Mileage Markers
Christopher Pettus
reflectorized mileage markers by the side of the road. They give,
cryptically, the designation of the road ("1" for State 1, "US101,"
etc.), the county in which the marker is located, and a mileage,
usually to/from the county line.
They seem to be scattered at random. The mileage is given to 1/100ths
of a mile, and it's not uncommon to see a cluster of them 2/100-1/10 of
a mile apart, then none for a couple of miles. Why the random
distribution? Why not at regular intervals? I've heard two
explanations:
1. They are put down anywhere there is a fatal or serious injury
accident (improbable; besides as a grim reminder of why one should wear
a seat belt, what purpose would that serve?);
2. They are put down anywhere someone needs to know the mileage to that
point, usually for road maintenance of some kind.
Anyone know what's really going on?
--
-- Christophe
"The human spirit is a very hard thing to kill. Even with a chainsaw."
Chris Keane
>A fairly common occurance on roads, at least here in California, are
>reflectorized mileage markers by the side of the road. They give,
>cryptically, the designation of the road ("1" for State 1, "US101,"
>etc.), the county in which the marker is located, and a mileage,
>usually to/from the county line.
In NSW, the signs give the first letter of the nearest city in the
direction in which you are travelling followed by how far away from
it you are. This is useful, even if just to see that you're getting
closer.
However, I'm told that in Victoria, the signs give the first letter of
the city you're driving away from, and how many kms you've been. Is this
true? Does anyone know *why* someone would want to know how far behind
them the last city is? (I'm driving to Melbourne next week and (a) want
to know if this is true and (b) why?!?)
regards...
Chris Keane. State Bank NSW ph. +61 2 259 4459
Unix Systems Administrator (Group Treasury) ch...@rufus.state.COM.AU
Disclaimer: These are my own opinions, but I'm insane. What's your excuse?
Doug Krause
#However, I'm told that in Victoria, the signs give the first letter of
#the city you're driving away from, and how many kms you've been. Is this
#true? Does anyone know *why* someone would want to know how far behind
#them the last city is?
If it's Cleveland ... :-)
Scott Cromar
> A fairly common occurance on roads, at least here in California, are
> reflectorized mileage markers by the side of the road.
> Anyone know what's really going on?
The last time I was pulled over on the highway, the cop wrote down the
info on the nearest marker on the ticket. I'm pretty sure that's no
their only use, though.
--Scott
Chris Keane
Oh, yeah. I never thought of that. I bet *everyone* wants to know (with
relief) how fast they're leaving Melbourne :-)
Jocelyn Sietsma Penington
large town on both sides of the road. Thus the signs at the sides of roads
leading to Melbourne tell you how many kilometres to Melbourne, whether you
are going towards or away, whereas once you are past Ballarat they give how
far you are from Ballarat, even if you are driving away.
Jocelyn
X04...@tamvm1.tamu.edu
>> A fairly common occurance on roads, at least here in California, are
>> reflectorized mileage markers by the side of the road.
>> Anyone know what's really going on?
>The last time I was pulled over on the highway, the cop wrote down the
>info on the nearest marker on the ticket. I'm pretty sure that's no
>their only use, though.
>--Scott
Quite right! On the Interstates, at least, the markers measure the distance to
the end of the highway (usually at a body of water).
Bill (covered a few of 'em) Chase
Tom Streeter
Or, more generally, interstates are numbered within states west-to-east
(for even-numbered interstates) or south-to-north (for odd numbers)
regardless of what is at the end.
--
Tom Streeter | stre...@cs.unca.edu
Dept. of Mass Communication | 704-251-6227
University of North Carolina at Asheville | Opinions expressed here are
Asheville, NC 28804 | mine alone.
George Robbins
> In article <92013.308...@tamvm1.tamu.edu> X04...@tamvm1.tamu.edu writes:
> >
> >>> A fairly common occurance on roads, at least here in California, are
> >>> reflectorized mileage markers by the side of the road.
> >
> >>> Anyone know what's really going on?
> >
> >>The last time I was pulled over on the highway, the cop wrote down the
> >>info on the nearest marker on the ticket. I'm pretty sure that's no
They're also used by the maintenace folks to unambiguously identify the
location of places along the road. Better than saying about 13 miles east
of Skunktown, just past the big tree, eh? One some roads you will also
see bridges and major signs identified by their distance - Bridge 112.13
or the like.
--
George Robbins - now working for, uucp: {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing: domain: g...@cbmvax.commodore.com
Commodore, Engineering Department phone: 215-431-9349 (only by moonlite)
John Methot
>>> reflectorized mileage markers by the side of the road.
>
>the end of the highway (usually at a body of water).
