This is why milestones are of different colours 

While travelling, you must have come across milestones along the roadsides. And, you must also have marked that the milestones are painted with different colours like red, green, yellow and black. 

Have you ever thought why these milestones are of different colours? 

Let’s understand it. 

Even though travellers have started relying on GPS-enabled smartphones to know the exact distance they are to cover to reach their destinations, the milestones are still having their importance.  

Besides informing about the distance to be covered to reach a destination, a milestone also provides some other vital information. This information is hidden in its colour. 

While white is the colour of the below part of this milestone, the upper part is either red, green, yellow or black in colour. 

While travelling, if you come across a milestone with its upper part being coloured in yellow, you understand that you are travelling along a National Highway. As of 2021, the total length of the national highway network in India is 1,51,019 km. 

Similarly, if you find the milestone with a green strip, then you are travelling along a state highway. As of 2016, the network of the state highway is 1,76,166 km long.  

In case of coming across milestones with blue or black and white strip, you understand it that you are travelling inside a city or along a district road. India’s district road network length is 5,61,940 km.  

If a milestone with an orange strip is noticed along the road, it signifies that you are travelling along a village road. The length of the village road network stands at 3.93 lakh km.