A bypass is a

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve

road safety Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, horse riders, and passengers of on-roa ...

. A bypass specifically designated for

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

s may be called a truck route. If there are no strong land use controls, buildings are often built in town along a bypass, converting it into an ordinary town road, and the bypass may eventually become as congested as the local streets it was intended to avoid.

Petrol station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoli ...

s, shopping centres and some other businesses are often built there for ease of access, while homes are often avoided for noise and pollution reasons. Bypass routes are often controversial, as they require the building of a road carrying heavy traffic where no road previously existed. This creates a conflict between those who support a bypass to reduce congestion in a built up area, and those who oppose the development of (often rural) undeveloped land. However, some of those in the bypassed city may also oppose the project, because of the potential reduction in city-centre business.

Canada

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, examples include the Donald Cousens Parkway (formerly named the Markham Bypass from 2004-2006) and the Box Grove Bypass in the city of Markham; and in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

a section of Highway 401 was called the Toronto Bypass in the 1950s when the highway was built as a bypass of

Highway 2 The following highways are numbered 2. For roads numbered A2, see list of A2 roads. For roads numbered B2, see list of B2 roads. For roads numbered M2, see list of M2 roads. For roads numbered N2, see list of N2 roads. International * AH2, As ...

, Ontario Highway 2A which was built to bypass Highway 2 between Toronto and Newcastle, and the Caledonia Bypass, a section of

Highway 6 Route 6, or Highway 6, may refer to routes in the following countries: International * Asian Highway 6 * European route E6 * European route E006 Albania * National Road SH6 Argentina * Buenos Aires Provincial Route 6 Australia New ...

in Caledonia. In

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

, the section of

Highway 104 Route 104, or Highway 104, may refer to: Brazil * BR-104 Canada * New Brunswick Route 104 * Nova Scotia Highway 104 (Trans-Canada Highway) * Prince Edward Island Route 104 * Quebec Route 104 China * China National Highway 104 Costa Rica * ...

between Thomson Station and Masstown is colloquially named the Cobequid Pass; this name is for a section of road that bypasses the Wentworth Valley by crossing the Cobequid Mountains.

United Kingdom

The idea of bypasses predates the use of motor vehicles. The first (northern)

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

bypass, the present Marylebone Road between

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...

and

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...

, was started in 1756. Bypasses can take many years to gain planning approval and funding. Many towns and villages have been campaigning for bypasses for over 30 years e.g.

Banwell Banwell is a village and civil parish on the River Banwell in the North Somerset district of Somerset, England. Its population was 2,919 according to the 2011 census. History Banwell Camp, east of the village, is a univallate hillfort which ...

in North Somerset. There was large-scale protest during construction of the Newbury bypass—officially known as the Winchester–Preston Trunk Road (A34) (Newbury Bypass)—a stretch of

dual carriageway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

which bypasses the town of Newbury in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Be ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. The protest was popularly known as the ''Third Battle of Newbury'', a name which was also adopted by one of the main protest groups. The name was chosen in reference to the First Battle of Newbury of 1643 and the Second Battle of Newbury of 1644, both of which took place close to the town during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of Kingdom of England, England's governanc ...

United States

In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, bypass routes are a type of

special route In road transportation in the United States, a special route is a road in a numbered highway system that diverts a specific segment of related traffic away from another road. They are featured in many highway systems; most are found in the ...

used on an alternative routing of a highway around a town when the main route of the highway goes through the town. The original designation of these routes were "truck routes" to divert through truck traffic away from the town, but the designation was changed to "bypass" in 1959 by AASHTO. However, many "truck" routes remain where the mainline of the highway is prohibited for trucks. In a few cases, both a bypass and a

business route A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route connected to a ''parent'' numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city or ...

exist, each with auxiliary signs (e.g.

U.S. Route 60 U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia. The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...

