It took a while, but Massachusetts has plans to change to mileage based exit numbers like Maine did 15 years ago.

Back before 2004, exit numbers on highways in Maine were numbered sequentially. That year the numbers were changed to highway mileage based numbers, so Exit 8 on The Maine Turnpike then became exit 48, because that's how many miles it was on I-95 to the Maine/New Hampshire border. That caused a great deal of confusion for people and a problem for the old Exit 8 Diner whose name no longer made sense. It did make a great meme though.

via MEME

The thinking behind mile based exit numbers is to make it easier for drivers to know how far they've traveled and figure out how far they have to go. Of course with so many people using GPS to get from point A to point B, technology got the jump on this.

But, now it's Massachusetts turn. According to Boston 25 News, the MassDOT has announced they will be changing to a mileage based exit numbering system like Maine did in 2004. They hope to have the re-numbering completed by 2021.

This is a federal mandate by the way. Maine was just way ahead of the game. Connecticut plans to switch over by 2029. The rest of New England has yet to get the ball rolling as New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island's exits are all still numbered sequentially. To be fair though, this is a daunting task that costs a lot of money to complete. Here in Maine it was a bit easier with only two major highways to re-number.

 

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