www.alphadictionary.com

I know in Michigan all limited access roads are called freeways or expressways. They are never called highways, as highways are two lane country roads.
I live in St. Louis now and all the limited access roads are called highways, to the point that I-270 is mostly called Highway 270.
They called service/frontage roads outer roads too.

Well, in NY we have the Thruway, which, as you have to pay to use it, isn't a freeway. It's free of stop signs and intersections, though.

The highways are longer roads than many, but do go through cities, so the speeds get broken up.

Within smaller areas we have County Roads, which are like short highways.

Then we get into lanes and city streets and the like.

Who decided what a lane, alley, street, road is, I couldn't say.