Turnpike Definition: A Toll Road for Cost Recovery

A turnpike is a road—historically privately built and operated—on which tolls are charged to travelers to recoup construction and maintenance costs. The name derives from the pike (barrier) that turned to allow passage after payment. Originating in 17th-century England, turnpikes spread to the U.S. (e.g., Lancaster Turnpike, 1795). Many later became public highways; today "turnpike" often denotes any controlled-access toll road (e.g., Pennsylvania Turnpike, New Jersey Turnpike).