Or the state border, on I-5 in WA they start at 0 at the OR border and count
up to 300 and something at the Canadian border (or vice versa).
John Methot
John Methot
>>>> A fairly common occurance on roads, at least here in California, are
>>>> reflectorized mileage markers by the side of the road.
>>Quite right! On the Interstates, at least, the markers measure the distance to
>>the end of the highway (usually at a body of water).
>
>Or, more generally, interstates are numbered within states west-to-east
>(for even-numbered interstates) or south-to-north (for odd numbers)
>regardless of what is at the end.
The actual highways are numbered this way. North-south interstates are
odd-numbered and increase from east to west (I-5 on the west coast, I-95
on the east coast), East-west interstates are even numbered and increase
from south to north (I-8 and I-10 through AZ, NM, TX, etc. and I-90 through
WA, ID, MT, ND, etc.). Three digit numbers also have meaning: an even
hundred (I-405) means a loop that departs from I-5 and returns to it. Odd
hundreds (I-195) means a spur from I-95. This does not always hold near
cities that have interstate beltways, like D.C.
The old federal highways, BTW, are the opposite in terms of order, US 2
traverses the "top" of the country, US 66 is halfway down, etc; and
US 99 and US 101 are on the west coast and US 1 is on the east coast.
This numbering system has zilch to do with the mileage markers under
discussion.
The mileage markers are used by police and construction folks to denote
"exact" location, instead of "52 miles west of Nowhereville." You can
also use them to check your odometer. I recently took a train trip along
the Rhein River, and I noticed that there are minor markers every 100m
painted on the bank, with major markers every kilometer. I'm sure
they use them to report exact location of river hazards or accidents.
Steve Snyder
>>
>>...On the Interstates, at least, the markers measure the distance to
>>the end of the highway (usually at a body of water).
>
The article was talking about Virginia (the Commonwealth) Highway Dept.
finally getting around to changing the exit numbers on its interstates
to reflect the distances as stated on the mileage markers. It said that
the distances start at zero at the south or west border of a state and
increase towards the north or east border of that state. This is
supposed to be true of all states.
--Steve-- This disclaimer will self-destruct in 5 seconds.
David J. Fiander
>
>The article was talking about Virginia (the Commonwealth) Highway Dept.
>finally getting around to changing the exit numbers on its interstates
>to reflect the distances as stated on the mileage markers. It said that
This is the way it works in Ontario, Canada. There is no "Exit
1" on the MacDonald-Cartier freeway (commonly called 'The
401'). The lowest exit is exit 13 (or so). If two exits occur
in the same kilometer, then they are 13a and 13b (in the
direction of travel).
I was shocked to discover that the state of Connecticut numbers
the exits on their highways with sequential integers, so that
there is an exit 1, and the next exit is numbered '2'. So what
happens when they add a new exit? May I should by stock in a
signage company.
- David
Steve Snyder
>
>I was shocked to discover that the state of Connecticut numbers
>the exits on their highways with sequential integers, so that
>there is an exit 1, and the next exit is numbered '2'. So what
>happens when they add a new exit? May I should by stock in a
>signage company.
In Virginia, on I95 just south of DC, there was an exit 52 and an exit
53, so when they added an exit between the two, it became exit 52a. This
is the reason they finally changed the numbering system to match the
mileage markers.
--Steve-- Time to think of a new disclaimer
Robert M. Unverzagt
See the New Jersey turnpike -- exit 5, exit 6, exit 7, exit 7a, etc.
Shag
--
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Rob Unverzagt | "Laugh, clown, laugh..."
sh...@aerospace.aero.org |
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
David J. Fiander
>>I was shocked to discover that the state of Connecticut numbers
>>the exits on their highways with sequential integers, so that
>>there is an exit 1, and the next exit is numbered '2'. So what
>>happens when they add a new exit? May I should by stock in a
>>signage company.
>>
>
>See the New Jersey turnpike -- exit 5, exit 6, exit 7, exit 7a, etc.
>
So how long does this go on before they go nuts and renumber
the entire highway? I would imagine that if a new bedroom
community sprung up and started to grow, you could end up with
'exit 25k'.
- David
Lynne D Jeffers
>the exits on their highways with sequential integers, so that
>there is an exit 1, and the next exit is numbered '2'. So what
>happens when they add a new exit? May I should by stock in a
>signage company.
On I-70 in Missouri, the exits are numbered with sequential integers, low
numbers in the west, high in the east. The most confusing exits I've ever
seen are in downtown Kansas City. I guess the city expanded more than
the Interstate people had ever expected, because there are many exit 2's.
