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Last week I drove from Baltimore to Providence on I-95, thus spanning almost the entirety of the Northeast Corridor. This was the first time I've done this drive in a long time, though some things haven't changed any; the New Jersey Turnpike is still big; New York's traffic is still insane; Connecticut's road conditions still stink; etc.
But one thing really struck me: if you wanted to know how far you were from the next minor city and the following major city up the line, you were out of luck. Maryland and Delaware do a decent job of posting mileage signs, but then . . . nothing. From the moment I crossed the Delaware Memorial Bridge into New Jersey until I pulled off the highway in downtown Providence (a distance of 300 miles), I saw exactly ONE mileage sign. It was located at the Connecticut state line, and it told me how far I was from Stamford and Bridgeport . . . not exactly the biggest cities in the region. It didn't list Boston; heck, it didn't even list New Haven, the next city with an interstate junction. (The sign wasn't even formatted properly, according to federal regulations; but that's a rant for another forum.)
So how come the nation's busiest and arguably most important highway, in the geographic epicenter of its most populous section, has almost no signs telling people how far they are to the various cities up the line? For those who live in one of these states (NJ, NY, CT, RI), is this just an I-95 thing, or does your state just not bother posting this type of sign?
I’ve noticed that too there are more toll booths than mileage signs, I agree there probably should be more but there are so many cities along the route there’d have to be a sign every 10 miles. Plus people have their phones and GPS going.
I’ve noticed that too there are more toll booths than mileage signs, I agree there probably should be more but there are so many cities along the route there’d have to be a sign every 10 miles. Plus people have their phones and GPS going.
Next toll 3 miles
also there are points on 95 where you cross multiple state borders in matters of minutes assuming traffic is flowing
I’ve noticed that too there are more toll booths than mileage signs, I agree there probably should be more but there are so many cities along the route there’d have to be a sign every 10 miles. Plus people have their phones and GPS going.
You wouldn't need too many signs if you posted them only after leaving the main cities along I-95. Maybe something like this:
north of Washington: Baltimore / Philadelphia / New York (this one already exists)
north of Baltimore: Wilmington / Philadelphia / New York
north of Philadelphia: New Brunswick / Newark / New York
north of New York: Stamford / New Haven / Boston
north of New Haven: New London / Providence / Boston
north of Providence: Boston / Portsmouth / Portland
south of Boston: Providence / New Haven / New York
south of Providence: New London / New Haven / New York
south of New Haven: Bridgeport / Stamford / New York
south of New York: New Brunswick / Philadelphia / Washington
south of Philadelphia: Wilmington / Baltimore / Washington
south of Baltimore: Washington / Fredericksburg / Richmond
Six signs in each direction ought to cover it. With a distance of about 400 miles from north of Washington to north of Providence, or south of Boston to south of Baltimore, that works out to be an average of one sign every 80 miles or so.
Phones and GPS units will tell you how far you have to go until your final destination. But AFAIK, they don't tell you the distances to intermediate points, which is nice to know to help you time your trip along the way.
not until Wilmington and the 95 (Philly & Wilmington) /295 (NYC & NJ) split is there a Philly sign
There is a sign on northbound I-95 in Laurel, Maryland, north of Washington and south of Baltimore, that shows the mileages to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York.
I think it would be useful to see how far you are from x y or z. The problem with posting mileage in, say, SW Connecticut to Boston is that there are several legitimate routes to Boston that you can take. I-95 gets you to Boston eventually, but it's not the shortest route, and probably not the route most people would use to Boston.
Farther south in NJ/PA, I-95 is incomplete. You can't say how many miles it is from Wilmington, DE to NYC on I-95 because I-95 doesn't take you from Wilmington to NYC (yet).
I think mileage to nearby cities and landmarks would help, though. For instance, driving up 95 into CT, it would be nice to be reminded how many more miles of hell before Bridgeport and New Haven. The NJ Turnpike has a sign at each exit telling you how many miles it is until the next exit, which is somewhat useful, given the exit numbers are not linked to mileposts.
Ultimately it matters less and less, as Waze will tell you at all times how many miles you have left to go.
Rhode Island is in the process of changing the exit numbers to reflect mileage to the next exit
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