Sequential exit numbering & conversion to milepost exit numbering

[Brandon]

Looking at old maps and pictures, I've noticed that there seem to have been a lot more states (and provinces for that matter) using sequential exit numbering systems.
States and Agencies using sequential numbers currently:
New Jersey Turnpike
New York
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Massachuestts
Vermont
New Hampshire
Maine (except Maine Turnpike)

States and Agencies formerly using sequential exit numbers (that I know of):
Ohio Turnpike
Indiana Toll Road
Florida
Georgia
Pennsylvania (which apparently went from mile-based to sequential to mile-based)

I've seen pictures of Iowa, Mississippi, and Colorado with them, and I had a map (which I can't find currently) of either North or South Dakota with them on one interstate.  I also have an Indiana map from the mid-1970s that seems to infer that the Kentucky Parkway System (and Kentucky Turnpike) had them as well.
Did other states use them as well?

[Alps]

Don't forget Delaware.  And all of Maine is now mile-based (it used to all be sequential).

[ctsignguy]

I think that is changing...if i recfall rightly, i think the Feds are putting heat oin the States to adopt mileage exit numberings....NY i heard is going to start that fairly soon....Connecticut might be a bit more difficult given how tightly packed the exits are, esp on I-95....and it will confuse a lot of drivers to change

[Chris]

I love mileage based exit numbering. Much easier to determine distances along freeways  

unfortunately, the majority of Europe uses sequential  

[njroadhorse]

unfortunately, the majority of Europe uses sequential  

Austria doesn't, and idk about Switzerland

[mightyace]

States and Agencies formerly using sequential exit numbers (that I know of):
Pennsylvania (which apparently went from mile-based to sequential to mile-based)

I grew up in Pennsylvania and as far back as I can remember (early 1970s) Pennsylvania used sequential exit numbers when it used exit numbers at all until the recent conversion.

I'm not saying it was never was mileage-based in the deep dark past but I need some evidence to support you assertion.

I also have an Indiana map from the mid-1970s that seems to infer that the Kentucky Parkway System (and Kentucky Turnpike) had them as well.
Did other states use them as well?

From my old Rand-McNally Atlases is does look like the Kentucky Turnpike and, perhaps, the rest of the Parkway system used sequential numbering.

[burgess87]

I think that is changing...if i recfall rightly, i think the Feds are putting heat oin the States to adopt mileage exit numberings....NY i heard is going to start that fairly soon....Connecticut might be a bit more difficult given how tightly packed the exits are, esp on I-95....and it will confuse a lot of drivers to change

Hm.  This means that my regular exit off the New York State Thruway (Exit 48A) would become Exit 401, or something like that (I don't have the exact mile marker).

Cool.

[allniter89]

IMHO milepost numbering is more sensible than sequential numbering in soooo many ways

Hm.  This means that my regular exit off the New York State Thruway (Exit 48A) would become Exit 401, or something like that (I don't have the exact mile marker).

A few years ago when FL changed to milepost numbering my regular exits changed from 12 & 13 to 56 & 70.
I remember years ago when AL added metric to all their milepost and exits then later took down all the metric markers, brilliant!!! 

[WillWeaverRVA]

Virginia used sequential numbering on all interstates through 1992. The child routes of I-64 (except I-564, which has no exit numbers) still use it, though. I-264's exits are close enough together in Norfolk and Portsmouth to warrant it, and I-464 is pretty short, but I-664 should probably switch to milepost-based numbering.

[Terry Shea]

IMHO milepost numbering is more sensible than sequential numbering in soooo many ways

Hm.  This means that my regular exit off the New York State Thruway (Exit 48A) would become Exit 401, or something like that (I don't have the exact mile marker).

A few years ago when FL changed to milepost numbering my regular exits changed from 12 & 13 to 56 & 70.
I remember years ago when AL added metric to all their milepost and exits then later took down all the metric markers, brilliant!!! 

Ha.  I remember when I was in 5th grade in 1968 and they were forcing us to learn the metric system because it was a sure thing that we were going to change over before the next decade was up. 

[PAHighways]

Pennsylvania (which apparently went from mile-based to sequential to mile-based)

Pennsylvania was always sequential.  The exception was I-79 which, for some reason, was sequential in the southern part of the state, and then mileage-based north of I-80.

[Duke87]

NY i heard is going to start that fairly soon...

There have been rumors flying around for years about New York going milepost. Incidentally, when I was at my college career fair last week, I asked the guy there from NYSDOT about it. He responded that A) that he had no knowledge of any such plans and B) that he seriously doubted it would ever happen considering it would cost millions to change all the signs.



Although, while we're on this topic, allow me to share this.

It's an Excel file I've had in the works for a few years now, demonstrating what the exit numbers on remaining sequential highways would be if they were switched to milepost.
Two debatable points, though, would be:
1) I follow the mileposts of the numbered route rather than the named highway. This, for instance, means that the New Jersey Turnpike has exits 1, 13, 26, 35, and 44... and then, using I-95 mileposts, drops back to exit 6. The assumption being that in doing this you'd swap out the signage pattern so as to treat through traffic for I-95 as through traffic and going to/from the Turnpike south of there as exiting/entering. Why? Because the numbered route is the more important one, and it always bothers me when exit numbers for an interstate have sudden jumps forward/backward due to joining a toll road. You'll notice that in New York I-87 and I-90 receive the same preferential treatment over the Thruway.
2) I tend to number roads which are continuous with each other continuously. The Hutchinson River Parkway is made to continue off of I-678's exit numbers, for instance. Just seems to make sense.

