Go west, young man – The Sun
Like Horace Greeley’s famed advice, curious sign on I-70 beckons yonder
Near the beginning on I-70 westbound near Baltimore there is a big green sign that has the distance to four far off cities along the route: Columbus, St. Louis, Denver and Cove Fort. The first three are major cities 420, 845, and 1700 miles away, respectively. The last is located at the terminus of I-70 west in Utah. Cove Fort, a Mormon historical site, has received visitors because of the sign.

I wish more transportation departments would do this sort of thing. It is a relatively inexpensive way to make the drive more interesting. In Ocean City MDOT has one on westbound US 50 for Sacramento (3073 miles); the opposite is true in California. Maryland also has the “Eastern Continental Divide” sign on I-68. Further north in Pennsylvania there is a “Highest Point on I-80 East of the Mississippi” sign.

If it were up to me, all transcontinental routes would have the distance to their end point posted. I’d also have their halfway points posted.

By the way, there isn’t a distance to Baltimore sign on I-70 east near Cove Fort.