Editing Milestone

{{Short description|Numbered marker along a road or boundary}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Redirect|Milemarker|the music group|Milemarker (band)}}
{{Redirect|Milepost|the publication|The Milepost{{!}}''The Milepost''}}
{{distinguish|Millstone}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}

[[File:Cumberland 258.jpg|thumb|upright|A mile marker on the [[United States|U.S.]] [[National Road]] giving distances from many places]]
[[File:Milestone@Penrhosgarnedd 2.jpg|thumb|upright|Slate milestone near [[Bangor, Wales|Bangor]], [[Wales]]]]

A '''milestone''' is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a [[road]], [[railway|railway line]], [[canal]] or [[border|boundary]]. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks like [[Mileage sign|mileage signs]]; or they can give their position on the route relative to some datum location. On roads they are typically located at the side or in a [[Central reservation|median or central reservation]]. They are alternatively known as '''mile markers''' (sometimes abbreviated '''MMs'''), '''mileposts''' or '''mile posts''' (sometimes abbreviated '''MPs'''). A "'''kilometric point'''" is a term used in [[Metrication|metricated areas]], where distances are commonly measured in [[kilometre]]s instead of [[mile]]s. "'''Distance marker'''" is a generic unit-agnostic term.

Milestones are installed to provide [[linear referencing]] points along the road. This can be used to reassure [[travel]]lers that the proper path is being followed, and to indicate either [[distance]] travelled or the remaining distance to a destination. Such references are also used by maintenance engineers and emergency services to direct them to specific points where their presence is required. This term is sometimes used to denote a location on a road even if no physical sign is present. This is useful for [[incident report|accident reporting]] and other record keeping (e.g., "an accident occurred at the 13-mile mark" even if the road is only marked with a stone once every 10 miles).

== History ==

=== Roman Empire ===
[[File:Geira Milha XXIX caminho.jpg|thumb|[[Ancient Rome|Roman]] milestone XXIX on Via Romana XVIII – the road linking the [[Iberia]]n cities of [[Braga|Bracara Augusta]] and [[Astorga, Spain|Asturica Augusta]]]]
[[File:Milestone kirkby thore.JPG|thumb|Roman milestone on the former [[A66 road|A66]] between [[Kirkby Thore]] and [[Temple Sowerby]] (no inscription)]]
''[[Miliarium]]'' ({{IPA|la-x-classic|miːllɪˈaːrɪ.ũː ˈau̯rɛ.ũː|lang|link=yes}}) were originally [[Rock (geology)|stone]] [[obelisk]]s – made from [[granite]], [[marble]], or whatever local stone was available – and later [[concrete]] posts. They were widely used by [[Roman Empire]] road builders and were an important part of any [[Roman road]] network: the distance travelled per day was only a few miles in some cases.{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} Many Roman milestones only record the name of the reigning emperor without giving any placenames or distances.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Roman Inscriptions of Britain. I: Inscriptions on stone |last=Collingwood |first=R. G.|year=1965 |publisher=[[Clarendon Press]] |location=Oxford |author2=Wright, R. P.| url = https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/rib/vol-I}}</ref> The first Roman milestones appeared on the [[Appian Way]]. At the centre of Rome, the "[[Golden Milestone]]" was erected to mark the presumed centre of the empire: this milestone has since been lost. The Golden Milestone inspired the [[Zero Milestone]] in Washington, D.C., intended as the point from which all road distances in the United States should be reckoned. [[Odometer]]s were used to measure the Roman milestone spacing, most likely based on [[Ancient Greek technology]].{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}

=== Byzantine Empire ===
A mile-marker monument, the [[Milion]], was erected in the early 4th century AD in [[Constantinople]]. It served as the starting point for measurement of distances for all the roads leading to the cities of the [[Byzantine Empire]], and had the same function as the [[Milliarium Aureum]] of [[Ancient Rome]]. The Milion survived intact until at least the late 15th century. Its fragments were discovered again in the late 1960s. A fragment is re-erected as a pillar.

