Mile markers on non-interstates - how do different states treat them?

[jeffandnicole]

NJDOT posts mileposts every 1/2 mile on non-highways (meaning, any road that's not a limited access highway), on nearly every state route.

[noelbotevera]

Pennsylvania's county system on state routes and US routes is odd. Every half mile the squares - PennDOT calls them segments - increment by 10, so there's 20 segments in a mile. Interstates use a different rule (I believe 1 segment = 0.1 miles). I think realignments and one-way sections change these segments, which is why some segments are non-zero (i.e. you'll see numbers like 83 instead of 80, reflecting a routing change of some kind). Multiplexes take into account the dominate route, usually that of higher rank or lower number (ex. PA 44's multiplex with PA 144 uses 44's segments, but its multiplex with US 220 uses 220's segments). Finally, there are no county routes in PA. PA has a massive list of state routes numbered from 1000+ and these also get white markers; the most common are state routes in the 2000's and 3000's. In special cases, like PA 61's abandoned Centralia segment, PennDOT seems to resign the route onto the unsigned SR; so you'll see signs saying "End SR 0061" and "Begin SR 2002" (the replacement), then "End SR 2002" and "Begin SR 0061" but its segment numbers aren't interrupted.

The PennDOT videolog helps illustrate my point.

-In addition to the above examples, you'll also find the Little White Signs on ramps, in rest areas, runaway truck ramps, and others.
-Also, PA uses the standard mile markers commonly found on Interstates on some non-interstate freeways, such as US 222 in Lancaster County, US 22 in the Lehigh Valley, and US 422 between Pottstown and King of Prussia.

And then those use an entirely different segment scheme, where ramps easily reach into the 400s and 500s. I don't like it, and I wish PennDOT would be consistent but I'm not an employee. At least numbering is consistent (all ramps are 8000+).

May as well mention that PTC roads use standard mile markers. Don't know if bypasses get milemarkers (don't remember any in places like US 322's State College bypass).

[Crown Victoria]

Pennsylvania's county system on state routes and US routes is odd. Every half mile the squares - PennDOT calls them segments - increment by 10, so there's 20 segments in a mile. Interstates use a different rule (I believe 1 segment = 0.1 miles). I think realignments and one-way sections change these segments, which is why some segments are non-zero (i.e. you'll see numbers like 83 instead of 80, reflecting a routing change of some kind). Multiplexes take into account the dominate route, usually that of higher rank or lower number (ex. PA 44's multiplex with PA 144 uses 44's segments, but its multiplex with US 220 uses 220's segments). Finally, there are no county routes in PA. PA has a massive list of state routes numbered from 1000+ and these also get white markers; the most common are state routes in the 2000's and 3000's. In special cases, like PA 61's abandoned Centralia segment, PennDOT seems to resign the route onto the unsigned SR; so you'll see signs saying "End SR 0061" and "Begin SR 2002" (the replacement), then "End SR 2002" and "Begin SR 0061" but its segment numbers aren't interrupted.

The PennDOT videolog helps illustrate my point.

-In addition to the above examples, you'll also find the Little White Signs on ramps, in rest areas, runaway truck ramps, and others.
-Also, PA uses the standard mile markers commonly found on Interstates on some non-interstate freeways, such as US 222 in Lancaster County, US 22 in the Lehigh Valley, and US 422 between Pottstown and King of Prussia.

And then those use an entirely different segment scheme, where ramps easily reach into the 400s and 500s. I don't like it, and I wish PennDOT would be consistent but I'm not an employee. At least numbering is consistent (all ramps are 8000+).

May as well mention that PTC roads use standard mile markers. Don't know if bypasses get milemarkers (don't remember any in places like US 322's State College bypass).

There's a bit of inconsistency with PennDOT using mile markers on non-interstate freeways. I've mentioned some freeways that have them, but US 322 between Harrisburg and State College doesn't. US 219 has them, but US 22 between Altoona and Ebensburg does not. In the Pittsburgh area, US 22/30 west of PIT has them, but PA 28 does not.

[wxfree]

I wrote a long, and I believe complete, description of the rather complicated system Texas uses.  I quoted a map put up by someone else, which helps.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=9913.msg234614#msg234614

[Road Hog]

I wrote a long, and I believe complete, description of the rather complicated system Texas uses.  I quoted a map put up by someone else, which helps.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=9913.msg234614#msg234614

It's not terribly complicated. Arcane for sure but not complicated.

Simply put, you take the longitude 10 miles west of Texas' westernmost point, and you take the latitude 10 miles north of Texas' northernmost reach (the panhandle border). Where those two lines intersect is the zero point. Everything east and south of that theoretical point is measured in miles from those lines.

Why they start at 10 and not zero, I have no clue.

