California postmile

California uses a postmile system on all of its state highways, including U.S. Routes and Interstate Highways. The postmile markers indicate the distance a route travels through individual counties, as opposed to mile markers that indicate the distance traveled through a state.

Format

A postmile marker is a metal paddle placed along the state highway. Each marker is stenciled with the route, county, and postmile at that location. [http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/traffic/postmile_book.html Caltrans District 5 Website] "What is a Postmile?" ]

California is the only state in the United States that does not use mile markers on its highways. According to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, they, however, encouraged the use of mileposts like all the other states and stated that:

Current formats

Bridge

One of the common formats for postmiles are located on a freeway on bridges over cross streets. According to Caltrans, it displays the name of the bridge, the county and route number, and the postmile.California Highways - [http://www.cahighways.org/num-postmiles.html Numbering Conventions:Post Miles] ] The postmile is often painted onto the piers and/or abutments of bridges and overpasses.

Postmile markers

These are the white markers placed at one-mile (1.6 km) intervals, with additional markers placed at significant features along the highway such as bridges and overpasses, junctions, or culverts. The markers are roughly the same size as a standard milepost used elsewhere, but they are white with black text.

Callbox

Postmiles are also shown on callboxes. A blue placard is mounted on each of the state's callboxes, the top of which shows what county one would be in, and on the bottom, it shows the 2-letter county abbreviation, along with the route number and the location's postmile (in tenths of miles).California Highways - [http://www.cahighways.org/num-postmiles.html Numbering Conventions:Post Miles] ] Postmiles on callboxes are approximate, because of a convention that all callboxes on one side of the road are assigned even numbers, while all those on the other side are assigned odd numbers.

County prefixes

Alphabetic prefixes on postmile markers and bridges differ from callbox prefixes because the callbox system is maintained by each county, while Caltrans maintains postmile markers and bridge signs. [http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/structur/strmaint/brlog2.htm January 1, 2006 California Log of Bridges on State Highways] ] The following table lists postmile and callbox prefixes by county.

Official postmile definitions

Listed in miles, postmile values usually increase from south to north or west to east depending upon the general direction the route follows within the state. The postmile values increase from the beginning of a route within a county to the next county line. The postmile values start over again at each county line.

Enforcement officers, maintenance forces and others use the postmile markers in the field to locate specific incidents or features with reference to the postmile system.

On some stretches of road, the following prefixes may precede the mileage on a postmile marker:cite web|url=http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/traffic/postmile_book.html|publisher=Caltrans - District Five|title=What is a Postmile?|accessdate=2008-07-11] cite web|author=Faigin, Daniel P|publisher=California Highways|title=Numbering Conventions:Post Miles|url=http://www.cahighways.org/num-postmiles.html]

The postmile system is the only route reference system used by Caltrans, but state highway officials have placed standard mileposts on two new freeway segments as part of an experimental program: the Mojave Bypass (State Route 58), and the State Route 180 in Fresno. Standard mileposts will eventually be added to all California freeways. In 2001 the Federal Highway Administration mandated California to add standard mileposts to all freeways, but did not set a deadline for California to come into compliance. Recently, some Caltrans districts have started to include distances in kilometers along with postmiles in their route logs, but there are no plans to add "postkilometer" markers to California's highways at this time.

tates with similar reference markers

The states of Nevada and Ohio use reference markers very similar to California's postmile markers. Like California, these two states record mileages through individual counties in their respective route logs. Ohio's system is nearly identical to California's with its reference markers listing the route number, 3-letter county abbreviation, and mileage through the county. The Nevada system is also similar, utilizing 2-letter county abbreviations. However, Ohio uses standard mileposts in addition to reference markers on freeways, while Nevada uses mileposts in conjunction with postmile panels on major Interstate highways only.Fact|date=January 2008

ee also

*Milestone
*Reference marker (New York)

References