). Bypass routes are less common than business routes. Many of those that existed before the era of

Interstate Highways The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

have lost their old designations. For example, in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, the old bypass route of U.S. Route 71 to the east of Kansas City, Missouri was decommissioned as

Interstate 435 Interstate 435 (I-435) is an Interstate Highway beltway that encircles much of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the states of Kansas and Missouri in the United States. Route description I-435, a loop route of I-35, is long and in ...

supplanted it; the remainder that existed as suburban surface route became

Missouri Route 291 Route 291 is a State highway (US), state highway in the western part of the U.S. state of Missouri. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 49 in Missouri, I-49/U.S. Route 71 in Missouri, US 71 in Harrisonville, Missouri, Harrisonville; its n ...

. Around St. Louis, Missouri, what had been U.S. Route 50 Bypass was absorbed into a diversion of

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

from

Interstate 44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Fal ...

and

Interstate 64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 70 in Missouri, I-70, U.S. Route 40 in Missouri, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and U.S. Route 61 in Missouri, ...

. In the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

in the United States, primary routes are designated with a one- or two-digit number, while bypasses and loops are generally designated with a three-digit number beginning with an even digit. However, there are many exceptions to this convention, where routes with three-digit numbers serve the main route through town while the routes with one- or two-digit numbers serve as the bypass. A few such examples can be found in the metropolitan areas of

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moine ...

( Interstate 235 goes through downtown, while

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

and

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one ...

bypass downtown),

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

( Interstate 480 traverses the downtown area, while

is one of the bypasses), and

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsyl ...

(the city is served by Interstate 279 and

Interstate 376 Interstate 376 (I-376) is a major auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System in the US state of Pennsylvania, located within the Allegheny Plateau. It runs from I-80 near Sharon south and east to a junction with the Pennsylvania Tu ...

, while

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...

, Interstate 76, and

Interstate 79 Interstate 79 (I-79) is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States, designated from I-77 in Charleston, West Virginia, north to Pennsylvania Route 5 (PA 5) and PA 290 in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is a primary thoroughfar ...

all bypass city limits). Another meaning of the term bypass route (usually simply called a ''bypass'') is a highway that was constructed to bypass an area that is often congested with traffic. This includes Interstate Highway

beltway A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...

s and U.S. Highways constructed to circumvent downtown areas. Examples of these are

bypassing

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. It is b ...

, Interstate 285 bypassing Downtown

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, U.S. Route 20/

U.S. Route 31 U.S. Route 31 or U.S. Highway 31 (US 31) is a major north–south U.S. highway connecting southern Alabama to northern Michigan. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with US 90/ US 98 in Spanish Fort, Alabama. It ...

bypassing metro

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

(on the

St. Joseph Valley Parkway The St. Joseph Valley Parkway is a freeway in the U.S. states of Indiana and Michigan, serving as a bypass route around Elkhart, Mishawaka, and South Bend in Indiana and Niles in Michigan. The freeway runs to the south and west of Elkhart ...

), and

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from ...

bypassing

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Co ...

and St. Petersburg, Florida. These bypasses usually carry mainline routes rather than auxiliary "bypass" routes. The first bypass route in the United States was completed in 1958 as Alabama State Route 210 (Ross Clark Circle) in

Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner ...

Shoofly

In the United States, the term shoofly – a borrowing from railroad jargon – is also sometimes used to refer to a short temporary roadway built to bypass a construction site or other temporary obstruction. The U.S. '' Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices'' uses the term "diversion".MUTC
Section 6C.09
/ref>

Brazil

In Brazil the widest and busiest bypasses are located in the state of São Paulo, and many of them intersect and merge around large cities to form ring-like systems. Most notably the Rodoanel Mário Covas, which encircles the city of São Paulo and passes through other cities in the metropolitan area, is the largest project of such type with a planned total length of 180 km upon completion. It is divided into sections and connected to major highways and while not being a toll road itself, accesses to other motorways are often placed through toll booths.

Asia

Outer Ring Road (Nehru ORR) at Narsinghi

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

contains several bypasses. The first are the Island Eastern Corridor, the East Kowloon Corridor, the West Kowloon Corridor, and the Lung Cheung and Ching Cheung Roads. Later ones are named directly as bypasses, such as Kwun Tong Bypass,

Hung Hom Bypass Hung may refer to: People * Hung (surname), various Chinese surnames * Hùng king, a king of Vietnam People with the given name Hung include: * Hung Huynh, Vietnamese-American chef, winner of the third season of the television show ''Top Chef'' ...

