Mile marker 420 becomes 419.99 to thwart thieves

Colorado officials think a difference of one-hundredth of a mile will be enough to stop thieves from stealing the mile marker 420 sign along Interstate 70.

Amy Ford of the Colorado Department of Transportation says the “MILE 420” sign near Stratton was stolen for the last time sometime in the last year, and officials replaced it with a sign that says “MILE 419.99.”

Ford says it’s the only “420” sign to be replaced in the state that recently legalized recreational marijuana. Most highways aren’t long enough to need one.

The number “420” has long been associated with marijuana, though its origins as a shorthand for pot are murky.

Mile 419.99, about 25 miles from the Kansas border, isn’t the only place in Colorado with a fractional mile marker. Cameron Pass in Larimer County has a “MILE 68.5” sign after frequent thefts of the “MILE 69” sign.