AARoads Forum

National Boards => General Highway Talk => Traffic Control => Topic started by: bassoon1986 on February 06, 2021, 03:40:04 PM

Title: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: bassoon1986 on February 06, 2021, 03:40:04 PM
Heading west on I-30 from Little Rock, signs showing miles to Texarkana are exactly the same as the nearest mile marker post. So leaving Hope, AR, Texarkana is 29 miles away and you're passing by mile marker 29.

Where else does this happen? I'd imagine on interstates going westbound or southbound where the next control city sits at a state line or where the interstate terminates.


iPhone
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: NWI_Irish96 on February 06, 2021, 03:44:15 PM
Close: just past MM 18.5 on I-65 SB in Indiana is a sign showing 19 miles to Jeffersonville.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: webny99 on February 06, 2021, 03:49:55 PM
The entire NY Thruway mainline westbound and southbound from the Pennsylvania line to NYC. The mileage to NYC appears on every post-interchange distance sign and counts down with the mileposts all the way from 496 to 0.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: Rothman on February 06, 2021, 09:04:16 PM
Well...not the Mass Pike.  At least when I was a kid, they claimed the distance to Boston was to the gold dome of the State House.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: ilpt4u on February 06, 2021, 09:36:04 PM
I-55 South, I-70 West, and I-64 West in Illinois, all approaching Saint Louis, tho the number variance may be 1 mile
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: SkyPesos on February 06, 2021, 10:16:56 PM
SB I-71 between Columbus and Cincinnati and SB I-75 between Dayton and Cincinnati are full of examples, though the mileage signs are about half a mile ahead of the mile markers because you enter Downtown Cincinnati before crossing the river into KY.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: roadman65 on February 06, 2021, 10:43:15 PM
I-4 for Tampa.  The mileposts countdown from I-95 at MM 132 to Tampa, but the control city use of Tampa begins now at SR 414 in Maitland.   I-4 ends at I-275 in Downtown Tampa.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: hotdogPi on February 07, 2021, 07:03:48 AM
Anyone have an opposite-direction example?
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: SkyPesos on February 07, 2021, 09:40:18 AM
Quote from: 1 on February 07, 2021, 07:03:48 AM
Anyone have an opposite-direction example?
Hypothetical example: Both KC-STL on I-70 and Cincy-Cleveland on I-71 are around 248 miles, so if there is a distance sign that would match in the NB/EB direction, it would be somewhere between MM 123-125. It's very unlikely there would be one, since I-70 is in Columbia and I-71 just north of Columbus at that mile marker.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: kphoger on February 07, 2021, 03:51:00 PM
All over Mexico, as mile kilometer markers count down to cities, not state lines, in general.

example (https://goo.gl/maps/Tm7gU3j7HjFUaVqZ6)
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: KCRoadFan on February 08, 2021, 05:51:20 PM
Here's one I know of: southbound I-35 and westbound I-70 in Missouri approaching KC.

Also, some other possible examples:

I-5 in Washington state approaching Portland
I-16 in Georgia approaching Macon
I-20 in Mississippi approaching Vicksburg
I-25 in New Mexico approaching Las Cruces
I-35 in Texas approaching Laredo
I-40 in Tennessee approaching Memphis
I-43 in Wisconsin, southwest of Milwaukee, approaching Beloit
I-64 in Kentucky approaching Louisville
I-64 in West Virginia approaching Huntington
I-65 in Alabama approaching Mobile
I-69 in Indiana approaching Indianapolis (before the exits were renumbered, that is)
I-75 in Tennessee approaching Chattanooga
I-76 in Colorado approaching Denver
I-77 in Ohio approaching Marietta
I-80 in Iowa approaching Council Bluffs/Omaha
I-80/90 (the Toll Road) in Indiana approaching Chicago
I-81 in New York state approaching Binghamton
I-84 in Oregon approaching Portland
I-85 in Alabama approaching Montgomery
I-90 in Minnesota approaching Sioux Falls
I-90 in Washington state approaching Seattle
I-90 in Wisconsin approaching La Crosse
I-94 in Indiana approaching Chicago
I-94 in Minnesota approaching Fargo/Moorhead
I-94 in Montana approaching Billings
I-95 in Florida approaching Miami
I-95 in Maryland approaching Washington, DC

Do those examples all seem right?

Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: bassoon1986 on February 08, 2021, 07:00:48 PM
Quote from: KCRoadFan on February 08, 2021, 05:51:20 PM
Here's one I know of: southbound I-35 and westbound I-70 in Missouri approaching KC.

