My columns in March and April 2023 were about sequential versus mileage-based exit numbering for interstate highways. The columns explained the difference, noting that in New York state, sequential numbering was used with a couple of exceptions. The April column requested opinions from readers as to their preference, which significantly favored mileage-based numbering.

Now, a news release from the New York state Department of Transportation states that work is underway to implement a mile-based numbering scheme for exits along Interstate 81, Interstate 690 and state Route 481. The project will update the existing, sequentially numbered exit signs with new panels that delineate the exit by its mileage location along the highway, giving motorists a better indication of how many miles they need to travel to reach their destinations.

The new exit numbers along I-81 are based on the distance in miles moving from south to north from the Pennsylvania border to the Canadian border. The redesigned exit numbers along I-690 are also based on the distance in miles, moving from west to east beginning at exit 39 of the New York State Thruway.

The mile-based sign project is being undertaken in coordination with the I-81 Viaduct Project in Syracuse that is re-designating I-481 to become part of I-81. In compliance with the changeover, exit numbers along I-481 must be converted to align with exit numbers on I-81. Although all of I-81 will be converted, anything within the limits of the huge Syracuse Viaduct project will be done during its construction over the next several years. Everything else will be handled via unrelated projects, so it won’t all happen at once.

Work on the exit sign conversion is anticipated to be finished by the end of 2024, apart from exit signs associated with the I-81 Viaduct Project. Exit signs along I-81, I-690, and state Route 481 within the footprint of the I-81 Viaduct Project will be converted to the mile-based system in accordance with the completion of the project.

New York state Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said: “These new exit numbers will allow drivers to make safer and better-informed travel decisions as they journey along some of Central New York’s busiest highways. With mile-based exit signs, drivers will be able to easily determine where they are and how far they need to go to reach their destinations.”

The DOT began conversion on some limited-access highways several years ago. As of last year, the Taconic State Parkway, Hutchinson River Parkway, I-99 (US 15), I-781 and I-84 had already been completed.