Exit 2P over here, exit 2K over there, then exit 2L. Then if you took one of
the exit 2's to get onto I-435, the first exits you encountered were more
exit 2's. Maybe someone from the area could explain this; I was only visiting
the area...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lynne D Jeffers l...@nwu.edu
Academic Computing & Network Services Northwestern University
"All this science I don't understand, it's just my job five days a week..."
Adam Elman
>- David
At least in Washington state, the exits are numbered by the milepost
number, which varies depending on which direction you are going.
Thus, if there are two exits within one mile, they are exit 142a and
exit 142b -- and if there is no exit again for five miles or so, the
next exit is exit 147. (or, in the other direction, 137.)
This makes perfect sense to me -- very few communities would require
more than one or two exits per mile. Even downtown Seattle does not
have more than two exits for any milepost...
BTW, this is ONLY on Interstate highways (I-5 specifically, I-90 and
I-405 as well). California, to my knowledge, does NOT number freeway
exits, but I haven't been on I-5 through CA for a while...
Adam Elman
ael...@xenon.stanford.edu
Robert M. Unverzagt
Try driving through Sacramento -- they don't even NAME some of
the exits! You'd think that the state capital would at least
be well labeled. Or maybe because it's the state capital that
it's not.... It's easily the most confusing town to drive in
(if you're not a local). I'm adding alt.peeves to the distribution
for this thread, since I'm sure some peeve-sters have pithy
comments on mileage markers.
Shag
--
|-----------------------| "Wake your reason's hollow vote.
| Rob Unverzagt | Wear your blizzard season coat.
|sh...@aerospace.aero.org| Burn a bridge and burn a boat.
|-----------------------| Stake a lizard by the throat." -- King Crimson
Sandy Antunes
there is a highway sign that says, roughly
"Exit 14 (previously Exit 12)"
Apparently they just renumber a sequence when they need to add a new
exit.
sandy
----------------------------
ant...@astrod.astro.psu.edu Sandy Antunes
"Lights! Camera! Action! Timber!"
John Methot
>
>>So how long does this go on before they go nuts and renumber
>>the entire highway? I would imagine that if a new bedroom
>>community sprung up and started to grow, you could end up with
>>'exit 25k'.
>
>number, which varies depending on which direction you are going.
>Thus, if there are two exits within one mile, they are exit 142a and
>exit 142b -- and if there is no exit again for five miles or so, the
>next exit is exit 147. (or, in the other direction, 137.)
>
>This makes perfect sense to me -- very few communities would require
>more than one or two exits per mile. Even downtown Seattle does not
>have more than two exits for any milepost...
Untrue, my esteemed colleague. On I-5 southbound in downtown Seattle
there are Exit 167a and 167b - look for the sign directing Kingdome
traffic to Exit 167b. (This may be 165a and b).
W. Scott Cranston
But the only reason they put 7a in was to make a special exit for
Great Adventure. Since multi-million dollar amusement parks don't
spring up that often, the issue is much less worrisome than some
might think. I'm always more confused by the fact that Exit 11 is the
northbound exit for the parkway, while Exit 10 is the southbound
exit.
scott "not deep in the heart of Jersey, thank God" cranston
--
+---------^> "The Spirit of Massachusetts is the Spirit of America"
| < -Massachusetts Division of Tourism
+-------. \ 7 "Right..."
\_\_/ -cran...@cadence.com
Adam Elman
Like I said -- two exits for milepost 167: 167a and 167b. Were there a
167c, I would be wrong.
Adam Elman
ael...@xenon.stanford.edu
Vince Gibboni
ant...@astro.psu.edu (Sandy Antunes) writes:
> Somewhere along the route from either PA or Baltimore to Boston,
> there is a highway sign that says, roughly
> "Exit 14 (previously Exit 12)"
> Apparently they just renumber a sequence when they need to add a new
> exit.
>
the exit signs include the old exit number. I don't think they
resequenced the exits because they needed to add new ones but because
they combined two separate highways (routes 84 and 86) into one
(which, of course, screwed up all the exit numbers).
ObStupidFact: Connecticut State Troopers in unmarked cars are really
easy to spot because they wear big, silly State Trooper
hats.
--
vi...@gda.cadence.com
My friends think she's a dumb blonde,
but they don't know she dyes her hair.
- Thomas Dolby
Lance Franklin
} ObStupidFact: Connecticut State Troopers in unmarked cars are really
} easy to spot because they wear big, silly State Trooper
} hats.
Gee, where do you get those hats...I want to be a big, silly State Trooper
too!
"I see by his outfit that he is a cowboy,
He sees by my outfit that I'm a cowboy, too.
We see by our outfits that we are both cowboys...
If you buy an outfit, you can be a cowboy too!"
