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Is sortie correct for referring to an exit from a highway, and is entrée correct for the entrance?

Also, how would you say the "exit ramp" or "entrance ramp"? La rampe de sortie et la rampe d'entrée ?

Lastly, is grande route the correct term for highways?

2 Answers 2

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A "highway" is usually known as an "autoroute". "Sortie" is the correct term, and "Entrance" is "accès", but it is rare to see it in use outside technical stuff. "Highway ramps" are known as "bretelles" (either "bretelle d'accès" or "bretelle de sortie").

To add in a related term, an "interchange" is known as an "échangeur".

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  • So what do you call an entrance in casual talk? And I actually have no idea what an interchange is. Not a word used in the U.S. very often, if at all. Commented Apr 5, 2012 at 23:39
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    Interchange (I'm probably biased because the woird has been in the news a lot here due to a divisive reconstruction project). I don't think I've ever heard someone needing to use the term for an entrance ramp, they just say "prendre" or (in Quebec) "embarquer sur l'autoroute". People need to explicitly refer to exit points all the time, but hardly ever to access ones!
    – Circeus
    Commented Apr 5, 2012 at 23:48
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    @Circeus: I do use entrée et sortie.
    – Evpok
    Commented Apr 7, 2012 at 14:25
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Is "sortie" correct for referring to an exit from a highway, and is "entree" correct for the entrance?

Sortie and entrée are both correct. accès may be used instead of entrée.

Also, how would you say the "exit ramp" or "entrance ramp"? La rampe de sortie et la rampe d'entree?

Rampe de sortie is correct, rampe d'accès might be used (instead of rampe d'entrée). Technical terms are voie d'insertion (or voie d'accélération) and voie de décélération.

Lastly, is "grande route" the correct term for highways?

An "highway" may be translated as autoroute and sometime as voie express.

The French traffic code refers to both as route à chaussée séparée (divided highway) and to route pour automobile (casually autoroute) and voie rapide ou voie express (casually voie express). Difference between autoroute and voie express are technical and safety level.

Urban highway are usually know as rocade or périphérique (the former only apply for ring road).

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