[hbelkins]

In Kentucky, interstates and parkways use mile markers for the route's entire length, beginning at either the southern or western state line or route terminus.

All other routes, including those with freeway portions such as US 60, reset at county lines or the route's terminus, again starting in the south or west and increasing as you go east or north.

When Kentucky first started posting mile markers on surface routes, the signs were small ones with just the number in white on a green background. Modern iterations have "Mile" on the signs.

West Virginia resets mile markers at county lines - the mile markers are small white squares with the mile printed in black. (Somehow in 300+ photos from WV, I don't have a photo with one of these visible. Here's a GSV of a typical marker at a county line.) The exception is ADHS roads (US 48, US 460, US 119, etc.), which have blue blades as mile markers.

And those little black-on-white signs are posted very haphazardly and inconsistently.

[froggie]

Virginia does not put mile markers along non-interstates.

Virginia rarely uses exit numbers on non-interstates, and when they exist, they're usually based on sequential order or mileage of that particular freeway segment (I.E. Exit 1, 2, etc.). One exception is VA-168 in South Hampton Roads which posts both mile-markers and uses mile-based exit numbers, starting at MM 0 at the North Carolina state line and ending at MM 15 at I-64. The three other non-interstate freeways in the region, VA-164, US-17, and US-58, do not have exit numbers.

There's one more exception besides 168.  US 13 on the Eastern Shore has regular milemarkers with mileage measured from the NC line.  IIRC, the first marker coming off the CBBT is MM 70.

[sprjus4]

There's one more exception besides 168.  US 13 on the Eastern Shore has regular milemarkers with mileage measured from the NC line.  IIRC, the first marker coming off the CBBT is MM 70.

Since you're referring to mile-markers as opposed to exit numbers, US-17 also has mile-markers posted along the expressway portion in Hampton Roads between the North Carolina state line and Dominion Blvd from the 2005 relocation.

The US-29 Danville, Madison Heights and Amherst bypasses also has mile markers posted.

[Mapmikey]

There's one more exception besides 168.  US 13 on the Eastern Shore has regular milemarkers with mileage measured from the NC line.  IIRC, the first marker coming off the CBBT is MM 70.

Since you're referring to mile-markers as opposed to exit numbers, US-17 also has mile-markers posted along the expressway portion in Hampton Roads between the North Carolina state line and Dominion Blvd from the 2005 relocation.

The US-29 Danville, Madison Heights and Amherst bypasses also has mile markers posted.

As does VA 207-US 301 from Carmel Church to the Potomac River

[jp the roadgeek]

CT puts them only on a select number of longer freeways, and as of now, they are only every mile, and many are missing, as the signage was placed 25-30 years ago, but never maintained.  The only freeways currently are CT 2, CT 8, CT 9, and the parkway portion of CT 15.  CT 8 does have some enhanced mile markers and 0.2 MM on sections where sign replacement projects have been completed.  CT 9 is due to be re-signed (and converted to mileage based exits) in the next 2 years, and will most likely receive enhanced mile markers.  A couple of shorter roads that have already been converted to mileage based exits (CT 2A, CT 349, SR 695) do not have mile markers, so I would be surprised if CTDOT adds mile markers to CT 72 when it is converted in a few months.

[crispy93]

Also, in New York State, they have so-called "reference markers"  which measure tenths of a mile from the start of a "control segment"  (basically a town line); they also have a code for the county you're in, as well as the order the county appears in along the route.

I wish NY would have just posted regular mile markers when they were developing this system. It's useless to motorists, though I understand they're used for internal documentation/records. Reference markers are posted on all NYSDOT roads and even some NYCDOT roads (Cross Island Parkway comes to mind). Thruway Authority doesn't use them.

Mile markers aren't posted in NYC and LI (for whatever reason). Mile markers are posted on parkways in the Hudson Valley. They are not used on non-interstate freeways. The only place I've ever seen mile markers on a non-freeway is US 9W near Storm King Mountain: https://goo.gl/maps/g7pWTw57eyR2nHG28 and I think because the local emergency services asked for them to better assist motorists stranded on the mountain in the winter.

[vdeane]

They are not used on non-interstate freeways.

Huh, I wonder what these are, then:
https://goo.gl/maps/enFiG1q9nsbyaUti8
https://goo.gl/maps/Q6CYsFpb66vQbPmg7
https://goo.gl/maps/WLfWKYnj51N4x4Bp6
https://goo.gl/maps/KcLURYAnqeU9EGiM9

[I-55]

In Kentucky, interstates and parkways use mile markers for the route's entire length, beginning at either the southern or western state line or route terminus.

All other routes, including those with freeway portions such as US 60, reset at county lines or the route's terminus, again starting in the south or west and increasing as you go east or north.