Also, some other possible examples:

I-5 in Washington state approaching Portland
I-16 in Georgia approaching Macon
I-20 in Mississippi approaching Vicksburg
I-25 in New Mexico approaching Las Cruces
I-35 in Texas approaching Laredo
I-40 in Tennessee approaching Memphis
I-43 in Wisconsin, southwest of Milwaukee, approaching Beloit
I-64 in Kentucky approaching Louisville
I-64 in West Virginia approaching Huntington
I-65 in Alabama approaching Mobile
I-69 in Indiana approaching Indianapolis (before the exits were renumbered, that is)
I-75 in Tennessee approaching Chattanooga
I-76 in Colorado approaching Denver
I-77 in Ohio approaching Marietta
I-80 in Iowa approaching Council Bluffs/Omaha
I-80/90 (the Toll Road) in Indiana approaching Chicago
I-81 in New York state approaching Binghamton
I-84 in Oregon approaching Portland
I-85 in Alabama approaching Montgomery
I-90 in Minnesota approaching Sioux Falls
I-90 in Washington state approaching Seattle
I-90 in Wisconsin approaching La Crosse
I-94 in Indiana approaching Chicago
I-94 in Minnesota approaching Fargo/Moorhead
I-94 in Montana approaching Billings
I-95 in Florida approaching Miami
I-95 in Maryland approaching Washington, DC

Do those examples all seem right?
Yes those are all likely pretty spot on. Some I wonder if the mileage to that city is an exact match. My example with Texarkana has the mileage to the city marked right at the state line at the zero mark.

Does Portland, OR mileage coming south on I-5 put it further into Oregon than the state line? I would think ones for Chattanooga would be closer to the I-24 interchange or before. When you get to the GA state line on I-75 you're on your way out of the city.


iPhone
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: tdindy88 on February 08, 2021, 07:55:58 PM
Quote from: KCRoadFan on February 08, 2021, 05:51:20 PM
Here's one I know of: southbound I-35 and westbound I-70 in Missouri approaching KC.
Also, some other possible examples:
I-69 in Indiana approaching Indianapolis (before the exits were renumbered, that is)
I-80/90 (the Toll Road) in Indiana approaching Chicago
I-94 in Indiana approaching Chicago

Do those examples all seem right?


I can pretty much assure you that the Indiana ones wouldn't be exactly right. Starting with I-69, the mileage was to Downtown Indianapolis which was about ten miles away as the crow flies from the end of I-69 at I-465 so the mileage reflected that. And the examples with I-80/90 and I-94 with Chicago wouldn't work either. The mileage again was to the Chicago Loop, a good ten or more miles beyond the state border. As for I-94 for instance it seems like its more than ten miles before you can actually see Chicago (the skyline anyway)
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: SkyPesos on February 08, 2021, 08:06:13 PM
Quote from: SkyPesos on February 07, 2021, 09:40:18 AM
Quote from: 1 on February 07, 2021, 07:03:48 AM
Anyone have an opposite-direction example?
Hypothetical example: Both KC-STL on I-70 and Cincy-Cleveland on I-71 are around 248 miles, so if there is a distance sign that would match in the NB/EB direction, it would be somewhere between MM 123-125. It's very unlikely there would be one, since I-70 is in Columbia and I-71 just north of Columbus at that mile marker.
Found one in the EB direction: I-70 EB 49 miles to Columbus between mile markers 48 and 49 (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.8927119,-83.9196075,3a,63.5y,93.23h,92.35t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sS6mtbPOEQUzjI8wL_RwgTg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192)
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: KCRoadFan on February 08, 2021, 08:25:51 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 07, 2021, 03:51:00 PM
All over Mexico, as mile kilometer markers count down to cities, not state lines, in general.

example (https://goo.gl/maps/Tm7gU3j7HjFUaVqZ6)

They do that in Italy too. On a 2008 visit to that country, I remember driving on the A1 freeway from Bologna to Milan, and I remember the zero-kilometer being where it meets the beltway outside of Milan. (Side note: I believe in most European cities, there tend not to be freeways inside the beltways for the most part, unlike in the States; there, the idea is to drive along the beltway to the exit closest to your destination and drive in on surface roads the rest of the way.)
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: SkyPesos on February 08, 2021, 08:32:16 PM
Quote from: KCRoadFan on February 08, 2021, 08:25:51 PM
(Side note: I believe in most European cities, there tend not to be freeways inside the beltways for the most part, unlike in the States; there, the idea is to drive along the beltway to the exit closest to your destination and drive in on surface roads the rest of the way.)
Same with the majority of Chinese cities. For example, Beijing has no freeways inside the 2nd ring road.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: kphoger on February 09, 2021, 09:11:46 AM
Quote from: KCRoadFan on February 08, 2021, 05:51:20 PM
Here's one I know of: southbound I-35 and westbound I-70 in Missouri approaching KC.

