A major road or highway that circles around a city, usually connecting different areas without passing through the city center; also can refer to a horizontal line marking where a belt would sit on clothing.
From 'belt' (something that encircles) plus 'line.' The road meaning emerged in the early 20th century as cities developed circular highway systems.
Beltlines are brilliant urban planning—they let traffic bypass downtown congestion by circling around the city like an actual belt. Many cities added beltlines in the 1950s-70s to solve traffic problems (which sometimes created new ones)!
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