"Incorrect" Mile Markers

[fillup420]

I recently drove on US 421 north from the southern terminus at Fort Fisher, NC to my house in Boone, about 330 miles. I reset my trip counter at the BEGIN 421 sign. Once I got to the expressway west of Winston-Salem, I noticed that the mile markers and exit numbers were about 9 miles ahead of my trip counter. I figured that due to various realignments of 421, the route's mileage was altered, and there was no point in trying to fix all of the exit numbers and mile markers. Any other noticeable cases like this?

[hotdogPi]

MA 110 seems to be about 1½ miles off from Wikipedia between miles 37 and 54 (no markers west of mile 37 or from 45-48, and have not been east of mile 54).

I-93 north in Massachusetts has a 42.5 mile marker with an old design between the 42.2 and 42.4 mile markers (normally the markers count in 0.2 increments, so there would not be a 42.5 marker).

[sbeaver44]

Pennsylvania...

I've mentioned this before, but the US 22/322 markers start at 200.0 going W from I-81.  They alternate displaying 22 and 322 with each marker...both routes are significantly more than 200 miles to their respective state lines and the concurrency is only 60 miles or so.  You can really see this when US 322 branches off I-83 towards Hershey where the mile markers start at 221, but that's only 7-8 miles away from the "mile 200"

Additionally, US 30 going east of York has mile markers beginning at 245 at the PA 24 exit.  I think these are correct, but in Chester County they begin at 269 with the Coatesville bypass.  Google Maps shows 43 miles on US 30 between these points, so I think Chester County's are wrong by about 20.

Nexus 6P

[bzakharin]

I-95 in northern NJ has exit numbers based on the unbuilt Somerset Freeway, but the mile markers continue the NJ Turnpike mileage.

[paulthemapguy]

On US163 in Arizona, the mile markers begin at the south end as if it's a continuation of US160 heading north.  US163 spends less than 100 miles in Arizona, but the mile markers are in the 300s and 400s!

[Life in Paradise]

I-69 in Indiana.  When the southern leg began to be constructed, IDOT just added 200 miles to I-69 between Indianapolis and the Michigan state line, and miraculously, Exit 1 was now 201 and so on.  It was a workable solution, but in no way will it be 200 miles from the Ohio River to the north side of Indianapolis, but since I-69 will be co-signed with I-465 around town, there won't be any other mile markers to give you a WTF moment when you get back on the freeway to Fort Wayne.

[MikeTheActuary]

I-40 in Tennessee, thanks to plans for I-40 through Memphis being abandoned, and some liberties taken with Mile 1 (https://goo.gl/L8DZv3) and Mile 11 (https://goo.gl/m2RJ1k)

[SectorZ]

MA 110 seems to be about 1½ miles off from Wikipedia between miles 37 and 54 (no markers west of mile 37 or from 45-48, and have not been east of mile 54).

I-93 north in Massachusetts has a 42.5 mile marker with an old design between the 42.2 and 42.4 mile markers (normally the markers count in 0.2 increments, so there would not be a 42.5 marker).

The state is messed up on 110 because they have it starting in the incorrect spot. Instead of at MA 12 just north of the Wachusett Reservoir, they have it starting where MA 12 and MA 140 junction in West Boylston center, about a mile south of where 110 actually starts. As soon as 12 and 140 merge together, there is a random "JCT 110" sign nowhere near an approaching intersection. 110 actually used to start in Worcester and followed 12 up to West Boylston many years ago.

Attached photo, https://www.google.com/maps/place/West+Boylston,+MA/@42.3638369,-71.7814775,3a,75y,6.52h,80.98t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sRIiMjPMYk3QLvQl9MlOBkg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DRIiMjPMYk3QLvQl9MlOBkg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D104.64818%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x89e3f9c325e5caaf:0xfdde661720c95e49!8m2!3d42.3667589!4d-71.785627

[SectorZ]

The most intentionally incorrect ones out there are NH 101 east of I-93, where they re-start at 100 instead of the 59 and change it should be at.

