federal highway
Loading your saved state.
federal highway
A supraregional road in Germany or Austria that ranks below the Autobahn and is administered by the federal government.
Wegen eines Unfalls auf der Bundesstraße 8 gibt es derzeit einen langen Stau.
Because of an accident on Federal Highway 8, there is currently a long traffic jam.
The word is made up of 'Bund' (short for Federal Republic), the linking '-es-', and 'Straße' (road/street). So it literally means a 'road of the federal government'.
Die Bundesstraßen werden vom Bund finanziert und unterhalten.
The federal highways are financed and maintained by the federal government.
In everyday life, on signs, and in traffic reports, the abbreviation 'B' plus the road number is almost always used, for example 'B9' or 'B42'.
Nehmen Sie die Ausfahrt zur B49 in Richtung Gießen.
Take the exit to the B49 toward Gießen.
When you are on a Bundesstraße or driving there, you use the preposition 'auf' with the dative.
Wir sind gestern stundenlang auf der Bundesstraße gefahren.
Yesterday we drove for hours on the federal highway.
autobahn / motorway
'die Autobahn' and 'die Bundesstrasse' are both important roads for longer journeys. The difference lies in the type of road. An Autobahn is built for very fast traffic, has several lanes, and normally has no regular intersections. A 'Bundesstrasse' also connects regions, but it is one level below and can also pass through towns or have intersections. They can be confused because both are supraregional roads. If you mean the typical fast road with entrance and exit ramps, you say 'Autobahn'. If it is an important normal road between cities, 'Bundesstrasse' fits better.
Wir fahren über die Bundesstraße, weil die Strecke kürzer ist.
We are taking the federal highway because the route is shorter.
Wegen des Staus auf der Autobahn kam Mehmet zu spät zum Termin.
Because of the traffic jam on the Autobahn, Mehmet arrived late for the appointment.