Editing Highway (section)

== Overview ==
[[File:RA3 - Località Sant'Antonio.jpg|thumb|[[Raccordo autostradale RA3]] In [[Italy]], which connects the [[Tuscany|Tuscan]] cities of [[Florence]] and [[Siena]]]]

Major highways are often named and numbered by the governments that typically develop and maintain them. Australia's [[Highway 1 (Australia)|Highway 1]] is the longest national highway in the world at over  {{convert|145,00|km}} and runs almost the entire way around the continent. China has the world's largest network of highways, followed closely by the United States. Some highways, like the [[Pan-American Highway]] or the [[European route]]s, span multiple countries. Some major highway routes include [[ferry]] services, such as [[U.S. Route 10|US Route&nbsp;10]], which crosses [[Lake Michigan]].

Traditionally highways were used by [[pedestrian|people on foot]] or on [[horse]]s. Later they also accommodated [[carriage]]s, [[bicycles]] and eventually [[motor car]]s, facilitated by advancements in [[road construction]]. In the 1920s and 1930s, many nations began investing heavily in highway systems in an effort to spur [[commerce]] and bolster national defence.

Major highways that connect cities in populous [[developed countries|developed]] and [[developing countries]] usually incorporate features intended to enhance the road's capacity, efficiency, and safety to various degrees. Such features include a [[limited access road|reduction in the number of locations for user access]], the use of [[dual carriageway]]s with two or more lanes on each carriageway, and [[grade-separated]] junctions with other roads and modes of transport. These features are typically present on highways built as ''[[motorway]]s'' (''freeways'').