, and the Ma On Shan Bypass. Other bypasses include the Tai Po Section of the Tolo Highway, the section within the Tuen Mun New Town of the Tuen Mun Road, the Yuen Long Highway, and the West Kowloon Highway. The Central-Wan Chai Bypass, which costs HK$28.1 billion, is a series of tunnels between Central and Causeway Bay.Central – Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link

Japan

Malaysia

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

also contain several bypasses such as

Rawang Bypass Rawang Bypass, Federal Route 37 also known as Rawang–Serendah Highway, is a federally-funded divided highway bypass in Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia. The 10-km highway was opened to traffic on 28 November 2017 at 9.00 pm. Construction of the RM6 ...

, Kajang Bypass,

Bidor Bypass Bidor Bypass, Federal Route 321 is a federal road bypass in Bidor, Perak, Malaysia linking Pekan Pasir at Federal Route 1 to Jeram Mengkuang at Federal Route 58.http://www.federalgazette.agc.gov.my/outputp/pua_20141008_P.U.%20(A)%20268-PERIN ...

and Kuala Terengganu Bypass.

Philippines

09878jfLandscape paddy field villages trees Bridges Bulacan Bypass Arterial Roadfvf 16

Bypass roads (or in other cases "diversion roads") in the Philippines are generally considered on

national highways National Highways, formerly the Highways Agency and later Highways England, is a State-owned enterprise, government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving Roads in England, motorways and major A roads in England. It al ...

passing through a densely populated city or municipality. Local governments usually promote construction of bypasses where the existing highway becomes heavily congested. Bypasses are common in rural municipalities to deter through traffic from entering the ''

poblacion ''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement" in Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central, downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippine city or municipality, which may take up the ...

'' or town centre. Careful planning is considered when planning a bypass through a community to ensure the original route is downgraded to local access. Control of access to properties is taken in account to avoid uncontrolled land development.

Bypass road signs around the world

File:Croatia road sign C107.svg, Layout of detour or bypass route (Croatia) Estonia road sign 671a.svg, Layout of detour or bypass route (Estonia) Estonia road sign 675.svg, Detour or bypass signpost (Estonia) Estonia road sign 677b.svg, Direction of destination bypass sign (Estonia) Estonia road sign 679b.svg, Direction of pedestrian bypass sign (Estonia) Kiertotien suunnistustaulu 614.svg, Layout of detour or bypass route (Finland) Kiertotien viitta 646.svg, Direction to detour or bypass route (Finland) File:Zeichen 454.svg, Detour or bypass

signpost Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of or above roads to give instructions or provide information to road users. The earliest signs were simple wooden or stone milestones. Later, signs with directional arms were introduce ...

(Germany) File:Zeichen 455.1-30 - Ankündigung oder Fortsetzung der Umleitung, Vorankündigung geradeaus, StVO 2013.svg, Detour or bypass sign (U3) (Germany) File:Zeichen 457 - Umleitungsankündigung, StVO 1992.svg, ''Umleitung''
Detour or bypass sign (Germany) File:Zeichen 459 - Ende einer Umleitung, StVO 1992.svg, End of Detour or bypass (Germany) File:Zeichen 458 - Planskizze, StVO 2013.svg, ''Planskizze''
Layout of detour or bypass route (Germany) Zeichen 467.1-20 - Umlenkungspfeil (Streckenempfehlung) rechtsweisend, StVO 2013.svg, ''Umlenkungspfeil (Streckenempfehlung)''
Existing alternate or bypass ''Autobahn'' route (Germany) Zeichen 467.2 - Umlenkungspfeil Ende (Ende einer Streckenempfehlung), StVO 2013.svg, End of alternate or bypass ''Autobahn'' route (Germany) File:MK road sign 366.svg, Layout of detour or bypass route (North Macedonia) File:New Zealand road sign A45-1 (200 m).svg, Heavy vehicle bypass 200 m ahead (New Zealand) File:New Zealand road sign A45-1 (300 m).svg, Heavy vehicle bypass 300 m ahead (New Zealand) File:New Zealand road sign A45-2L.svg, Heavy vehicle bypass to the left (New Zealand) File:New Zealand road sign A45-2R.svg, Heavy vehicle bypass to the right (New Zealand) File:New Zealand road sign A45-2LR.svg, Heavy vehicle bypass to the both directions (New Zealand) File:PL road sign F-8.svg, Layout of detour or bypass route (Poland) File:PL road sign F-9.svg, Direction to detour or bypass route (Poland) File:Serbia road sign III-85-1.svg, Layout of detour or bypass route (Serbia) 392-50 Uzávierková predzvesť (uzávierka pre všetku dopravu, navigácia prostredníctvom medzicieľov).svg, Layout of detour or bypass route (Slovakia) 391-10 Zmena náhradnej trasy (diaľnica vľavo).svg, Layout of detour or bypass route (Slovakia) 395-20 Šípový smerník na vyznačenie obchádzky (doprava, bez bližšieho označenia).svg, Direction to detour or bypass route signpost (Slovakia) 395-21-51 Šípový smerník na vyznačenie obchádzky (doprava, s vyznačeným diaľkovým cieľom).svg, Direction to destination bypass signpost (Slovakia) 395-22-52 Šípový smerník na vyznačenie obchádzky (doprava, pre nákladné vozidlá).svg, Direction to truck bypass signpost (Slovakia) 395-22-58 Šípový smerník na vyznačenie obchádzky (doprava, pre bicykle).svg, Direction to bicycle bypass signpost (Slovakia) 393-30 Ohlasovacia tabuľa obchádzky (bez bližšieho označenia).svg, Destination bypass plate (Slovakia) 393-31-50 Ohlasovacia tabuľa obchádzky (číslovaná obchádzka).svg, Bypass route plate (Slovakia) 393-32-52 Ohlasovacia tabuľa obchádzky (pre nákladné vozidlá).svg, Truck bypass plate (Slovakia) 393-32-58 Ohlasovacia tabuľa obchádzky (pre bicykle).svg, Bicycle bypass plate (Slovakia) 394-21-51 Tabuľový smerník na vyznačenie obchádzky (tu doprava, s vyznačeným diaľkovým cieľom).svg, Direction to destination bypass sign (Slovakia) 394-21-52 Tabuľový smerník na vyznačenie obchádzky (tu doprava, s číslom cesty I. alebo II. triedy).svg, Direction to bypass route sign (Slovakia) 394-22-52 Tabuľový smerník na vyznačenie obchádzky (tu doprava, pre nákladné vozidlá).svg, Direction to truck bypass sign (Slovakia) 394-22-58 Tabuľový smerník na vyznačenie obchádzky (tu doprava, pre bicykle).svg, Direction to bicycle bypass sign (Slovakia) 394-61-51 Tabuľový smerník na vyznačenie obchádzky (prídavná tabuľka nad značkou, názov diaľkového cieľa).svg, Destination bypass sign (Slovakia) 394-61-52 Tabuľový smerník na vyznačenie obchádzky (prídavná tabuľka nad značkou, číslo cesty I. triedy).svg, Bypass route sign (Slovakia) 394-62-52 Tabuľový smerník na vyznačenie obchádzky (prídavná tabuľka nad značkou, pre nákladné vozidlá).svg, Bypass for trucks sign (Slovakia) 394-62-58 Tabuľový smerník na vyznačenie obchádzky (prídavná tabuľka nad značkou, pre bicykle).svg, Bypass for bicycles sign (Slovakia) Slovenia road sign III-111.svg, Layout of detour or bypass route (Slovenia) By-pass plate.svg, Bypass plate (United States) By-pass plate white and toll plate yellow.svg, Combined bypass plate (white) and toll plate (yellow) (United States) By-pass plate orange.svg, Bypass plate (orange) (United States) By-pass plate green.svg, Bypass plate (green) (United States) By-pass plate blue.svg, Bypass plate (blue) (United States) By-pass plate brown.svg, Bypass plate (brown) (United States)

References

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