Bypass

A bypass is a highway that avoids (passes by) a built-up area, town, or village, to allow through traffic to flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety.

In the absence of strong land use controls, the bypass may eventually become just as congested as the local streets it was intended to avoid.

---

In medicine, bypass generally refers to bypass surgery, e.g. coronary artery bypass surgery, in which blood vessels, or less frequently synthetic tubing, is surgically moved/implanted in order to create an alternate, additional route for blood flow.

---

In telecommunication, the term bypass has the following meanings:

1. The use of any telecommunications facilities or services that circumvents those of the local exchange common carrier.

Note: Bypass facilities or services may be either customer-provided or vendor-supplied.

2. An alternate circuit that is routed around equipment or system component.

Note: Bypasses are often used to allow system operation to continue when the bypassed equipment or a system component is inoperable or unavailable.

Source: from Federal Standard 1037C and from MIL-STD-188