=== Islamic civilization ===

In Islamic civilisation, use of milestone began in the first Islamic century. The Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik bin Marwan laid the milestones along the paths that travelers used, and some were found in the city of Faiq in the Syrian Golan, which is, Faiq, one of the main road stations throughout the Islamic ages.  The function of these stones was to guide travelers and introduce them to long distances, as the separation between one and the other was one mile.  Many of these stones were found in more than one location, one in the Islamic Archeology Museum in Istanbul and another in the Jerusalem Museum. A translation of the text written on the stone currently found in the Kasserine Museum in the Golan reads as follows:

{{Quote|In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
There is no god but God alone, and there is no partner for it. Muhammad is the Messenger of God.
He ordered the making of these miles, Abdul Malik bin Marwan, Commander of the Faithful.
At the hands of a consultant, the Lord of the Faithful.
In Sha'ban from the year eighty-five, from Damascus to this stone fifty-three miles.}}

=== Post-Medieval Europe ===
[[File:A milestone at Berwick-upon-Tweed - geograph.org.uk - 1513459.jpg|thumb|upright|Milestone in [[Northumberland]], indicating 1 mile to [[Berwick-upon-Tweed]], 14 miles to [[Belford, Northumberland|Belford]] and 333 miles to [[London]]]]
In [[Europe]], the distance measured typically starts at specified point within a [[city]] or [[town]], as many roads were named for the towns at either end. For example, in [[London]], [[United Kingdom]], a plaque near the [[Eleanor cross]] at [[Charing Cross]] is the reference point from which distances from London to other towns and cities are measured. In the UK, milestones are especially associated with [[Turnpike trust|former turnpike roads]].

The British built many milestones on the [[Malta Colony|island of Malta]]. They consisted of large slabs of local hard rock and they were engraved with the distance to or from a particular location. Many of these were defaced in [[World War II]] to disorientate forces in a [[Operation Herkules|potential invasion]]. Despite this, a very small number of milestones still exist undefaced, and one of these is now in the [[Malta at War Museum]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Milestones salvaged and added to the new museum's collection |url=http://www.maltaatwarmuseum.com/milestones-salvaged-and-added-to-the-new-museums-collection.html |website=Wirt Artna |access-date=7 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140907124041/http://www.maltaatwarmuseum.com/milestones-salvaged-and-added-to-the-new-museums-collection.html |archive-date=7 September 2014 }}</ref>

===India===
{{Further|Kos Minar}}
[[File:Kos Minar 03.jpg|thumb|Kos Minar (Mughal Milestone), [[National Zoological Park Delhi|Delhi Zoo]], [[New Delhi]], [[India]]]]
The '''Kos Minars''' or ''Mile Pillars'' are medieval milestones that were made by the 16th-century [[Afghan (name)|Afghan]] Ruler [[Sher Shah Suri]] and later on by [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] emperors. These Minars were erected by the Mughal Emperors on the main highways across the empire to mark the distance.
The Kos Minar is a solid round pillar, around {{convert|30|ft}} in height that stands on a masonry platform built with bricks and plastered over with lime. Though not architecturally very impressive, being milestones, they were an important part of communication and travel in a large empire.<ref>{{cite web | title = 'Monumental' treasure house |newspaper=[[The Times of India]]| url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-07-12/ludhiana/28193174_1_archaeologists-city-bus-monuments | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110811054219/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-07-12/ludhiana/28193174_1_archaeologists-city-bus-monuments | url-status = dead | archive-date = 11 August 2011 |date=12 July 2009| access-date = 2013-09-23}}</ref>

