Route marker signs — District of Columbia Permit Test

Interstate route markers are shield-shaped, with the word INTERSTATE in white on a red top and the route number in white on a blue bottom.

Knowing the interstate shield lets you follow a highway number without mistaking it for a smaller road.

The interstate system has route markers in the shape of a shield.

U.S. numbered routes, other than interstates, are marked with black numbers on a white U.S. shield.

Telling a U.S. route from an interstate helps you follow directions that name both.

United States Numbered Routes (other than interstate routes) are marked with a sign of black numbers on a white background of the familiar U.S. shield.

State routes are marked with black letters on a white rectangular background.

Recognizing a state route marker tells you that you are on a state road rather than a federal one.

State Routes are marked with a sign of black letters on a white rectangular background.

DC 295, the Anacostia Freeway, is currently the only numbered route in the District that is not an Interstate or U.S. Highway.

Knowing DC 295 is the District's own route keeps you from looking for it on an interstate sign.

DC 295, also known as the Anacostia Freeway, is a freeway in the District of Columbia, and currently the only numbered route in the District that is not an Interstate Highway or U.S. Highway.

What does an interstate route marker look like?

A red and blue shield. Knowing the interstate shield lets you follow a highway number without mistaking it for a smaller road. DC Driver Manual, p.109: “The interstate system has route markers in the shape of a shield.”