[sbeaver44]

On US163 in Arizona, the mile markers begin at the south end as if it's a continuation of US160 heading north.  US163 spends less than 100 miles in Arizona, but the mile markers are in the 300s and 400s!

Does AZ still do the thing where a road inherits the mile marker of the road it begins at?  Or is that just in a few cases like this and I-17?

Nexus 6P

[MNHighwayMan]

In Minnesota, they're rarely, if ever readjusted after realignments or shortenings. A list of just a few examples that, and some other oddities:

• MN-74 used to continue west from its current terminus at US-52; as a result, the mile markers start in the 20s instead of at zero.
• MN-5 has mile markers in the 180s, a relic of when it took over old MN-212. MN-5 is only 76 miles long.
• MN-65 starts at zero, and continues north into the 200s; because of this, US-65 begins at mile 300 presumably to avoid duplication of having two state roads numbered 65 with the same mile markers.
• Strangely, this isn't the case with MN/US-61; they both start at zero. This might be the only case of recalibration I can think of, since MN-61 used to be part of US-61.
• Minnesota has two MN-62s–the original one in the southwest, running from Fulda to Windom, has the normal zero-calibrated markers; the later Twin Cities MN-62 has mile markers with 100 added to them. However, the western terminus of MN-62 doesn't start at 100; it starts at mile 103. Mile marker 100 was calibrated to be the junction of what is now Hennepin CR-62 and 101. There must've been a plan at one point to extend the MN-62 designation west of I-494, but MN-101 was turned back to the county and that never materialized.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

It also happens in this side of the pond. There's a section of A-2 East of Calatayud where there are about 8 miles signed, yet I've measured that section and somehow about 2.5 miles are "missing". But nothing tops N-330 at the Monrepos pass (between Huesca and Sabiñanigo), where kmposts jump from 598 to 602, that is 2.5 miles compressed to a few feet! Fortunately this will dissapear when A-23 is completed, but I'm awaiting to see how they will sign that since southbound will be longer than northbound.

I like to refer those as places where the space-time is distorted .

[paulthemapguy]

On US163 in Arizona, the mile markers begin at the south end as if it's a continuation of US160 heading north.  US163 spends less than 100 miles in Arizona, but the mile markers are in the 300s and 400s!

Does AZ still do the thing where a road inherits the mile marker of the road it begins at?  Or is that just in a few cases like this and I-17?

Nexus 6P

It seems to be fairly common across Arizona.  US89, US160, and I-17 follow that same alternative rule.

[noelbotevera]

On US163 in Arizona, the mile markers begin at the south end as if it's a continuation of US160 heading north.  US163 spends less than 100 miles in Arizona, but the mile markers are in the 300s and 400s!

Does AZ still do the thing where a road inherits the mile marker of the road it begins at?  Or is that just in a few cases like this and I-17?

Nexus 6P

It seems to be fairly common across Arizona.  US89, US160, and I-17 follow that same alternative rule.

I think the theory behind those is that they reflect former routes. I-17 took over US 89, and from the point where I-17 starts, it was 194 miles from the southern terminus at Nogales (though US 89 may have taken a different route - I get about 178-179 miles via the Goog). US 89's milemarkers reflects the couple hundred miles it used to travel before its truncation to Flagstaff, but I'm unsure of how US 160 and US 163 have those milemarkers. US 160 was realigned in 1970, the same year US 163 was created, so draw your own conclusions from that.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

In Minnesota, they're rarely, if ever readjusted after realignments or shortenings. A list of just a few examples that, and some other oddities:

• MN-74 used to continue west from its current terminus at US-52; as a result, the mile markers start in the 20s instead of at zero.

Other very noticeable examples of this are MN 50 and MN 44. I actually had asked about this in the last couple years why the mileposts are not recalibrated. froggie indicated it was simply so the DOT doesn't have to waste time/money updating all the changes that would ensue which would include both the physical signs as well as the route logs involved. MN 42 was extended by three miles from US 14 to I-90 in the 2000s, but I don't think you see a milepost between US 14 and I-90.

