Mile markers on non-interstates

[US71]

US 65 in Missouri has them every 2/10 mile between the Arkansas State Line and Buffalo, where the expressway segment ends.

[cpzilliacus]

You can just dial 9-1-1 and say it's a non-emergency call, then ask the police dispatcher how to proceed.

Don't most communities have a separate non-emergency number? Everywhere I've lived does.

Yes, but if you're traveling, how do you know?

Especially since it's not a uniform number. Several major cities have 3-1-1, but in many communities you'd have to look up the 7-digit non-emergency dispatch number.

Yup. In Fairfax County it's 703-691-2131, and you have to dial the area code due to the 571 "overlay" area code that means we have to dial ten digits for every call. Thirty years ago it seemed like most people knew of that number and the fire department routinely gave out orange stickers to put on your home phone with the info, but nowadays when I've heard the police mention that number at community meetings people have been surprised to learn it exists. I think the orange stickers were dropped around the time when phones with the capability to store numbers became available. Thirty years ago people still rented their phones from the phone company and a lot of people had rotary phones.

Maryland and Virginia also have a non-emergency #77 for contact with the closest state police barrack (Md.) or dispatch center (Va.), though they don't mind (and probably appreciate) calls regarding on-freeway emergencies (I've used it to report crashes with injury and vehicle fires).

In some parts of Maryland (such as crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and along I-95 and I-895 in Baltimore City), #77 gets you the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.

[doorknob60]

Oregon has them on most (if not all) US and State highways, and some other non state highways have them too, though that's kinda unpredictable and I can't think of any good examples right now. Well, one example is the Cascade Lakes Highway, that has mile markers, although I think that's still technically a state highway, even though it's unnumbered (but maybe only for part of it, like from Bend to Mt. Bachelor, not sure to be honest).

[the49erfan15]

I can't find any pics, but US 278 on Hilton Head Island, SC has them.

[nwi_navigator_1181]

IIRC, Indiana has them as well on US-31 and US-20, and IN-912.

US 41, SR 62 and SR 66 in the Evansville area has the blue ITS milemarkers in addition.

The Lake County Portion of U.S. 30 has the blue mileposts, as well. It's very inconsistent, since as soon as you cross into Porter County, it reverts to the smaller, harder-to-read blue mile markers.

[swbrotha100]

Every interstate, US and state highway has mile markers. Almost every state or US highway has exit numbers in its freeway portions. Even a few sections of non freeway have an exit number listed at a grade-separated interchange.

[Alps]

Every interstate, US and state highway has mile markers. Almost every state or US highway has exit numbers in its freeway portions. Even a few sections of non freeway have an exit number listed at a grade-separated interchange.

You make these broad assertions that just aren't true. Many highways - even rural Interstates - lack the most basic mileposts. Certainly US and state highways can go for miles on end without one posted. Many states do not number freeway exits on non-Interstates, especially short segments - CA is one of the only exceptions. So which state are you talking about? If it's only Arizona, then just state it that way.

[swbrotha100]

Every interstate, US and state highway has mile markers. Almost every state or US highway has exit numbers in its freeway portions. Even a few sections of non freeway have an exit number listed at a grade-separated interchange.

You make these broad assertions that just aren't true. Many highways - even rural Interstates - lack the most basic mileposts. Certainly US and state highways can go for miles on end without one posted. Many states do not number freeway exits on non-Interstates, especially short segments - CA is one of the only exceptions. So which state are you talking about? If it's only Arizona, then just state it that way.

Oops. Sorry about that. Yes, I was specifically referring to Arizona.

[kphoger]

In Wichita, freeways have blue mileposts every 2/10 mile.  Here's one on the Kellogg (US-54/US-400) freeway near my house:


Here's a closer shot of one on KS-96:


They even have them on non-freeway portions of Kellogg.  See these examples:




And then, there are even "mileposts" (without actual mileage) on ramps between highways:

[Road Hog]

Texas has them on all roads (even on FM roads), usually accompanying reassurance markers. Here is an example of one:



I haven't figured out yet the rhyme or reason to the mileages, however. They don't seem to have a zero point or the zero point is a long way away.

I do know TxDOT usually places them two miles apart on alternating sides of the road, or four miles apart on one side.

[agentsteel53]

I wonder if there are any four-digit mileposts in Texas.  IIRC, US-67 starts something in the 980s.

[roadfro]

I recall reading somewhere (possibly the "Roadgeek" Yahoo group) that Texas reference markers are derived based on the road starting point along a N/S or E/W statewide grid reference.