When Kentucky first started posting mile markers on surface routes, the signs were small ones with just the number in white on a green background. Modern iterations have "Mile" on the signs.

West Virginia resets mile markers at county lines - the mile markers are small white squares with the mile printed in black. (Somehow in 300+ photos from WV, I don't have a photo with one of these visible. Here's a GSV of a typical marker at a county line.) The exception is ADHS roads (US 48, US 460, US 119, etc.), which have blue blades as mile markers.

And those little black-on-white signs are posted very haphazardly and inconsistently.

It took me the better part of 3 years to make the connection between this and the exit numbers on US-41 in Henderson. I used to think it was supposed to be sequential based exit numbers but eventually came to grips with the county line mileage.

[hbelkins]

Virginia does not put mile markers along non-interstates.

Virginia rarely uses exit numbers on non-interstates, and when they exist, they're usually based on sequential order or mileage of that particular freeway segment (I.E. Exit 1, 2, etc.). One exception is VA-168 in South Hampton Roads which posts both mile-markers and uses mile-based exit numbers, starting at MM 0 at the North Carolina state line and ending at MM 15 at I-64. The three other non-interstate freeways in the region, VA-164, US-17, and US-58, do not have exit numbers.

There's one more exception besides 168.  US 13 on the Eastern Shore has regular milemarkers with mileage measured from the NC line.  IIRC, the first marker coming off the CBBT is MM 70.

US 23 has mile markers along most its length in Virginia. They run out somewhere near the school on the bypass of Pound, and don't extend all the way to the Kentucky state line.

[Mccojm]

Also, in New York State, they have so-called "reference markers"  which measure tenths of a mile from the start of a "control segment"  (basically a town line); they also have a code for the county you're in, as well as the order the county appears in along the route.

I wish NY would have just posted regular mile markers when they were developing this system. It's useless to motorists, though I understand they're used for internal documentation/records. Reference markers are posted on all NYSDOT roads and even some NYCDOT roads (Cross Island Parkway comes to mind). Thruway Authority doesn't use them.

Mile markers aren't posted in NYC and LI (for whatever reason). Mile markers are posted on parkways in the Hudson Valley. They are not used on non-interstate freeways. The only place I've ever seen mile markers on a non-freeway is US 9W near Storm King Mountain: https://goo.gl/maps/g7pWTw57eyR2nHG28 and I think because the local emergency services asked for them to better assist motorists stranded on the mountain in the winter.

I was just about come say what you did, Region 10 has no mile markers on any roadway, DOT only has the tiny green reference markers on state maintained roads. We don't even use them half the time because they're usually old, damaged and faded, lost in the brush, or missing. As you mentioned, they make no sense to general public and mainly for internal record keeping/ police reports, providing exact limits for capital projects,Etc.

Here is link from NYS government reference marker manual explaining what the purpose is and what each position of the 12 digits represent.
https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/design/dqab/dqab-repository/RefMarkerManual.PDF

Here's an example near me on I-495 in Yaphank NY (Suffolk Co)
https://goo.gl/maps/Gb97od65GpQ9keCU7
* bonus: there's a culvert identification number plate on same sign post, CIN plates are very hard to find as general public isn't aware of their locations*

495I
0704
1277

This says it's Interstate 495, DOT region 10 (10=O, 11=N), Suffolk County (Suffolk is County # 7 in alphabet sequence of the 7 counties in region 10 & 11), route has transverse 4 counties from its western/ southern terminus - in this case I-495 passed through New York, queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties), route has t passed through any cities - 1 represent crossed into Suffolk, and marker 27.7 miles from Suffolk western border.

Signs get confusing in nyc where X is added on the signs, and parkways and other unsigned touring routes like parkways use internal reference route numbers like 908M for southern state parkway or 27A for montauk hwy in shinnecock which is now unsigned 900w (former routing of 27a) or 904 for glen cove rd which is former 904, now unsigned 900B)

[Mccojm]

They are not used on non-interstate freeways.

Huh, I wonder what these are, then:
https://goo.gl/maps/enFiG1q9nsbyaUti8
https://goo.gl/maps/Q6CYsFpb66vQbPmg7
https://goo.gl/maps/WLfWKYnj51N4x4Bp6
https://goo.gl/maps/KcLURYAnqeU9EGiM9

An oddity! Which all of nys sould adopt it, I don't see regions 10 or 11 ever doing so. I say counties should make major roads as well such as Suffolk county roads 39/39A, 46, 48, 50, 80, 85, 97.

[NWI_Irish96]

Indiana has a small blue reference marker on its state highways that can serve as a mile marker sign, though I don't think I see them everywhere on the highways. They are more used for bridges and such. Still, I will pass by signs that just have the mile on it with nothing to reference nearby. The mile markers are set from the state line to the west or south or wherever the highway starts.