• Strangely, this isn't the case with MN/US-61; they both start at zero. This might be the only case of recalibration I can think of, since MN-61 used to be part of US-61.

Interestingly, the first milepost you see on the route is milepost 5. MN 61 was truncated by two miles in 1997 to eliminate a section that ran southwest of I-35, but there are no Mileposts 3 or 4 that should still be part of the existing section.

• Minnesota has two MN-62s–the original one in the southwest, running from Fulda to Windom, has the normal zero-calibrated markers; the later Twin Cities MN-62 has mile markers with 100 added to them. However, the western terminus of MN-62 doesn't start at 100; it starts at mile 103. Mile marker 100 was calibrated to be the junction of what is now Hennepin CR-62 and 101. There must've been a plan at one point to extend the MN-62 designation west of I-494, but MN-101 was turned back to the county and that never materialized.

The plan to do this was NIMBYed. I think the plan was on the books well into the 1990s. I'm not sure though if the grade separation that was built at Eden Prairie Road was done as part of that project or not.[/list]

[roadman65]

All of I-70 east of I-55 in IL is totally incorrect!  I-70 continues I-270's mileposts and exit numbers east of its split from I-55 all the way into Indiana.

[US71]

There's a 419.99 in Colorado

[hotdogPi]

There's a 419.99 in Colorado

It's not incorrect. The marker is actually shifted 0.01 mile.

[MNHighwayMan]

MN 42 was extended by three miles from US 14 to I-90 in the 2000s, but I don't think you see a milepost between US 14 and I-90.

That's really strange. I can understand not changing existing mileposts, but surely it isn't nearly the same amount of hassle to install two or three more.

Edit: Oh, wait, that was an extension south. Never mind, putting in new markers would require moving all the rest (unless they used negative numbers? ) It's funny to look at that in the log, like for example the junction with US-14 is listed at reference point 000+03.379.

Interestingly, the first milepost you see on the route is milepost 5. MN 61 was truncated by two miles in 1997 to eliminate a section that ran southwest of I-35, but there are no Mileposts 3 or 4 that should still be part of the existing section.

Wonder if those other two mile markers just vanished due to construction or the general strangeness that causes them to disappear often on urban surface roads. Like, for example, about half of the mile markers for both US-6 and US-69 here in Des Moines are missing. That just might be because the Iowa DOT is super slow and/or lazy about replacements, though.

[Eth]

There's a milepost 5 posted on northbound Peachtree Street in midtown Atlanta (photo from September 2015, but it's still there as of yesterday):



Why is that remarkable? Because this portion of Peachtree Street hasn't been a state highway since at least 1939, if ever (GDOT maps prior to October '39 didn't have an Atlanta inset). So...what is it mile 5 *of*?

[dvferyance]

I-41 in Wisconsin they still reflect US 41. They are about 40 miles off. US 10 for whatever reason is also off by about 40 miles. I-39 is off but only by 4 miles no big deal there.

[dvferyance]

I-40 in Tennessee, thanks to plans for I-40 through Memphis being abandoned, and some liberties taken with Mile 1 (https://goo.gl/L8DZv3) and Mile 11 (https://goo.gl/m2RJ1k)

Same goes for I-65 north of Nashville since the reroute but it's only slightly off there.

[jeffandnicole]

There's a 419.99 in Colorado

It's not incorrect. The marker is actually shifted 0.01 mile.

It's not shifted at all.  It's on the same post MM 420 was on.  The 'shifting' would've been 6 inches.  Milemarkers are allowed to be off about 50 feet when necessary, per the MUTCD.

[MNHighwayMan]

.01 mi x 5280 ft/mi = 52 ft 9.6 in.

[Darkchylde]

The original section of I-69 in Indiana, intentionally shifted up a flat 200 miles instead of being shifted up by the proper mileage that the new sections (and routing along 465) will actually add.