[[Kos (unit)|Kos]] is an ancient [[India]]n unit of distance. It can represent either a distance of approximately {{convert|1.8|km}} or {{convert|3.2|km}}. [[Minaret|Minar]] is a Persian word for tower. [[Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak|Abul Fazl]] recorded in ''[[Akbar Nama]]'' that in the year 1575 AD, [[Akbar]] issued an order that at every Kos on the way from Agra to Ajmer, a pillar or a minar should be erected for the comfort of the travelers.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sites.ualberta.ca/~rnoor/minar_kos.html | title=Kos Minar | publisher=University of Alberta | access-date=12 September 2018 | archive-date=4 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304085102/http://www.ualberta.ca/~rnoor/minar_kos.html | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=A milestone on the highway |newspaper=[[Hindustan Times]] |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/A-milestone-on-the-highway/Article1-951130.aspx |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130923040501/http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/A-milestone-on-the-highway/Article1-951130.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 September 2013 |first1=Nivedita |last1=Khandekar |date=27 October 2012 |access-date=2013-09-23 }}</ref>

== Modern highways ==
{{main article|Highway location marker}}
The historical term ''milestone'' is still used today, even though the "stones" are typically metal [[highway location marker]]s and in most countries use kilometres and metres rather than miles and yards. Also found today are more closely spaced signs containing fractional numbers, and signs along railways, beaches and canals.

=== Australia ===
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2020}}
[[Metrication in Australia]] caused the former mile markers to be gradually replaced with 10&nbsp;km markers on highways and country roads, which are referred to as "kilometre plates".
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Milestone by LJ Gervasoni.jpg|thumbnail|Milestone near Scarsdale, Victoria, Australia. Photograph: LJ Gervasoni]] -->

Kilometre plates have white text on a trapezoidal green background, and are generally located about a metre above the ground. They have a letter which indicates the town or city they are referring to, and a number, which is the distance in kilometres to that town or city.

Kilometre plates are now generally 5&nbsp;km apart on major highways and 10 or 20&nbsp;km apart on less popular or rural highways, though there are many exceptions. Kilometre plates are supplemented by signboards, which display distances to several towns ahead.

Some mile markers are retained as curiosities (see gallery). These include stone markers on Victoria's Glenelg Highway at Delacombe,

=== Canada ===
Usage varies by province, as highways are under provincial jurisdiction. In Alberta, for example, kilometre markers are green metal signs with white lettering, and are generally placed every 4&nbsp;km starting at the last major intersection to the south or west, depending on whether the route runs north–south or east–west.

=== India ===
[[File:Road Stone Payyambalam.jpg|thumbnail|Milestone in Payyambalam beach, [[Kannur]], India.]]
Milestones on [[National highways of India]] typically have white backgrounds with yellow tops (on national highways) or green tops (on state highways). The names of cities and distances are painted in black. The names of the nearest towns and cities are written along with distance in kilometres. On undivided highways, both sides of the milestones are used, telling the distance to the nearest cities in each direction. The highway number is written on the head of the milestone. The sum of the distances of two nearest cities in each direction from the milestone is listed on the side.
{{clear}}

=== Philippines ===
[[File:Philippine highway marker.jpg|thumb|Example of a milestone in the Philippines]]
Milestones in the Philippines are found in [[Highways in the Philippines|highways]], one kilometer apart, and are found in pairs, one on each side of the road. These are short yellow concrete posts, with two labels on a white background, written in black. On top is a large "K" (or "KM"), and a number, referencing the distance from the [[Kilometre Zero#Philippines|kilometre zero]]. While the national kilometre zero is in [[Rizal Park]], each major island has its own kilometre zero. The milestones on the [[Luzon]] mainland reference Rizal Park's kilometre zero.

The second label is a letter, standing for the first letter of the next town if one is traveling on ''that'' direction, then the distance in kilometers, from the town. In the example to the right, a milestone in [[Ortigas Avenue]] in [[Pasig]] says it is {{convert|14|km|mi|sp=us}} from Rizal Park, and {{convert|3|km|mi|sp=us}} from [[Cainta]]. On the other side, the milestone there says it is 
{{convert|2|km|mi|sp=us}} from [[San Juan, Metro Manila|San Juan]].

