken.

Imagine it in more local terms. "Yeah, I know where that is. Just follow (the) road north and take (the) second left."

Sounds weird without.

We only have 3 toll roads, but 2 span the state. The Parkway (from the farthest south-east shore area to NY state) and the Turnpike- (from Delaware to the GW Bridge....but it splits into 3 different spurs in Newark.)



The other is the Atlantic City Expressway. (the only road called expressway)

We have many major "freeway" type Highways.

We also have bridge and tunnel tolls into NYC.

You can come into NJ for free...But you gotta pay to leave.:biggrin1:

 

[KYKatgirl]

Growing up in eastern Kentucky, we didn't say "the" before highway numbers but instead before just about everything else. The McDonalds, the Krogers, the Super America. . .

 

[Mem]

Growing up in eastern Kentucky, we didn't say "the" before highway numbers but instead before just about everything else. The McDonalds, the Krogers, the Super America. . .

I usually just say I'm going to Shoprite or McDonald's, but if you say the it sounds normal too.

I think it's odd when the British say I'm going to Hospital without "the" in front of it.

 

[B_NineInchCock_160IQ]

They don't do it in Northern VA, but I've been to Southern CA and they definitely do it there.

 

[Guy-jin]

It's a Southern California thing, and it doesn't happen in Northern California.

I say "the" in SoCal and don't in NorCal.

People would think it's odd if I said "I took the 280 to get to San Francisco," in NorCal but probably wouldn't really think twice about it if I said "I took 405 to get to Torrance," in SoCal.

However, no matter where I am, I typically say 405, 110, 210, 10 etc. with "the" before them. If I'm referring to 5 or 101 in the SoCal area, I'll use "the" and if I'm referring to them in the NorCal area, I won't.

I don't even really think about it; It's natural!

 

[lapdog2001]

I only hear the word "the" when the highway has a non-numerical name, such as the Mass Pike or the NJ Expressway. Otherwise, I hear people say route or "I".

In the Boston area, we just use the numbers like '93' or '95' or sometimes 'I-93', etc. We have highways, not freeways.

'The Expressway' around here means only the Southeast Expressway, the part of I-93 that runs from Boston to the South.
We also have the 'Upper' and 'Lower' Decks of 93.

Highways that aren't Interstates are referred to as Route 1, Route 128, etc.

Highway, freeway, expressway, parkway ... the traffic around here still sucks!:biggrin1: