Learn English – Is ‘surface street’ specific to southern California

american-englishdialects

In Los Angeles, California, the US, the phrase surface street is in common use. It refers to an ordinary city street, as opposed to a controlled-access freeway. Presumably the word surface comes from the fact that these streets are at ground level, whereas freeways are often elevated.

I suppose I first heard this phrase somewhere in southern California, but assumed it was a standard term that I just happened to be hearing for the first time. But I have now seen claims that surface street is specifically local to Los Angeles and the vicinity (example from the LA Times).

  • Is the use of surface street localized only to southern California, or is it in general use anywhere else?

  • Are there other common terms (either widespread or localized to other places) for a street or road which emphasize that it is not a freeway?

Best Answer

Surface Streets Kayte Deioma, Driving in Los Angeles: Los Angeles Driving Vocabulary, about.com

In Los Angeles, the term "surface street" refers to any normal street that is not a freeway or limited access highway.

Wiktionary

A street that is not a freeway and has at-grade intersections with other surface streets.

The Wiktionary definition agrees with the idea of "ordinary city street, that is not a freeway; is at ground level, unlike elevated freeways," while the vocabulary seems to suggest that the term is local to Los Angeles, CA.

However, surface street is a standard term in engineering, including transportation, highway engineering, railways, etc., and is not specific to LA, or even to CA.

Steven Kuhrtz, US EPA Transportation controls, 1974

"… surface street bus lanes in Atlanta, Birmingham, and Baltimore have increased auto speeds more than bus speeds."

Traffic Analysis Toolbox US DoT FHA, 2007
"… a surface street section inserted in a freeway interchange to allow merging of ramp lanes"
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