Most milestones only have labels on one side, facing the driver. Others have labels on all four sides.

=== United Kingdom ===
{{Main article|Driver location sign}}
In the UK, [[driver location signs]] are placed every {{convert|500|m|yd}} along each side of [[List of motorways in the United Kingdom|motorways]], and along some other major roads. They were first introduced in 2003, and they complement distance marker posts, small roadside posts at {{convert|100|m|yd}} intervals, used for road maintenance and administrative purposes. Both types of sign display a unique location number. The number is given without units but is the distance in kilometres from a designated datum location for the road.<ref name=faq>{{cite web |url = http://www.highways.gov.uk/business/16049.htm |archive-url = http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120810121037/http://www.highways.gov.uk/business/16049.htm |url-status = dead |archive-date = 10 August 2012 |title = Driver Location Signs - Frequently Asked Questions |author = Highways Agency |author-link = Highways Agency |access-date = 2010-02-10 }}</ref>

=== United States ===
{{See also|California postmile|Reference marker (New York)}}
[[File:Intersection of the Bypass Highway and Van Giesen Street 6.jpg|thumb|Typical mile marker used in the United States]]
In the U.S. [[Interstate Highway System]], the numbers usually measure the distance to the southern or western [[U.S. state|state]] line, or the route's terminus, if the national southern or western terminus lies in that state. The numbering system for other [[highway]]s varies by state; most use a system mirroring that of the Interstate System, other states, such as [[Illinois]], [[California]], and [[Kentucky]], use the [[county]] line as the [[zero mile marker]], while others, including [[Missouri]], do not sign mile-markers at all (except on Interstates). [[Arizona]] has a rather unusual system, where a route's mileposts continue those from its original host. Often, the [[interchange (road)#Terminology|exits]] are numbered according to the nearest milepost, known as the [[mile-log#Distance-based numbers|mile-log]] system.  From the beginning of the Interstate system until the mid-2000s, most Interstate highways had markers every mile.  Since that time, many states have installed more markers every 0.25 mile, every 0.2 mile, or in some metro areas, every 0.1 mile.  Some historic and [[scenic route]]s – such as along the [[Blue Ridge Parkway]] in [[North Carolina]] and [[Virginia]] and the [[Overseas Highway]] of the [[Florida Keys]] – use mileposts to mark points of interest or (in the cases of many businesses along the Overseas Highway) as a portion of their address.

=== Myanmar ===
[[File:Naypyitaw Tollbooth.jpg|right|thumb|Use of furlongs on a highway sign near [[Yangon]] in 2010]]
[[File:Milepost 358-6 on Yangon-Mandalay Expressway.JPG|right|thumb|Mileposts on the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway use miles followed by furlongs.]]
In [[Myanmar]], [[furlong]]s have been used at least until 2010 in conjunction with miles to indicate distances on highway signs, for example on the [[Yangon-Mandalay Expressway]].

=== Zimbabwe ===
[[Zimbabwean]] milestones are constructed of cast concrete painted white with the kilometre distance indented and painted black.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://poultney.rhodesiana.com/MortsTree.html
|title = Poultney Family - Mort's Tree
|quote = The kilometre marker near the tree - distance from Bulawayo [Photo caption]
|access-date = 13 April 2012
|date=5 September 2009}}</ref>
There is no distinction between state and national road-sign markings. They were originally sited every 500 metres by the [[Rhodesian]] Ministry of Roads and Road Traffic, starting at zero from the largest town or city. In 1980, the Zimbabwean government began placing new markers 1&nbsp;km apart and damaged or missing half kilometre markers were no longer replaced.

