Have you noticed something weird happening on your daily commute lately? Maybe that exit 24 you’ve been taking for years is suddenly marked as exit 65, with a small “Old Exit 24” sign hanging below it. You’re not going crazy – exit numbers across America are changing, and there’s actually a good reason behind it. The Federal Highway Administration has been pushing states to switch from the old way of numbering exits to a new system that makes a lot more sense once you understand it. So what’s going on with all these new numbers, and why is the government spending money to change signs you’ve known your whole life?
Why the government wants to change all the exit numbers
The main reason your familiar exit numbers are changing is because the federal government is trying to make highways more user-friendly. For years, many states (especially in the Northeast) used what’s called a “sequential” numbering system – exits were simply numbered 1, 2, 3, and so on as you drove down the highway. This made sense when highways were first built, but it created problems over time. Imagine you’re driving on a highway and see a sign saying your destination is at exit 47. In the old system, you had no idea if that was 5 miles away or 50 miles away, which made planning bathroom breaks and gas stops pretty tricky.
The Federal Highway Administration actually started pushing for this change way back in 1971 through something called the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). This rulebook establishes standards for all road signs, signals, and markings across the country. The goal is to make sure that no matter which state you’re driving in, signs look and work the same way. While this sounds like government red tape, it’s actually a smart safety measure – you don’t want to be confused about what a sign means when you’re driving 70 mph! The FHWA now requires states to use a mileage-based system for numbering exits, though some states have fought hard to keep their old systems or found ways to compromise.
How the new exit numbering system actually works
The new system that’s replacing sequential exit numbers is called “distance-based” or “mileage-based” numbering. It’s pretty simple: the exit number matches the mile marker where that exit is located. So if you’re driving on I-95 and see exit 65, that exit is located exactly 65 miles from where that highway begins in your state. This system gives you useful information just by looking at the exit number. If you’re at exit 65 and your destination is exit 80, you instantly know you have 15 miles to go. This makes planning your trip much easier. Need to get gas soon? If you know the next exit is 20 miles away, you might want to stop sooner rather than later.
The system also makes it easier to add new exits without having to renumber everything. Let’s say there’s an exit 65 and an exit 66 in the sequential system, and a new town grows up between them that needs its own exit. In the old system, you’d have to renumber every single exit from that point forward. With the mileage-based system, if the new exit is at mile marker 65.5, you can simply call it exit 65A or 65B. This happens in busy areas where multiple exits might be located within the same mile. The rule is that exits within the same mile use letter suffixes in alphabetical order. Some states like California have been slow to make the switch due to budget issues, only changing signs when they need to be replaced anyway.
The hidden benefits of the new highway exit system
While it might be annoying to relearn your exit numbers, the mileage-based system has some real benefits in emergency situations. Imagine your car breaks down on the highway. In the old system, telling a tow truck you’re “somewhere between exits 42 and 43” wasn’t very helpful – that could be a stretch of many miles. With the new system, you can look at the nearest mile marker and give your exact location. Emergency services love this system because it helps them find people faster. If you call 911 and say you’re near mile marker 65.8, they know exactly where to send help. This can literally save lives when minutes matter.
The new system also makes it easier for highway departments to keep track of everything they’re responsible for. Road maintenance crews can plan their work more efficiently when everything is tied to exact mile locations. Need to report a pothole or debris on the road? Giving the mile marker helps maintenance crews find and fix problems faster. The system even helps with long-term planning. When traffic engineers are figuring out where new lanes or exits might be needed, having data tied to specific mile points makes their analysis more accurate. That means highway departments can spend their money more wisely on improvements that actually help traffic flow better.
States that are fighting to keep their old exit numbers
Not everyone is happy about these changes, and some states have put up quite a fight to keep their old exit numbers. New England states in particular have been resistant – maybe it’s all that famous Yankee stubbornness! Massachusetts recently gave in and started changing their signs, but Vermont found a clever compromise. Instead of completely replacing their beloved sequential exit numbers, they’re adding small “milepoint exit” numbers to their existing signs. This way, they technically comply with federal standards while keeping the exit numbers locals have known for generations. It’s a clever workaround that shows how seriously some states take their highway numbering traditions.
There’s good reason for this resistance beyond simple tradition. When exit numbers change, it affects businesses, tourism, and local directions. Think about all the hotel brochures, tourist maps, and business cards that say “Take Exit 24 off I-95.” All that printed material becomes instantly outdated when numbers change. Local businesses near highway exits worry that confused travelers might miss their exit and keep driving. Some states have tried to ease the transition by keeping “Old Exit” signs up for a few years, but it’s still a significant change that can cause confusion. New Hampshire and a few other states have received special permission to keep their sequential numbering system, at least for now.