Smothers Brothers (slightly modified)
Lance
--
Lance T. Franklin +----------------------------------------------+
(l...@ncmicro.lonestar.org) | "You want I should bop you with this here |
NC Microproducts, Inc. | Lollipop?!?" The Fat Fury |
Richardson, Texas +----------------------------------------------+
Mark Brader
> I was shocked to discover that the state of Connecticut numbers
> the exits on their highways with sequential integers, so that
> there is an exit 1, and the next exit is numbered '2'. So what
> happens when they add a new exit? May I should by stock in a
> signage company.
but I have decided to post it with Distribution: ont. If you read it
outside Ontario and find it of no interest, complain to your newsadmin.
Ahh, David, you're just too young. That's the way highway 401 *used*
to be numbered. The Windsor terminus was interchanges 1 (highway 3) and
1A (highway 3B), as I recall -- so numbered because highway 3B was reached
off a short spur from the freeway. Modern practice would probably be to
treat the spur as part of the interchange. At the eastern end, the
interchanges had numbers in the 120's or thereabouts.
These numbers were in place even while there were still gaps in the road.
When I came to Ontario in 1964, my parents and I first lived in Guelph;
you could then drive to Toronto by highway 401 but not yet to London.
The highway was also not yet the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway, and the speed
limit had not yet been raised [sic] from 60 to 70 mph. But the interchange
numbers were already in place. I clearly remember the following:
36. Highway 8
37. Highway 24
38. Highway 6 (still 6 southward, but 6 north has moved west)
39. Campbellville Rd. (i.e. Guelph Line)
40. Highway 25
41. Streetsville Rd. (later Trafalgar Rd., then Mississauga Rd.)
42. Highway 10
43. Dixie Rd.
44. Access to Toronto International Airport -- not sure
whether it was called the Airport Expressway then, or
whether that came a bit later. 427 came later yet.
45. Highway 27 (now 27 north, 427 south)
46. Dixon Rd.
I less clearly remember the next part, and may have made minor errors:
47. Kipling Av.
48. Islington Av.
49. Weston Rd.
50. Highway 400 (north only; no road south then)
50A. Dufferin St. (and access to Yorkdale mall)
51A. Bathurst St.
52. Avenue Rd., highway 11A
53. Yonge St., highway 11
54. Bayview Av.
"Campbellville Rd." and "Streetsville Rd." were so identified because
the highway people then apparently had a policy that county road numbers
were not important enough to give them official recognition on highway
exit signs. So if the road didn't have a name, they picked a nearby
community and named it for that. There were names like that at exits
all along 401. (You can tell I came from elsewhere -- I still don't say
"the 401".) I presume this has completely changed now, but I haven't
made any long trips on 401 for some years.
Note the skipped number between Dufferin and Bathurst -- that place was
reserved for the future Spadina Expressway, part of which was eventually
built as the William R. Allen Expressway and then renamed from Expressway
to Road. I think both Dufferin and Bathurst interchanges were partial,
e.g. you couldn't go from 401 westbound to Dufferin, and this may be why
they had A-numbers. But A-numbers were also used for added interchanges,
I think, as some quite ordinary interchanges were so labeled.
Note also that these are *interchange* numbers and not *exit* numbers;
since 401 often has separate exit ramps for north- and southbound
traffic at an interchange, this simplifies the numbering. Such separate
ramps are rare on US expressways, so numbering exits suffices for them.
On 401, there used to be a square black sign with the word INTERCHANGE
and the interchange number, in advance of each interchange. There was
also a sign just before each interchange giving the mileage [sic] to
the next one.
A couple more pieces of sign-nostalgia; each of these used to be common
and I believe they were all specific to Ontario.
-------------- ------------------ ------------------
/ \ \ | | /
/ MERGE \ \ SQUEEZE | | SQUEEZE /
/ \ \ LEFT | | RIGHT /
---------------------- \ | | /
(Black on white. This \ <--- | | ---> /
was posted on both the \ | | /
on-ramp and the freeway ----------- -----------
near the merging point,
presumably to emphasize (Black on yellow, and the arrow should be
the equal precedence of slanted upwards; means outside lane ends.
the streams in Ontario.) Still used in some places.)
By the way, highway 400 did *not* have interchange numbers then.
From my travels in the US it seems that most states now use exit numbers
by distance, as described earlier; a few states or a few individual roads
such as the New York State Thruway (Thomas E. Deway Thruway) still have
counted exits; and a few, most notably California, have neither. The
exit number by distance is certainly more convenient, but having grown up
with the other system it still seems weird to me that the exact phrase
"exit 20" doesn't mean the 20th exit.
--
Mark Brader "You don't SIT IN the traffic jam;
SoftQuad Inc., Toronto you ARE the traffic jam."
utzoo!sq!msb, m...@sq.com -- Werner Icking
This article is in the public domain.