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I'm sure that most of you on this forum already know what interstate highway mile markers are and how they work. But bear with me a moment in case there's a newbie out there:
Interstate highway mile markers are those vertical green (or blue) markers (normally)on the right side of the highway that denote mileage to/from the state borders. They always run from South to North and West to East; so the mile marker "1" on I-95 in FL is in Miami and the highest mile marker is right after Mile Marker 380 near the GA border. There is one exception to that: Interstate 90 in New York State (New York Thruway); the numbers run backwards. The lowest numbers are near Albany and the high numbers end at the PA border. I have no idea why they did it that way...
Normally, Exit numbers are the same as the mile marker where it's located. Exceptions: ME, VT, NH, MA, RI, CT, NY and NJ. Those states number them consecutively, from "1" to the last exit on that particular highway. I know several of the states are renumbering exits to correspond with their mile markers, so this list is subject to change.
Using mile markers help you in giving/following directions and will tell you where you are in case you must report an emergency or breakdown.
Also; Even-numbered interstate highways run East-West. Odd-numbered interstate highways run North-South. I-10 runs from FL to CA; I-35 runs from TX to MN. The lower the number the farther South or West it is, the interstate highway numbers get higher as you go East; I-95 runs up the East Coast (Yes, Pennsylvanians, I-99 runs thru Western Central Pee-ay in what was once Bud Schuster's congressional district... )
As for three-digit interstates; three digits starting with an even number denote the loop around the outside of a city; I-275 loops around the outside of Cincinnati. (There's some exceptions to the loop going all the way around the city; Tampa and Detroit are a couple of examples.
A three-digit ODD number denotes a spur that goes into a city's downtown area; I-395 goes into downtown Washington D.C.
Hope this helps!
Last edited by Crew Chief; 06-01-2008 at 07:14 PM..
Crew, I was explaining mile markers to my eldest the other day. I'm starting now in order to prepare myself for the dreaded day ahead, a teen, MY teen DRIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyday I point out good and bad driving behavior that we see on the roads. For some reason I'm hoping that in the 4 years that it will be before she is behind the wheel I've already given her tons of pointers so that she won't be bombarded w/ everything all at once. When we were discussing mile markers the other day I had her reading them off to me and how she would explain a location in an emergency call (direction headed, mile marker or exit location, etc). Being the daughter of a truck driver I learned a lot at an early age but it is plainly evident everyday on the road that many people just flat out don't care. Like I told her this morning on the way to school (THIRTY MINUTES TO GET HER TO SCHOOL TODAY!!! Because of 2 wrecks and 3 broken down vehicles and piled up traffic everywhere. Thank goodness we had plenty of time and she was not late, whew). Those drivers that run a light or stop sign because they are in a hurry did not get to where they were going on time or at all because of the wreck they were in. This is when I also pointed out the need to know alternate routes .
BTW, we were in Key West a few years ago and they did tell us that mile marker "0" is stolen often. My daughter remembered that and brought it up the other day in our discussion.
And just when you have all those "mileage marker" notes memorized, drive interstate 19 from Tuscon to Nogales, AZ. The highway markers are metric in kilometers but the speed limits are miles per hour! I for one would not object if the USA switched to metric someday just to be compatible with the rest of the world. Why did just that one stretch of interstate have to be marked with kilometer markings? Does nothing except create confusion. Convert everything to metric or leave it all alone is my thought.
I like seeing signs at the beginning or end of a highway showing what the far end destination is of that highway, and how far away it is. For example, in Santa Monica, CA just a few blocks from the Santa Monica pier at the Pacific Ocean, I-10 heads east and there is a small sign that reads "Jacksonville, FL" followed by the mileage (somewhere around 2800 miles). At the beginning of I-80 in San Francisco, there is no such sign announcing the eastern end of that great highway, because it ends at such an odd location. I-80 ends at Ft. Lee, NJ at the intersection with I-95 just shy of the George Washington Bridge. Why they did not allow I-80 to share the GWB crossing into Manhattan is anyone's guess, there are lots of places where two interstate highways share the same physical road simultaneously. Don't know if I-90 has any signs in Seattle or Boston that announce it's far end destinations.