{{clear}}

== Railway mileposts ==
[[File:railmileposts.jpg|thumb|upright|Old and new railway mileposts in the UK, indicating a distance of {{convert|33+1/4|mi|km}} from the zero point]]
The [[Railways Clauses Consolidation Act 1845|''Railways Clauses Consolidation Act 1845'']]<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/8-9/20/contents
| work = Railways Clauses Consolidation Act 1845
| title = 94 Milestones
| access-date = 2008-11-03
}}</ref> compels UK railway companies to provide their passengers with a means of determining the distance travelled (fares were set by distance at this time). Section 94 states:

{{quote|"The company shall cause the length of the railway to be measured, and milestones, posts, or other conspicuous objects to be set up and maintained along the whole line thereof, at the distance of one quarter of a mile from each other, with numbers or marks inscribed thereon denoting such distances."<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.railsigns.uk/sect25page1/sect25page1.html
| work = Railway Signs and Signals of Great Britain
| title = Section 26: Distance Markers
| access-date = 2007-04-08
| archive-date = 27 April 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210427140543/http://www.railsigns.uk/sect25page1/sect25page1.html
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>}}

Similar laws were passed in other countries. On the modern railway, these historical markers are still used as infrastructure reference points. At many points, the distances shown on the markers are based upon points no longer on the network – for example, distances measured via a closed line or from a junction which has subsequently been moved. Whole mileposts are usually supplemented by half and quarter posts. Structure signs often include the mileage to a fair degree of precision; in the UK, the [[chain (unit)|chain]] (equal to {{convert|1/80|mi|m|disp=or|abbr=off}}) is the usual accuracy. In the U.S. and Canada, miles are "decimalized", so that, for example, there may be a "milepost 4.83" to mark a junction, crossing, bridge or tunnel.

In [[metrication|metricated]] areas, the equivalent is the ''kilometric point''.

== Boundaries ==
{{main article|Boundary marker}}
[[Surveying|Surveyors]] place milestones to mark the boundaries between the jurisdictions separated by borders. A series of such boundary markers exists at one mile (1.6&nbsp;km) intervals along the [[Boundary markers of the original District of Columbia|borders of the District of Columbia]] in the [[United States]].

{{clear}}

== Gallery ==
{{clear|left}}
<gallery mode="packed" caption="United Kingdom">
File:Milestone in the hedge near Corpusty, on B1149 Holt Road.jpg|Milestone near [[Corpusty]] on the [[B1149 road|B1149]] in [[Norfolk]]
File:AD 1836 milestone.JPG|A milestone marked "[[A.D.]] 1836", on the [[B3306 road|B3306]] near [[Land's End Airport]]
File:Chellaston milestone.jpg|Milestone on the A514 in [[Chellaston]], [[Derby]]
File:Broughton milestone.JPG|Milestone on the [[A5130 road|A5130]] in [[Broughton, Milton Keynes]]
File:Trewellard milestone penwith cornwall.jpg|Milestone on the B3318 in Penwith, [[Cornwall]]
File:Potterne Milestone.JPG|Milestone on [[A360 road|A360]] near [[Potterne]], [[Wiltshire]]
File:A350 milestone.jpg|Milestone on [[A350 road|A350]] in [[Longbridge Deverill]], [[Wiltshire]]
File:Milestone, Township of Balterley, Staffordshire.JPG|Milestone on B5500, in the township of Balterley, [[Staffordshire]]
File:Fife milestone (B940) near Lathones.JPG|Milestone on the B940 near Lathones in [[Fife]], Scotland
File:Milestone on Sutton High Street.jpg|Milestone on Sutton High Street, [[Sutton, London]] 
File:Milestone, Rod Moor Road.jpg|Milestone on Rod Moor Road, [[Dronfield]], [[Derbyshire]], UK
</gallery>
<!-- Image does not exist (deleted?): [[File:Bowbells Milestone No 52, The Dicker, Sussex.JPG|thumb|Bowbells milestone on The Dicker, East Sussex carrying the 'Buckle' of the Pelham family and indicating 52 miles to London]] -->

