A road is a

thoroughfare A thoroughfare is a primary passage or way as a transit route through regularly trafficked areas, whether by road on dry land or, by extension, via watercraft or aircraft. On land, a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a multi-lane highw ...

, route, or way on land between two places that has been surfaced or otherwise improved to allow travel by foot or some form of

conveyance Conveyance may refer to: * Conveyance, the documentation of the transfer of ownership of land from one party to another—see conveyancing * Public conveyance, a shared passenger transportation service * A means of transport * Water conveyance, ...

, including a

motor vehicle A motor vehicle, also known as motorized vehicle or automotive vehicle, is a self-propelled land vehicle, commonly wheeled, that does not operate on rails (such as trains or trams) and is used for the transportation of people or cargo. The ...

, cart, bicycle, or horse. Roads have been adapted to a large range of structures and types in order to achieve a common goal of

transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...

under a large and wide range of conditions. The specific purpose, mode of transport, material and location of a road determine the characteristics it must have in order to maximize its usefulness. Following is one classification scheme.

Types of roads

Lower capacity roads

Street

Primitive roads

Agricultural road An agricultural road or farm track is a service road that serves predominantly agricultural or forestry purposes and has only local significance. Agricultural roads are typically unpaved dirt roads or covered with gravel, but in some cases a ...

Backroad A backroad is a secondary type of road usually found in rural areas. Safety Backroads are less safe than other roads, with much higher fatality rates. A 2015 study by TRIP (a national transportation research group) in the United States found ...

* Dirt road * Forest road * Gravel road * Green lane * Historic roads and trails * Ice road *

Roman roads Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

* Sunken lane

Large roads

Private roads

* Driveway * Gated community * Military road *

Private highway A private highway is a highway owned and operated for profit by private industry. Private highways are common in Asia and Europe; in addition, a few have been built in the United States on an experimental basis. Typically, private highways are b ...

* Private road

Intersecting roads

Roundabout - Flickr - Stiller Beobachter

* Connector * Interchange * Intersection * Level junction *

Level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an overpass or tunnel. The term a ...

* Road diet * Roundabout

Material type

Roads also may be classified based on their pavement material types. For instance, the Long-Term Pavement Performance database includes more than 30 types of pavement types for roads in the US and Canada. However, a more generic classification of roads based on material type is as follows. * Concrete roads * Asphalt roads * Gravel roads
Earthen roads
*Murrum roads *Kankar roads
Bituminous roads

Other thoroughfares

References

External links

* {{Authority control Types of roads Roads Roads Roads