Also, some other possible examples:

...
I-35 in Texas approaching Laredo
...

Do those examples all seem right?

I can confirm I-35 in south Texas.  Here is MM-131 (https://goo.gl/maps/SfHohs8vWC3VB5dD9), and in the background is a distance sign for 'Laredo 131'.

However, Kansas City is not correct:
I-35 is off by 3 miles. (https://goo.gl/maps/QS51a8fJMMZ8h7nN9)
I-70 is off by 1 or 2 miles. (https://goo.gl/maps/XxzeoJPx4ErMAP5E6)

I suspect most of your others are inaccurate as well, but I don't have the time to look them up.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: hbelkins on February 09, 2021, 03:34:59 PM
Quote from: KCRoadFan on February 08, 2021, 05:51:20 PM

I-64 in Kentucky approaching Louisville
I-64 in West Virginia approaching Huntington

Do those examples all seem right?

No for both of these. Louisville's "countdown" distance is, best I can tell, to Spaghetti Junction. You still have six miles to go until you get to the state line.

And in West Virginia, Huntington ceases to be the control past Exit 11 (WV 10/Hal Greer Blvd./Downtown). At that point, Ashland takes over.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: roadman65 on February 09, 2021, 04:26:09 PM
I-35 south in Missouri.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: kphoger on February 09, 2021, 04:50:43 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 09, 2021, 09:11:46 AM
I-35 is off by 3 miles. (https://goo.gl/maps/QS51a8fJMMZ8h7nN9)

Quote from: roadman65 on February 09, 2021, 04:26:09 PM
I-35 south in Missouri.

Nope.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: Occidental Tourist on February 10, 2021, 01:36:49 AM
Are we talking city center or city limit?  I-10 in California and Arizona has examples of both.
I-10 westbound in California counts down to Exit 1/Lincoln Blvd., which is the exit to get to the Santa Monica Civic Center.
I-10 westbound in Arizona counts down to mile marker 0, which is the center of the Colorado River and the eastern city limit of Blythe, California
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: dougI5 on February 10, 2021, 11:33:16 AM
Quote from: bassoon1986 on February 08, 2021, 07:00:48 PM
Quote from: KCRoadFan on February 08, 2021, 05:51:20 PM
Here's one I know of: southbound I-35 and westbound I-70 in Missouri approaching KC.

Also, some other possible examples:

I-5 in Washington state approaching Portland
I-16 in Georgia approaching Macon
I-20 in Mississippi approaching Vicksburg
I-25 in New Mexico approaching Las Cruces
I-35 in Texas approaching Laredo
I-40 in Tennessee approaching Memphis
I-43 in Wisconsin, southwest of Milwaukee, approaching Beloit
I-64 in Kentucky approaching Louisville
I-64 in West Virginia approaching Huntington
I-65 in Alabama approaching Mobile
I-69 in Indiana approaching Indianapolis (before the exits were renumbered, that is)
I-75 in Tennessee approaching Chattanooga
I-76 in Colorado approaching Denver
I-77 in Ohio approaching Marietta
I-80 in Iowa approaching Council Bluffs/Omaha
I-80/90 (the Toll Road) in Indiana approaching Chicago
I-81 in New York state approaching Binghamton
I-84 in Oregon approaching Portland
I-85 in Alabama approaching Montgomery
I-90 in Minnesota approaching Sioux Falls
I-90 in Washington state approaching Seattle
I-90 in Wisconsin approaching La Crosse
I-94 in Indiana approaching Chicago
I-94 in Minnesota approaching Fargo/Moorhead
I-94 in Montana approaching Billings
I-95 in Florida approaching Miami
I-95 in Maryland approaching Washington, DC

Do those examples all seem right?
Yes those are all likely pretty spot on. Some I wonder if the mileage to that city is an exact match. My example with Texarkana has the mileage to the city marked right at the state line at the zero mark.