{{clear|left}}
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Australia">
File:Milestone Batemans Bay NSW 18.JPG|Milepost 18 from [[Batemans Bay, New South Wales]], now preserved in the town. {{coord|35.7014|S|150.1815|E|region:AU-NSW}} 
</gallery>

{{clear|left}}
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Denmark">
File:Skanderborg milestone.JPG|A milestone with [[royal cypher]] of [[Frederick VII of Denmark|Frederick VII]] in [[Skanderborg]] Dyrehave 
</gallery>

{{clear|left}}
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Finland">
File:Fagervik museum road milestone 1.JPG|A milestone along the Fagervik museum road in [[Fagervik]], [[Ingå]]
File:A King's Road milestone by Vanha Porvoontie in Sipoo, Finland, 2021 July.jpg|A milestone along the [[King's Road (Finland)|King's Road]] in [[Sipoo]]
File:Milestone in Pietarsaari.jpg|A milestone in [[Jakobstad]]
File:Koivistonkyläntie 7.JPG|A milestone in [[Äänekoski]]
</gallery>

{{clear|left}}
<gallery mode="packed" caption="India">
File:Haridwar Holy Ganges En Route Milestone.jpg|A milestone near [[Haridwar]] on an Indian highway
File:Milestone on NH 309 A, India.jpg|A Milestone on [[List of National Highways in India by State#Uttarakhand|NH309A]] in [[Uttarakhand]], [[India]]. 
</gallery>

{{clear|left}}
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Ireland">
File:C Milestone023.jpg|A milestone at [[Milestone, County Tipperary|Milestone]] in [[County Tipperary]]
File:MilestoneDublin1Howth8.jpg|A milestone in [[North Strand]] Dublin, marking one mile along the roads to [[Howth]] and [[Malahide]]
File:Milestone on N71 Cork-Skibbereen - main.jpg|Cast iron milestone on [[N71 road (Ireland)|N71]] in [[County Cork]]
File:Milestone, Mountbellow (geograph 5365674).jpg|A milestone in [[Mountbellew]], [[County Galway]]
</gallery>

{{clear|left}}
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Malta">
File:Malta - Mellieha - Triq Selmun 04 ies.jpg|A defaced milestone in [[Mellieħa]]
File:Malta - Swieqi - Triq il-Madliena 02 ies.jpg|A defaced milestone in [[Swieqi]] 
</gallery>

{{clear|left}}
<gallery mode="packed" caption="United States">
File:North Smithfield milestone.JPG|1774 Caleb Aldrich milestone on [[Great Road (New England)|Great Road]] in [[Rhode Island]], United States
File:Union village milestone.JPG|[[Peleg Arnold]]'s 1774 milestone on [[Great Road (New England)|Great Road]] in [[Rhode Island]], United States
File:Upper Post Road MP 8.jpg|Milestone 8 on the Upper [[Boston Post Road]] in [[Harvard Square]], Massachusetts, United States
File:Boundary Stone (District of Columbia) NE 2.jpg|[[Boundary markers of the original District of Columbia|Milestone along the boundary of the original District of Columbia]] set in 1792 and now marking the boundary between [[Washington, D.C.]], and [[Maryland]] in the [[United States]]
File:KingstonMA GraniteMileMarker 20170521 (35563329673).jpg|Historic granite milestone in [[Kingston, Massachusetts]], marking the [[42nd parallel north|42nd parallel]] 
</gallery>

{{clear|left}}
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Post-Soviet countries">
File:Kilometric point 9-10 at Savyolovskoye direction of Moscow Railway.jpg|[[Savyolovsky suburban railway line|Savyolovskoye direction]] of Moscow Railway
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Boundary marker]]
*[[Exit number]]
*[[Ichirizuka]]
*[[Highway location marker]]
*[[Kilometre zero]]
*[[Milepost equation]]
*[[Parting stone]]
*[[Reassurance marker]] – a road sign with a route number, but no distance
*[[Survey marker]]
*[[Waymarking]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Milestones}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Milestones|*]]