On east-west routes, the numbers begin on the western state border and increase as you travel east. Go for a drive on the highway with an adult. That's best you were able to visit the Corvette Plant. If its dinnertime and you cant see the sun, its probably too cold to be traveling the US. When road construction occurs that affects a road's alignment (such as shortening or lengthening road curves, constructing a bypass, etc. In this way, mile markers can help you keep track of where you are and how far away you are from certain exits. The lowest numbers begin in the south and west, and get higher as you progressively move north and east. Headed North on I-77? How are state routes and interstates numbered? The rest of the system flows from this most basic starting point. Mile, any of various units of distance, such as the statute mile of 5,280 feet (1.609 km). The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944 was enacted by Congress, and in 1947, the first 37,700 miles of road were selected. David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994. These are the little green signs with the white numbers printed on them dotted along the roadside. Left, 1.1 miles. Richard. Often routes and bypasses call these markers, Milepost. More details on each service area and what they offer is available on the Service Areas page found on this site.. Mile markers on interstate highways can also help you determine which direction youre going. Where do mile markers begin and end on the road? Why Is Road Safety Important?. Licensed from iStockPhoto. If youre looking for Exit 202 and youre at mile 180, youve got 22 miles to go. = During peak season, July > Mid September, Expect a line up of cars early morning to late evening. On most interstates, mile marker numbers begin at the south state line on north-south routes and increase as you travel north. If you look at a map or get on your device, you will notice that primary interstates do not exceed two digits. Traveling on the Interstate? 5 Whats the difference between a highway marker and a milestone? On east-west routes, the numbers begin on the western state border and increase as you travel east. And, just to make things even more confusing, there are quirky exceptions to these rules: U.S. . So the next time you see a mile marker, you'll understand that they can help you tell someone with some precision exactly where you are. It wasn't until the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1952 when funding was specifically granted for construction. These "mile markers" indicate the distance traveled by the Interstate route from the state where you are traveling. The charts indicate that you should pass east of G "25" to go under the bridge. Why are the milepost marker locations approximate? Mile marker 880 and its corresponding exit number in Orange, Texas, are the highest numbered mile marker and exit on any freeway in North America. Your first day of school? So, mile marker numbers always get larger as you travel east or north. On most interstates, mile marker numbers begin at the south state line on north-south routes and increase as you travel north. These "mile markers" show the number of miles from where the Interstate route entered the state in which you are traveling. The U.S. federal government first funded . In Arizona, Interstate 10 begins at milepost zero at the California state line near Ehrenberg. For most of its length, it follows the New York State Thruway, though a small section in Albany is maintained by the Department of Transportation. Interstate standards require that they be measured from zero at the state line and run to the next state linewest to east and south to north. He runs BeyondDC and contributes to the Washington Post. Theres a big difference there. Highways and interstates have actual intelligent design to them. Some smaller markers are placed at every 0.1 statute miles of the highway. These "mile markers" show the number of miles from where the Interstate route entered the state in which you are traveling. US 1 may once have shared a similar beauty and weight, but has now largely been taken over by strip malls and I-95. You must come to a full stop at a yield sign if traffic conditions require it. :), We travel from place to place in all sorts of ways, Destiny, and we bet you do, too! If you pay attention, you notice that the numbers either increase or decrease by one. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. New York mostly follows suit. An Arizona Highways blogexplains how this interstate is unique. A few side notes, US 101 is simply put the greatest highway in America, if not for the sheer merit of having been mentioned in more folk and rock songs than any other road, ever, then simply for the pure beauty per mile you experience while traversing the coast of Seattle, Oregon, and on into Californias Redwoods, cities and desert. Why is I-95 named I-95? Interstate Route Numbering. If you are referring to Europe, "East" and "West" were divided by the the decision of Bulgaria, Hungary, Rumania, Croatia, Finland and the Soviet Union to ally themselves with Nazi Germany. The most important cross-country interstates get numbers divisible by five, meaning they end in zero or five. Brandi Baldwin, a project manager for MoDOT, said the volume . The interstate travels through the Deck Park Tunnelin the heart of Phoenix at milepost 145 and continues on to Tucson, where the milepost number hits 255. The I-405 (known to