How Connecticut’s exit changes show the system in action
Connecticut provides a perfect example of how these changes are playing out across the country. The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CT DOT) is currently renumbering exit signs on nearly a dozen major highways to meet the federal standards. They’re being smart about it, though, timing the sign replacements to coincide with other highway projects to save money. For drivers used to the old system, CT DOT is keeping “Old Exit” signs up for at least two years to help everyone adjust. This kind of thoughtful implementation shows how states can make the transition smoother for drivers who might be confused by suddenly seeing new numbers on their daily commute.
The CT DOT has also been working with GPS navigation companies like Apple and Google to make sure they update their maps with the new exit numbers. This is crucial because so many of us rely on our phones for directions now. Imagine how confusing it would be if your GPS told you to take exit 24, but when you got there, the sign said exit 65! The new signs in Connecticut will also be larger and more wind-resistant than the old ones, which is an added benefit of the replacement project. For some roads, like CT-6, this will be the first time they’ve had exit numbers at all, bringing them in line with the rest of the highway system and making navigation even easier for drivers.
When the simple old way wasn’t so simple after all
The old sequential exit numbering system seemed simple at first glance – what’s easier than counting 1, 2, 3? But it actually created headaches when highways needed to change over time. Imagine you have exits 1 through 100 on a highway, and then someone decides to build a new exit between 56 and 57. What do you call it? Exit 56½? In the sequential system, you’d have to renumber everything from that point forward – changing exit 57 to 58, 58 to 59, and so on all the way to 100. That’s a lot of confused drivers and outdated maps! It would also mean replacing dozens of signs, which costs a lot of money. The sequential system might have seemed simpler at first, but it wasn’t built to handle how highways grow and change.
The distance-based system solves this problem elegantly. If you need to add a new exit at mile marker 56.5, you can call it exit 56A and call the existing exit at mile 57 either exit 57 or 56B, depending on how close they are. No need to renumber anything else on the highway! This flexibility is why traffic engineers prefer the mileage-based system – it can grow and adapt as communities develop and traffic patterns change. The old way was like numbering pages in a book – if you wanted to add something between pages a10 and 11, you’d have a problem. The new way is more like the decimal system in a library, where there’s always space to add something new between existing numbers.
How to handle the confusion during the transition
If your state is going through this exit number change, you might be wondering how to deal with the confusion. The good news is that most states are putting up temporary signs that show both the new and old exit numbers. These usually say something like “Exit 65 (Old Exit 24)” to help drivers make the connection. These temporary signs typically stay up for about two years, giving everyone time to get used to the new numbers. If you’re giving directions to out-of-town visitors or new employees, it’s smart to mention both the new and old numbers until people adjust. Something like “Take exit 65, which used to be exit 24” can help prevent confusion and missed turns.
It’s also a good idea to check your GPS or navigation app to make sure it’s up to date. Some apps might take a while to update their maps with the new exit numbers. States like Connecticut are working with navigation companies to help them update their systems, but there could still be a lag time. If you’re making a trip to an unfamiliar area, it might be worth double-checking the exit numbers online before you leave. And if you own a business near a highway exit, now’s the time to update your website, business cards, and any advertisements that mention your exit number. The change might be annoying at first, but like most things, we’ll all get used to it eventually – and the benefits of the new system will be worth the temporary confusion.
What the exit numbers tell us about the whole highway system
The exit numbering system is just one part of a bigger picture – the entire U.S. highway numbering system is actually pretty clever when you understand it. For the main interstate highways, east-west routes have even numbers that increase as you go north. So I-10 runs along the southern border, while I-90 runs near the Canadian border. North-south routes have odd numbers that increase as you go east – I-5 runs along the West Coast, while I-95 runs along the East Coast. Major interstate highways usually end in 0 or 5 (like I-10 or I-15), while shorter routes get other numbers. Once you know these patterns, you can often figure out roughly where a highway is located just by hearing its number.
There are even more patterns within the system. Three-digit interstate numbers (like I-495 or I-290) are spurs or loops that connect to a main two-digit interstate. If the first digit is even, it’s usually a loop that reconnects to the same interstate (like I-495 around Washington DC connects to I-95 at both ends). If the first digit is odd, it’s usually a spur that branches off without reconnecting (like I-395). Of course, there are exceptions to all these rules – Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and even Texas sometimes do their own thing. But the system generally follows these patterns, creating a nationwide logic to how our highways are organized. The shift to mileage-based exit numbers is just the latest step in creating a more logical, consistent highway system across the entire country.
The next time you notice an exit number has changed on your commute, you’ll understand why – it’s all part of a nationwide effort to make our highways more logical and easier to navigate. While it might be annoying to relearn the numbers you’ve known for years, the new system provides better information and will ultimately make driving safer and more convenient. The old “Exit 24” might now be “Exit 65,” but at least now you’ll know exactly how many miles you have left until you reach your destination. And isn’t that worth a little temporary confusion?
