What does skyway mean?
A skyway is a route carried above the ground on a bridge or viaduct. Its dominant use refers to an elevated highway or raised urban expressway, allowing vehicles to pass over streets, railways, waterways, or other traffic without occupying space at ground level. In North American architectural terminology, a skyway may also be a pedestrian bridge connecting buildings, sometimes enclosing the walkway for protection from the weather. British usage includes a more general sense of a covered passage between buildings. The word combines 'sky' and 'way' and is especially common in American English. It is useful because it distinguishes an elevated route from an ordinary bridge: the emphasis falls on the route's elevated position and function rather than on the engineering structure alone.
nounAn elevated highway or raised roadway carrying traffic above streets, railways, or other obstacles. In North American usage, it can also mean a pedestrian bridge or enclosed walkway connecting buildings.
- An elevated highway, viaduct, or raised roadway for vehicular traffic.
- A pedestrian bridge or enclosed elevated walkway connecting two buildings, especially in North American usage.
- A covered passage between buildings, especially in British usage.
"The skyway carried traffic above the congested intersection and linked the hospital to the parking garage."
"Drivers waited in heavy traffic beneath the elevated skyway before entering the expressway."
"The museum's new pedestrian skyway provides direct access to the offices across the street."
The regular plural refers to multiple elevated routes, bridges, or connecting passages.
"The downtown skyways provide convenient pedestrian access between major buildings."
A skyway literally turns a road into a route through the sky, carrying traffic above the streets below.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does skyway come from?
Skyway is a compound formed from 'sky' and 'way'. The term emerged in early 20th-century American transportation usage for a roadway raised above the surrounding landscape. It later became associated with elevated urban expressways and, through architectural usage, with pedestrian passages between buildings. Its related forms skyward, skylight, and skyline share the same English element 'sky', which comes from Old English ský.
How skyway is actually used
In North American transportation usage, 'skyway' commonly denotes an elevated urban expressway or viaduct. In architecture, it more often refers to a pedestrian passage between buildings, often enclosed or raised above street level.
Easily confused with skyway
A skyway is a physical elevated route, whereas a skyline is the distant outline of buildings or land against the sky.