Momof2DFW, it makes me proud that parents like you REALLY do a good job of educating their kids ALL about driving!!! And being a trucking family, it sure makes explaining "sharing the roads with trucks" rules a lot easier...Best of luck to both you and your daughter! (PSSST...Don't forget to tell her that the yellow strip at the bottom of the exit sign USUALLY means that it's "EXIT ONLY")
Recycled, thanks for the info! Never noticed the "end destination" mileage signs; Neat idea! (Don't remember them in Boston or Seatle, either...sigh) I picked up a load in Nogales once but never noticed the kilometer signs. I know that mile markers in Alabama are in both Metric and American Standard. I'm with you; the metric system is MUCH easier to use once you get used to it!
Almost forgot; for exits that have the "A" and "B" exits (as in I-69 Exit 110A/B in Fort Wayne, IN. The "A" and "B" are oriented in the same order as the mile marker; On I-69, Exit 110A would come first if you are Northbound
Hey Crew, correct me if I'm wrong or if they possibly changed things since I was trucking. Didn't one of the Dakotas merely number their exits, going in numerical order as opposed to miles across the state? They might very well have changed it as it was more than 10 years that I've been trucking.
Hey Crew, correct me if I'm wrong or if they possibly changed things since I was trucking. Didn't one of the Dakotas merely number their exits, going in numerical order as opposed to miles across the state? They might very well have changed it as it was more than 10 years that I've been trucking.
Cleosmom, you probably are right. I only ran the Dakotas infrequently and only in the last ten years. Many of the states are converting exit numbers to coincide with mile markers and SoDak and NoDak may have already done so by the time I ran up there. The exit guide I have (from 2004) shows both states with exit numbers same as mile markers. (I am, after all, one of them "new breed truck drivin' school grad-u-ates" so I can always learn from the more experienced drivers! )
NJ has consecutive exit numbering only on the Turnpike. All other interstates have exit numbers based on the mileposting.
The NYS Thruway's exit numbers are sequential with Exit 1 being in Yonkers and Exit 61 being in Chatauqua County near the PA border. This numbering scheme is unlike typical Interstate numbering because the Thruway (like the NJ Turnpike) pre-dates the Interstate Highway network. Furthermore, the NYS Thruway and the NJ Turnpike do not have a single Interstate highway designation over the entire course of their routes. The NYS Thruway includes parts of Interstate 87, Interstate 90, Interstate 287, and Interstate 290. The NJ Turnpike is I-95 between the GW Bridge and Exit 7A in Mercer County. South of Exit 7A the Turnpike has no Interstate Highway designation.
NJ has consecutive exit numbering only on the Turnpike. All other interstates have exit numbers based on the mileposting.
The NYS Thruway's exit numbers are sequential with Exit 1 being in Yonkers and Exit 61 being in Chatauqua County near the PA border. This numbering scheme is unlike typical Interstate numbering because the Thruway (like the NJ Turnpike) pre-dates the Interstate Highway network. Furthermore, the NYS Thruway and the NJ Turnpike do not have a single Interstate highway designation over the entire course of their routes. The NYS Thruway includes parts of Interstate 87, Interstate 90, Interstate 287, and Interstate 290. The NJ Turnpike is I-95 between the GW Bridge and Exit 7A in Mercer County. South of Exit 7A the Turnpike has no Interstate Highway designation.
Many thanks for the info, lammius! Man, even running up and down those Interstates as much as I did in a truck, I never realized all of that (Thank goodness I was only teaching the 101-level course!) I'm glad to finally know why the NYS Thruway is that way; always wondered! (My "Baptism of Fire", as a newly-minted trucker, was facing the split at Exit 15 on the NJ Tpk for the first time! )
You're welcome, Crew Chief. Yeah the Exit 15 area is weird. The truck lanes get merged back in with the car lanes north of Exit 14 and then there's another split for Eastern Spur/Western Spur. It's not easy to figure out which one you need.
Good resources on just random highway information include:
northeastroads.com
aaroads.com
Of course Wikipedia and state DOT webpages give good info too.
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Everyday I point out good and bad driving behavior that we see on the roads. For some reason I'm hoping that in the 4 years that it will be before she is behind the wheel I've already given her tons of pointers so that she won't be bombarded w/ everything all at once. When we were discussing mile markers the other day I had her reading them off to me and how she would explain a location in an emergency call (direction headed, mile marker or exit location, etc). Being the daughter of a truck driver I learned a lot at an early age but it is plainly evident everyday on the road that many people just flat out don't care. Like I told her this morning on the way to school (THIRTY MINUTES TO GET HER TO SCHOOL TODAY!!! 
.
