Mile Marker Directions

[suze804]

We are getting ready to buy a TomTom GPS. My husband does towing, and is often told that the customer is at a specific mile marker on a highway. Is there a way to get directions to a mile marker? We borrowed a friend's GPS, and couldn't figure it out. Any help is appreciated!

 

[drledger]

Hmmmm. One can get directions to addresses, cross streets and points on a map. I suppose it would be possible to calculate a mile marker from a hard copy atlas and then translate that to a location or a latitutde and longitude but that would sure be a major undertaking. And to do it each time would be prohibitive I would imagine. Let's see what some other members might have to add.

 

[pianoCM]

First of all, I never can figure out how these mile-makers assgined in the first place. Based on what? and what is the center point.
Anyway, in your case, I don't think Tomtom capable of doing this and as for POI database, it will be a heck of the job to create this massive mile-makers POIs.

 

[p5ku]

If the highway uses mileage based exits, you could navigate to the exit after the breakdown.

 

[canderson]

First of all, I never can figure out how these mile-makers assgined in the first place. Based on what? and what is the center point.

First, to the OP, no, the TomTom does not recognize mile markers of any sort apart from those on exit signs on major highways, and even then, you cannot navigate to these -- they are only displayed as a function of showing what the exit sign will contain.

To pianoCM: Mile markers will typically start either 1) from a border (e.g., state line) or 2) the beginning of a road (one end or the other), and will continue by the mile (and sometimes even tenths) until reaching another border (e.g., state line) or end of the road.

As perhaps one of the most classic examples, the only mile marker "0" for U.S. 1 is at the very end of the line down in Key West. Stop and have a friend grab your photo there. You'll be about the 1 millionth visitor to do it!

In perhaps a more contemporary example, I-95 starts down in Miami with #1, and the last exit in Florida up north is #380, about 380 miles up the coast before reaching Georgia. The number then starts again with #1 just across the Georgia line, and continues north until #193, the last Georgia exit, and restarts again at #1 in North Carolina.

 

[Ricochet]

... In perhaps a more contemporary example, I-95 starts down in Miami with #1, and the last exit in Florida up north is #380, about 380 miles up the coast before reaching Georgia. The number then starts again with #1 just across the Georgia line, and continues north until #193, the last Georgia exit, and restarts again at #1 in North Carolina.

Furthermore, most of the US Interstates increase their numbers from "West to East" & from "South to North," as in the above examples, except for several New England states, such as Massachusetts & New York, which increase: East to West.

At least that was the case when I was driving long haul for a living...

 

[eldorado]

We are getting ready to buy a TomTom GPS. My husband does towing, and is often told that the customer is at a specific mile marker on a highway. Is there a way to get directions to a mile marker? We borrowed a friend's GPS, and couldn't figure it out. Any help is appreciated!

Maybe a suggestion would be to get a mile marker on all your highways close to where you live and mark each one as a "POI", 1 for each of the roads going N, E, S, W, then that way all you would need to do is put in the POI for which direction out of town you are heading for and once you get to that POI, just clear the route and head out to the mile marker you need to go too.......

 

[pianoCM]

To pianoCM: Mile markers will typically start either 1) from a border (e.g., state line) or 2) the beginning of a road (one end or the other), and will continue by the mile (and sometimes even tenths) until reaching another border (e.g., state line) or end of the road.

As perhaps one of the most classic examples, the only mile marker "0" for U.S. 1 is at the very end of the line down in Key West. Stop and have a friend grab your photo there. You'll be about the 1 millionth visitor to do it!

In perhaps a more contemporary example, I-95 starts down in Miami with #1, and the last exit in Florida up north is #380, about 380 miles up the coast before reaching Georgia. The number then starts again with #1 just across the Georgia line, and continues north until #193, the last Georgia exit, and restarts again at #1 in North Carolina.

Thanks canderson,
I'll pay attention in detail from now.

 

[pianoCM]

Furthermore, most of the US Interstates increase their numbers from "West to East" & from "South to North," as in the above examples, except for several New England states, such as Massachusetts & New York, which increase: East to West.

At least that was the case when I was driving long haul for a living...

I'm assuming you talked about the exit #, not mile-marker.
In MA, at least on Rt-2, I-290, and I-90, those exit# increasing from West to East.

 

[canderson]

I'm assuming you talked about the exit #, not mile-marker.

Within reason (proximity of exit to marker), these should be the same.

 

[Ricochet]

I'm assuming you talked about the exit #, not mile-marker.
In MA, at least on Rt-2, I-290, and I-90, those exit# increasing from West to East.

They're generally one & the same. In the 1990's, most of the remaining "hold out" states changed over from having sequentially numbered exits, to synching them up with the interstate mile markers. (Remaining hold-outs, currently, are: Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont).

It's very possible that I'm mis-remembering the direction of the mm's in Mass (probably confusing that with their non-sequential exits...). Something about traveling across that state that was just not quite right.

 

[mvl]

Massachusetts exits remain sequentially numbered, not tied to mile marker.

Gaps are due to closed exits from construction, and new exits cause letter addons (eg: 10, 11a, 11b, 12)

I don't recall non-sequential numbers from my driving around the state.

 

[pianoCM]

Must agree to what mvl said
And personally, I like sequential-number exits more than mile-marked exits.
For some reason (probably from one of my friend) freeways' exits in San Jose, CA have changed from mile-marker to sequential. Am I right?

 

[canderson]

And personally, I like sequential-number exits more than mile-marked exits.

Not sure why that would be. The latter gives you a sense of distance. If you're at Exit 46 and you need to get off at Exit 56, it's convenient to know you've got 10+/- yet to go. Both suffer from additional exits. Pack 4 into a mile and you get 56A and 56B, but sequentially numbered ones spaced miles apart wind up with the same problems.

Figures MA would still be on the old system. It's not even a state!

 

[pianoCM]

You meant MA not even a state???
YES, it's a Commonwealth