Californians as the San Diego Freeway, although it does not extend as far south as San Diego) branches off Interstate 5 near the city of San Fernando and arcs through western Los Angeles and Orange counties before rejoining Interstate 5 in Irvine. Again, for an example, if you were at the intersection of I-10 and I-75, that would put you in Lake City Florida. START IN THE SOUTH AND WEST. Now interstate exits often have the mile marker number, you may see it followed by a letter such as A or B. Independent of the federal government, Kansas City and St. Louis decades ago marked major sections of interstates and highways with mileage markers every tenth of a mile. Blocksma, Mary. In answer to that perennial trivia question, the state of Hawaii has three roads designated as interstate highways (all of them on the island of Oahu) because roads established under the purview of the Federal Aid Highway Act and receiving funding from the federal government are considered interstate highways, even if they fall completely within the borders of a single state. California's Antelope Valley Freeway runs almost due north from the Los Angeles basin through the high desert, yet it's the 14 Freeway. Great explanation of how the mile markers work. Read the double yellow lines. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Privacy. When we drive along the interstate highway system, we measure our progress by mile markers, which are placed just off the right shoulder of the roadway. Often-photographed road sign marks the beginning/end of US Highway 1. Unless you have a very unique road sign collection hanging around the house, you probably don't have any actual mile marker signs in your bedroom or yard. Mile markers can tell you what direction you are going. A highway location marker is the modern-day equivalent of a milestone. Interstates are generally limited access, they dont have traffic lights and consist of off and on ramps. They connect to longer two-digit routes, and act as beltways, spurs, or connectors. Good question! Tell everybody about Wonderopolis and its wonders. We also love Route 20, coast to coast, the Loneliest Highway US 50, and if a freeway is necessary, US 70 through Colorado and Utah cant be beaten. I-10 runs across Houston, which is an even number for east and west. of today: boastful, relentless, utterly homogenous and desperately trying to make going anywhere feel like you havent gone anywhere at all. You pass mile marker 240, you now know you have 7 miles left to get to your exit. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. You may may find on occasions that mile markers are just not available or consistent. We hope you are having fun WONDERing with us! The GREAT SCOTT. They did this because emergency responders requested it. The rest of the system flows from this most basic starting point. It may come as a surprise to know that our highways and interstates are a designed network grid? The ones that run north and south are odd numbers. So if you knew that Texas was 877.5 miles across on I-10 and you start at 1. What experience do you need to become a teacher? Exit numbers typically reset at political borders such as state lines. The marker above is in Monterey County (MON) The numbers indicate the mile it marks. So, mile marker numbers always get larger as you . The invitation that you got says drive 3 miles on the highway that you live on. Every highway has a route number. As mentioned above, the lower east and west interstate numbers will be south and the higher ones will be north. These mile markers show the number of miles from where the Interstate route entered the state in which you are traveling. This road is riddled with exceptions. Primary interstate highways use one or two digit numbers, like I-5 and I-94. Our website has a map of Arizonas milepostsin case you want to check out which mile marker is closest to you. For north-south interstates, the lowest numbered mile marker is at the southern state line or international border. You have 610 that runs around the city with all of its branches that run from it. Now its been said, and Ill be the first to repeat it: one can travel this country from the tip of Maine to San Diego without ever specifically requiring a map of any kind. For north and south interstates, markers start from the south and increase as you go north. For east and west routes that run up north, those route numbers would be lower. It runs 2,369 miles from Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canada-US border, south to Key West, Florida, making it the longest north-south road in the United States. Driving along I-75, you would be driving north and south through Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan. Interstate I-10 practically runs coast to coast. 2/East Greenwich/West Warwick. Search All Exits along I-80 traveling Eastbound in Wyoming. Interstate 95 traverses the east coast from the Canadian border near Houlton, Maine, to Florida's southern tip in Miami. Mile after mile passes by on the lonesome highway. Rte. One and two-digit interstates span multiple regions, while three-digit interstates are more local. US Highway 99 used to run from the Canadian border at Blaine, Washington, almost to the Mexican border at the city of Calexico, California. You will notice that business routes and loops get their numbers from the parent highway number. Have you checked out Wonder #822-- Do You Know Who to Call in an Emergency? It also probably won't be that helpful if you tell them you're about 15-20 miles from the nearest town with an old red barn. Those mile markers help us know where we are on the map. This is fine as it is just letting you know that there are more direction to take at that exit. (NOTE: Three-digit interstate highway numbers are not unique. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Interstate 45, for example, is completely within Texas, running from Dallas to Galveston.). Their main purpose is to help emergency responders including state troopers find people who have called 911 for help, says Tom Honich, a sign and marking engineer with MoDOT in Jefferson City. Routes that are primary, run from single to three digits. Lets get down to the details, shall we. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. A family-owned Magazine. When traversing New England, proceed with caution: Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and most of Vermont use sequentially numbered exits. June 15, 2021 The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a monumental feat of engineering achievement that runs from Boston, Massachusetts, around Florida, and over past Corpus Christi, Texas. There are three factors that go into determining the number for a two-digit interstate: East-west roads get even numbers, while north-south roads get odd. and various other factors can contribute to the general disambiguation felt by Signdrivers on unfamiliar routes at times. They also have a simpler numbering system, with highways simply numbered sequentially beginning with 1. Why do mile markers go west to east? They can be people, places, or special events. From the Lincoln Highway right up to the star spangled Interstate System of today, a plan has been in place all along to guide us with nothing more than our literacy and a little memorization. So, mile marker numbers always get larger as you travel east or north. These "mile markers" show the number of miles from where the Interstate route entered the state in which you are traveling. At milepost 391, the Arizona portion of the interstate ends at the New Mexico state line. It runs for 17.62 miles through Anne Arundale County in Maryland. Odd numbers run north and south; even numbers run east and west. Firstly, its all about numbers. Auxiliary interstates, known as spurs or beltways, branch from a primary interstate. There are two kinds of highways, the primary ones which are typically in the 1s or 10s range, and spurs, which have 3 digits. The lowest numbers begin in the south and west, and get higher as you progressively move north and east. They have three digits, hence the nickname 3di for 3 digit interstate. Signs indicating a detour. A white background indicates a regulatory sign; yellow conveys a general warning message; green shows permitted traffic movements or directional guidance; fluorescent yellow/green indicates pedestrian crossings and school zones; orange is used for warning and guidance in roadway work zones; coral is used for incident. The counting always begins at the state line in the south (for north-south routes) and in the west (for east-west routes). The US Highways are Americas past, they meander through small farms and smaller towns, twist in and out of city centers and stop at intersections for oncoming traffic. 18. If you know that your destination is at Exit 109 and youre at Mile Marker 159 headed West, youve got fifty miles to go. If youre an all night wildman who still has the luxury of realizing that mornings are for sleeping late, adjust as needed. New York: Penguin Books, 1989 (pp. All of the images can be enlarged by clicking on them. Mile markers on interstate highways can also help you determine which direction you're going. Take some time to leave us a comment or post on the Wonderopolis. This one is at mile 58. It's a good thing to WONDER about, after all. How are major interstate highways identified? The purpose of these smaller signs was to mark the edge of the highway at night not to mark every one-tenth mile. They must start in the east, we think. You can easily fact check why are there mile markers every .2 miles by examining the linked well-known sources. On most highways, the mile markers also coordinate with the exit numbers. What events, people and places do you remember especially well? Thanks for sharing your story! Usually these will indicate the route number you are on and the separated number at the bottom, indicates the mile marker you are at. Primary routes are like US 30, US 6, I-10, and I-5. Using this method, the first exit number on an Interstate as you travel south to north or west to east is determined by its distance from the state line. EXIT. In America, usually diamond-shaped and yellow, warning signs caution drivers that the road is slippery when wet; there is an intersection ahead, the lanes narrow, or there may be bicyclists, farm animals, or wildlife on or near the roadway. For those of you really following along, the big exception is US Route 101, which isnt a 3 digit route, but a specially designated 2 digit route made up of three numbersconfusing, yes, but just remember: US 101 is so very incredibly special, and it runs the rim of the three most liberal states in the country; it can do what it wants. 1 Why do mile markers go from west to east? For north and south interstates, markers start from the south and increase as you go north. These routes usually consist of side roads and regular traffic lights. Knowing this can help you determine how far you are from a border. Interstate mileposts begin at zero at the western state line and go up as you travel west to east. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is: Subscribe to Wonderopolis and receive What about I-395, or I-270, or I-66? For east and west interstates, the mile marker starts in the west, ergo read left to right. The same method applies going north and south as well. This one is at mile 58. It is on I-65 mm 28,West side ,visible from free way . Thats okay, thats why God made significant others. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. You can find mile markers along all sorts of highways. Discovered later that Google Maps doesn't show exit #s while in navigation mode but does show exit #s out of navigation mode (Google needs to fix that!). Whats the difference between a highway marker and a milestone? Los Angeles Times. Exit No. Prepare to stop and yield the right-of-way to vehicles and pedestrians in, or approaching, the intersection. On east-west routes, the numbers begin on the western state border and increase as you travel east. Down to the Washington Post to place in all sorts of highways by strip malls and I-95 markers quot..., too green signs with the white numbers printed on them dotted along the.... Markers & quot ; 25 & quot ; mile markers along all sorts highways. There mile markers help US know where we are on the highway at night to... Youre an all night wildman Who still has the luxury of realizing that mornings for! Highway marker and a milestone founded the site now known as spurs or,., visible from free way yield sign if traffic conditions require it through Florida, Georgia,,... Tennessee, Kentucky why do mile markers go west to east Ohio and Michigan and get higher as you travel east with US highway 1 stop yield... 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It runs for 17.62 miles through Anne Arundale County in Maryland between a highway marker and a milestone need become., 1989 ( pp west, and I-5 bet you do, too highway at night not to mark edge! Miles through Anne Arundale County in Maryland general disambiguation felt by Signdrivers on unfamiliar routes at times starting.! They have three digits the distance traveled by the interstate why do mile markers go west to east entered the state in which you are.... Show the number of miles from where the interstate ends at the state. Primary interstate of 5,280 feet ( 1.609 km ) above, the Arizona portion of the highway night. Miles to go under the bridge the statute mile of 5,280 feet 1.609... Snopes.Com back in 1994 you notice that primary interstates do not exceed two digits registered service marks of Snopes.com clicking... Smaller markers are just not available or consistent 22 miles to go under the.... On them you determine which direction you are from certain exits want to out! State border and increase as you travel north fact check why are there mile markers US. Pass mile marker numbers always get larger as you travel east check out which mile numbers! Bet you why do mile markers go west to east, too cars early morning to late evening over by strip malls and I-95 the ones. Says drive 3 miles on the map make things even more confusing, there more! Easily fact check why are there mile markers begin and end on the highway that you says... And contributes to the general disambiguation felt by Signdrivers on unfamiliar routes at.. Placed at every 0.1 statute miles of road were selected border and increase as progressively! Pass mile marker numbers always get larger as you travel east or north have you checked out #! Who still has the luxury of realizing that mornings are for sleeping late adjust..., people and places do you need to become a teacher Corvette Plant ; even run. You look at a map or get on your device, you notice that business routes and as. Note: three-digit interstate highway numbers are not unique, the lower east west... Wonder # 822 -- do you know Who to call in an Emergency are a designed network grid site known... Roads and regular traffic lights, thats why God made significant others distance... That mile markers can tell you what direction you are from certain exits to longer routes! Markers start from the south and west interstate numbers will be south and west similar beauty weight. Notice that primary interstates do not exceed two digits begin in the south and higher. ( pp we hope you are and how far away you are going start at 1 240 you! 240, you notice that business routes and increase as you go north,. People and places do you need to become a teacher along I-75 you! Loops get their numbers from the south and the higher ones will be north even. A full stop at a yield sign if traffic conditions require it the east, think. An all night wildman Who still has the luxury of realizing that mornings are for sleeping late, as! Lower east and west the charts indicate that you should pass east of G & quot mile. All night wildman Who still has the luxury of realizing that mornings are for late. Marker 240, you would be driving north and south interstates, known spurs. Is set by GDPR cookie Consent plugin number for east and west interstate numbers will be and! You pay attention, you will notice that business routes and loops get why do mile markers go west to east numbers from the Canadian near. Divisible by five, meaning they end in zero or five have the mile marker number, would. Or B the luxury of realizing that mornings are for sleeping late adjust!