Also, you may note that it's not quite complete. MA-2, MA-3, and MA-24... I've yet to find milepost data for those highways anywhere.

[SSOWorld]

If NY goes milepost, they might have to reverse the numbers on the Thruway.

How about going from NO exit number to milepost (say California and the Illinois Tollway )

[Jim]

If NY goes milepost, they might have to reverse the numbers on the Thruway.

Better yet, renumber the mile markers for one consistent set of mile markers/exit number for I-87 and one consistent set for I-90.  It really seems unlikely, though.  NYS has no money and the Thruway Authority probably has no motivation to make changes on their stretches of these roads.

[Alex]

Mississippi also used sequential based exit numbers on some stretches of its freeway originally, and mileage based on others. Froggie can tell you when the change to all-mileage based numbers occurred...

[Bryant5493]

Georgia uses sequential-based exit numbers on three freeways that I can think of -- Georgia 400, U.S. 80/J.R. Allen Pkwy. and U.S. 78/Stone Mountain Freeway. The Interstates have been mile-based for at least ten years.


Be well,

Bryant

[mightyace]

If NY goes milepost, they might have to reverse the numbers on the Thruway.

Better yet, renumber the mile markers for one consistent set of mile markers/exit number for I-87 and one consistent set for I-90.  It really seems unlikely, though.  NYS has no money and the Thruway Authority probably has no motivation to make changes on their stretches of these roads.

It looks like in Pennsylvania that they did number the Northeast Extension (I-476) and the "minor" turnpikes (PA 60/Future I-376, PA 43, etc.) to fit the exit numbering of the overall route.  However, the mainline turnpike follows this from the Ohio line to Valley Forge where I-76 and turnpike mileage coincide.  However, I-276 & Future I-95 east of that point continue the numbering from the Ohio line.

[Hellfighter]

Not a big fan of sequential exit markers, really deceives the real difference between exits or the freeway itself.

[Bickendan]

I remember years ago when AL added metric to all their milepost and exits then later took down all the metric markers, brilliant!!! 

Alabama?!

...

Wow, that's nearly the last place I'd expect to voluntarily use metric.

unfortunately, the majority of Europe uses sequential

Portugal is decidedly sequential; Spain is a mix-and-match, often on the same numbered route. It's especially bad on the A/AP7, with two zero origins (Cadiz -- neverminding A7 begins at km post 103 in Algeciras; and France) and several resets and overlaps.

[Fixed quoting. -S.]

[Chris]

A-7 and AP-7 are two different roads. In the end situation, you'll have a tolled AP-7 and a toll-free A-7 running next to eachother along the east coast of Spain. AP roads use sequential, A roads use kmposts.

Other countries that use kmposts are Slovakia, Czech Republic and Poland.

[J N Winkler]

Colorado is another state which used to have sequential exit numbering (in the 1970's at least).  I am not sure when the changeover occurred, but exit numbering is now mileage-based.  On some older button-copy signs the "ghosts" of the old sequential exit numbers are visible.

[froggie]

Mississippi also used sequential based exit numbers on some stretches of its freeway originally, and mileage based on others. Froggie can tell you when the change to all-mileage based numbers occurred...

Sometime in the 1980s.

Georgia uses sequential-based exit numbers on three freeways that I can think of -- Georgia 400, U.S. 80/J.R. Allen Pkwy. and U.S. 78/Stone Mountain Freeway. The Interstates have been mile-based for at least ten years.

IIRC, the Georgia Interstate changeover was more recent than that...

[Alex]

Mississippi also used sequential based exit numbers on some stretches of its freeway originally, and mileage based on others. Froggie can tell you when the change to all-mileage based numbers occurred...

Sometime in the 1980s.

Georgia uses sequential-based exit numbers on three freeways that I can think of -- Georgia 400, U.S. 80/J.R. Allen Pkwy. and U.S. 78/Stone Mountain Freeway. The Interstates have been mile-based for at least ten years.

IIRC, the Georgia Interstate changeover was more recent than that...

The Georgia changeover occurred in 1999.

Alabama used KM posts on its freeways in 1996. They were turned sideways later and then removed. I saw a remaining KM post on the I-10 Bayway as recently as late last year...

[golden eagle]

I'd much rather prefer milepost numbering than sequential numbering. I especially love it traveling south or west, since the numbers count down.

[Brandon]

If NY goes milepost, they might have to reverse the numbers on the Thruway.

How about going from NO exit number to milepost (say California and the Illinois Tollway )

California is (slowly) installing them, but seems to lack the typical interstate mileposts.  The ISTHA has standard interstate type mileposts, but is looking into installing some sort of exit numbering system (discussed over in the Tollway Milemarker thread in the Midwest section).  They could easily add numbers to the exits.