Does Portland, OR mileage coming south on I-5 put it further into Oregon than the state line? 


iPhone
I believe it does. There is (or used to be) a destination sign on I5 south, north of Vancouver which gives the distance to Portland about 4 miles further than the state line. I can't remember what the actual distance on the sign is.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: kphoger on February 10, 2021, 12:20:01 PM
Quote from: Occidental Tourist on February 10, 2021, 01:36:49 AM
Are we talking city center or city limit?

It doesn't matter.  We're talking about whatever the control city distance signs count down to–whether that is the city center, city limit, highway junction, or any other point.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: mrsman on February 10, 2021, 08:19:27 PM
I would think the exit numbering on I-80 WB in CA would match the distance to SF, relatively closely.  It seems to be about 2 miles off.

Here is a mileage sign just west of Davis, stating 72 mi to SF:
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5177064,-121.7728461,3a,75y,233.71h,81.37t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYu0lBH6dwQznqb8gf9AVjQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

The next exit, for Kidwell Rd, about 1 mile away, is exit 69.

CA doesn't do mileposts like other states, they do postmiles.  It's not just semantics.  The postmiles are for mile system, per county, not for the whole state.  So the postmiles reset to zero at every county line. 

Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: Occidental Tourist on February 13, 2021, 02:25:39 AM
Quote from: kphoger on February 10, 2021, 12:20:01 PM
Quote from: Occidental Tourist on February 10, 2021, 01:36:49 AM
Are we talking city center or city limit?

It doesn't matter.  We're talking about whatever the control city distance signs count down to–whether that is the city center, city limit, highway junction, or any other point.

Well then neither example I gave works. I'm not aware of a westbound mileage sign for either Santa Monica or Blythe.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: CNGL-Leudimin on February 13, 2021, 04:52:22 AM
In Spain, if you are on a route that starts in Madrid then the km-posts indicate the distance there. And not from any of the many beltways, but from the very city center. At least in theory, because I've found several sections along A-2 in which km-posts are closer or further apart, as they tried to match the old N-II (now spelt N-2) km-stones.
Quote from: KCRoadFan on February 08, 2021, 08:25:51 PM
They do that in Italy too. On a 2008 visit to that country, I remember driving on the A1 freeway from Bologna to Milan, and I remember the zero-kilometer being where it meets the beltway outside of Milan. (Side note: I believe in most European cities, there tend not to be freeways inside the beltways for the most part, unlike in the States; there, the idea is to drive along the beltway to the exit closest to your destination and drive in on surface roads the rest of the way.)

They did. I remember when I was in Italy in 2010 there were two sets of km-posts on A4, one counting from Milan, the other from Turin. At the time they were in the process of unifying the km-posts, so that all of A4 used one single set along its entire route instead of resetting at Milan.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: Road Hog on February 14, 2021, 12:12:44 AM
In Arkansas, I-40 to Fort Smith, I-30 to Texarkana and US 67 (future I-57) to Little Rock are close but a little off, because the center of each city are a few miles away from the zero points.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: roadman65 on February 14, 2021, 07:08:02 AM
Quote from: ilpt4u on February 06, 2021, 09:36:04 PM
I-55 South, I-70 West, and I-64 West in Illinois, all approaching Saint Louis, tho the number variance may be 1 mile




I-70 in IL actually continues I-270s mileage so not really
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: kphoger on February 14, 2021, 10:45:58 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on February 14, 2021, 07:08:02 AM

Quote from: ilpt4u on February 06, 2021, 09:36:04 PM
I-55 South, I-70 West, and I-64 West in Illinois, all approaching Saint Louis, tho the number variance may be 1 mile

I-70 in IL actually continues I-270s mileage so not really

For I-55 and I-64, some mile markers are closer to the distance shown for East Saint Louis, and others for Saint Louis.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: machias on February 15, 2021, 01:37:01 PM
Binghamton, New York is roughly 10 miles north of the PA border, so the I-81 mileposts don't work in that favor.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: Dirt Roads on February 16, 2021, 08:28:52 PM
Quote from: machias on February 15, 2021, 01:37:01 PM
Binghamton, New York is roughly 10 miles north of the PA border, so the I-81 mileposts don't work in that favor.

Same thing with Huntington, West Virginia.  The I-64 mileposts are off about 10 miles as well.
Title: Re: Mile markers matching control city distances
Post by: FrCorySticha on February 20, 2021, 08:22:36 PM
Quote from: KCRoadFan on February 08, 2021, 05:51:20 PM
I-94 in Montana approaching Billings
Billings is close but not quite. I-94's mile markers in Montana start at the terminus with I-90, which is about 4 miles outside of Billings:

https://goo.gl/maps/UyExDZUmanvrMJks8