Road Signs

It seems a long time ago, but there was a time when my wife and I traveled the country in a 34-foot motor coach. I wrote for an Indiana newspaper in those days. I was going through some files the other day and came across some articles I had written. This one shows that times haven't changed in the last fifteen years.

MILE MARKERS REMAIN A MYSTERY

RHODES, IOWA - One of the great mysteries of travel is when are we going to get there? How far away are we? With children, this translates to, "Are we there yet?" After four cups of coffee, distance converts into crisis.
Fear not. The highway department understands and wants to help. So does the American Automobile Association, lovingly known as Triple A.
Triple A makes great maps. They show more towns than you ever want to visit, more roads than you ever want to drive. Mileage between towns is marked on the map. Look for the little numbers. Some are red, some are black. I never figured out why.
The highway department puts up signs all over the road system. Most have green backgrounds and white letters. Chicago 120 miles, or Ames, if you happen to be in Iowa, 23 miles.
But wait. Between what points do they measure?
I asked Deb McNamara of the Marshalltown Triple A.
"Between the main post offices," she said.
"But, Deb", I asked. "What about a place like Las Vegas where the post office is out of town?"
"Maybe we should call the county engineer," she said.
Deb dialed the county. Gene McKiven answered at the county engineer's shop. A miss. Gene is a mechanic. He suggested the court house. I talked to Wayne Chezek. Wayne is a computer specialist. He can write programs to do anything, probably get a man to Mars, if you want.
"Interesting question," he said. "I never thought about it before."
Royce Fichtner happened by Gene's desk. He is the county engineer. Knows all about roads and things.
"It's measured from the center of town, or from the court house," he said.
Well, maybe. "In Des Moines," Royce said, "the starting point is someplace downtown, but might not be the courthouse." He wasn't sure. The state capitol is there. That complicates things. Sometimes the starting, or ending, point of the measurement is at a cross roads.
"Here in Marshalltown," he said, "it's measured from the junction of US 30 and Route 14."
I mentioned to Royce that was five miles from the court house.
"Yeah," he said.
What happens if you are coming from the other side of town? I guess it's further.
It depends on who is marking the mileage, according to Royce. Everybody does it differently. On major roads, like US 30, it is the state's responsibility to determine starting and stopping points. His responsibility is for county roads. Depending on the size of the town, it can be the city limits, the town hall, the blinker light, what ever. There doesn't seem to be a rule.
"A lot of times," Royce said, "the man who puts up the sign decides."
I called the Iowa state department of transportation highway department. Nobody answered. After 12 minutes I hung up.
I called the department of transportation, United States Government. They have a recorder. Press 1 for a two minute presentation by the secretary of transportation on spraying of insecticides in airplanes coming from overseas and its effect on passengers. Press 2 for an explanation by an under-secretary of transportation about labels that are going to be put on cars showing in which country they were manufactured. Press 3 for news about the Coast Guard guarding the coast. I pressed 0 and got an operator.
I think she thought I was crazy. I don't believe she knew about mileage markers.
I got transferred to Warren Flaceau in the highway information department.
"What is used as a starting and ending point for measuring the mileage between towns and along the way," I asked?
"Who is this," he said?
I told him who I was and that I worked for a newspaper.
"I don't know the answer. I don't think anyone here does," he said. "We'll have to do research on it and call you back."
Sure.
On the other hand, I'm usually in the car, not walking, so maybe a guess is good enough.