The only regular looking mile markers on non-interstates are along the freeway portions of US 31 in Hamilton County, Kokomo and from Plymouth to South Bend and along Evansville roadways (US 41, SR 62, SR 66.)

The small blue mile marker signs are on every state and US highway that isn't a freeway using the regular green ones. There might be an individual marker or two missing here or there, but I've never been on a highway that didn't have them.

For discontinuous routes, the mileage continues picks up where it left off and doesn't reset to zero.

All bridges have a pair of markers, the first being the whole number of miles and the second being hundredths of miles.

[jemacedo9]

Pennsylvania's county system on state routes and US routes is odd. Every half mile the squares - PennDOT calls them segments - increment by 10, so there's 20 segments in a mile. Interstates use a different rule (I believe 1 segment = 0.1 miles). I think realignments and one-way sections change these segments, which is why some segments are non-zero (i.e. you'll see numbers like 83 instead of 80, reflecting a routing change of some kind). Multiplexes take into account the dominate route, usually that of higher rank or lower number (ex. PA 44's multiplex with PA 144 uses 44's segments, but its multiplex with US 220 uses 220's segments). Finally, there are no county routes in PA. PA has a massive list of state routes numbered from 1000+ and these also get white markers; the most common are state routes in the 2000's and 3000's. In special cases, like PA 61's abandoned Centralia segment, PennDOT seems to resign the route onto the unsigned SR; so you'll see signs saying "End SR 0061" and "Begin SR 2002" (the replacement), then "End SR 2002" and "Begin SR 0061" but its segment numbers aren't interrupted.

The PennDOT videolog helps illustrate my point.

-In addition to the above examples, you'll also find the Little White Signs on ramps, in rest areas, runaway truck ramps, and others.
-Also, PA uses the standard mile markers commonly found on Interstates on some non-interstate freeways, such as US 222 in Lancaster County, US 22 in the Lehigh Valley, and US 422 between Pottstown and King of Prussia.

And then those use an entirely different segment scheme, where ramps easily reach into the 400s and 500s. I don't like it, and I wish PennDOT would be consistent but I'm not an employee. At least numbering is consistent (all ramps are 8000+).

May as well mention that PTC roads use standard mile markers. Don't know if bypasses get milemarkers (don't remember any in places like US 322's State College bypass).

The PA LWS aren't mile markers at all, because 10 does not exactly equal one-half mile.  It is more of an inventory marking sIt is approximately one-half mile, but each segment is determined by picking something physical to identify the end of a segment (a driveway, a culvert, an intersecting road, etc).

https://www.penndot.gov/ProjectAndPrograms/ResearchandTesting/RoadwayManagementandTesting/Pages/Location-Reference-System.aspx

[Mr_Northside]

There's a bit of inconsistency with PennDOT using mile markers on non-interstate freeways. I've mentioned some freeways that have them, but US 322 between Harrisburg and State College doesn't. US 219 has them, but US 22 between Altoona and Ebensburg does not. In the Pittsburgh area, US 22/30 west of PIT has them, but PA 28 does not.

The freeway sections of PA-28 have mile markers.  They're very simple - just "whole" miles and no shields on them.

Other than that, even the interstates are kind of inconsistent these days on the kinds of mile markers (probably depending on PennDOT district) - here in the PGH area the interstate freeways (at least the parkways) now have MM's with small I-Shields on them either every tenth or every two tenths of a mile. 
I believe the PA Turnpike (and probably it's expansion roads at this point) has MM's with interstate shields on the whole-mile markers (and have 2 of them per direction, one in (on) the median, and one on the shoulder, then the tenths have a MM without a shield on the shoulder (at least most of the time).  I think I-79, at least in Butler County, follows the same paradigm (without one in the median).

[3467]

Also in some cases Illinois marks the intersections not every mile. Also the expressway by pass of Biggsville  used the Interstate markers.

[Jacob]

IDOT installs mile marker signs for state routes. However, they have the county name on them and the mileage is based on the length or width of the county, depending on which direction the route runs. The mileage resets every county.

[vdeane]

They are not used on non-interstate freeways.

Huh, I wonder what these are, then:
https://goo.gl/maps/enFiG1q9nsbyaUti8
https://goo.gl/maps/Q6CYsFpb66vQbPmg7
https://goo.gl/maps/WLfWKYnj51N4x4Bp6
https://goo.gl/maps/KcLURYAnqeU9EGiM9

An oddity! Which all of nys sould adopt it, I don't see regions 10 or 11 ever doing so. I say counties should make major roads as well such as Suffolk county roads 39/39A, 46, 48, 50, 80, 85, 97.

Given that Regions 10 and 11 don't use milemarkers at all, I'm not sure how that're representative of how the state handles non-interstate, non-parkway freeways.