Route financed by employers (8)

I believe the answer is:

turnpike

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'route' is the definition.
(turnpike is a kind of route)

I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.

(Other definitions for turnpike that I've seen before include "American way" , "Old gates across a road to prevent passage until a toll was paid" , "way in the US" , "Tollgate of the 16th-19th centuries" , "Sort of road" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.

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