[on_wisconsin]

Around cities there are white-on-blue markers with the shield of the highway's mileage in the median counting by .2  Metropolitan I know of that have them are Madison, Milwaukee (though portions have green backgrounds), Wausau, Green Bay, Appleton and Oshkosh

US 53 around the Eau Claire area has them as well.

[Alps]

I recall reading somewhere (possibly the "Roadgeek" Yahoo group) that Texas reference markers are derived based on the road starting point along a N/S or E/W statewide grid reference.

You can actually get that info from Texas. They do set grid points throughout the state, so it's an absolute reference and not related to the beginning of the route.

[pj3970]

US 65 in Missouri has them every 2/10 mile between the Arkansas State Line and Buffalo, where the expressway segment ends.

About time, too...I for one am glad to see them, now if they could do that on US 60 then I would be estatic

[roadman65]

The Garden State Parkway not only has them every tenth of a mile, but their whole mile markers are in squares with the numbers horizontal instead of the traditional way of up to down with the numbers.  Only road that I know of that signs them this way other than NYS reference markers.

[Road Hog]

Here's a funky one: The Dallas North Tollway has markers along the concrete median at 500-foot intervals, but they're simply reference numbers, not miles. The exits are unnumbered. All I know is it's 32 miles from U.S. 380 to where the tollway lets out at I-35E in downtown Dallas.

[kphoger]

The Garden State Parkway not only has them every tenth of a mile, but their whole mile markers are in squares with the numbers horizontal instead of the traditional way of up to down with the numbers.  Only road that I know of that signs them this way other than NYS reference markers.

Iillinois's mileposts have horizontal numbers.  There's an example of one I posted a couple of pages upthread.

[Alps]

The Garden State Parkway not only has them every tenth of a mile, but their whole mile markers are in squares with the numbers horizontal instead of the traditional way of up to down with the numbers.  Only road that I know of that signs them this way other than NYS reference markers.

Actually trapezoidal, not rectangular. The Turnpike nominally uses rectangles that are even smaller, but tend to just post the tenth-mile markers with a ".0"

[sp_redelectric]

Oregon has them on most (if not all) US and State highways, and some other non state highways have them too, though that's kinda unpredictable and I can't think of any good examples right now.

Clackamas County and Multnomah County are pretty good about placing mileposts on the major county roads.  Multnomah County, on Cornelius Pass Road, has 1/2 mile mileposts.  Washington County does not (although some mileposts still exist on roads that are former ODOT roads, such as Farmington Road and Scholls Ferry Road, but many are missing.)  I want to say Polk County has mileposts too.  But Yamhill and Marion County do not.

[Road Hog]

I recall reading somewhere (possibly the "Roadgeek" Yahoo group) that Texas reference markers are derived based on the road starting point along a N/S or E/W statewide grid reference.

You can actually get that info from Texas. They do set grid points throughout the state, so it's an absolute reference and not related to the beginning of the route.

Here is the TxDOT page regarding milepost reference points:

http://onlinemanuals.txdot.gov/txdotmanuals/trm/reference_markers_coordinates.htm

Clear as mud to me.

[hotdogPi]

US 1 in Massachusetts
US 3 in Massachusetts
US 4 in New Hampshire
MA 28
MA 62 (every 2 miles instead of .2)
MA 110 (some parts)
MA 114
MA 125 (some parts)
MA 128

[mUtcd33]

US-6 (and US-6N) through Northern Pennsylvania has those "Do 6" mile-markers on them, at least in rural areas (I'm not sure if they're present in boroughs/cities though)

[deathtopumpkins]

US 1 in Massachusetts
US 3 in Massachusetts
US 4 in New Hampshire
MA 28
MA 62 (every 2 miles instead of .2)
MA 110 (some parts)
MA 114
MA 125 (some parts)
MA 128

To expand on this, MA as policy posts mile markers on all state-maintained roads. Some are missing, particularly on urban and minor roads, but the vast majority of state highways have them.

[rarnold]

Iowa places exit numbers on a lot of the long-distance US or state highway four-lane segments: US 20, US 30, US 34, US 61, US 63, Avenue of the Saints (IA 27), Des Moines Outer Loop (IA 5, US 65) IA 60, IA 141, IA 163. I am not sure about IA 330.

Iowa also does a good job posting mile markers on state and federal highways, some markers being replaced with Clearview (puke) recently.