From A1 to A999: Since 1975, the numbers on motorway signs have always been assigned according to the same principle.
Around 57,000 cars drive on German autobahns every day. Always keep an eye on the numerous traffic signs. However, there are some indications that are completely unknown to many motorists, such as echo24.de* reported. Most people don’t know the orange arrow*. Also the blue and white shield with wrench* causes confusion. And then there are the whole numbers on the highway signs. What do they mean?
Almost everyone knows the numbers on the big blue motorway signs: A1, A6, A81 or A96. Behind the designations there is a system with tradition and meaning. Since 1975, the numbers on the federal motorways (BAB) have been assigned according to a specific principle.
What do the numbers on highway signs mean? From A1 to A999
There are even-numbered highways and odd-numbered highways. In addition, there are differences on the signs with one-digit, two-digit or three-digit numbers. This information also has a meaning.
Highways ending in an odd number run north-south. The A7, Germany’s longest autobahn, runs from the northernmost point of the state of Ellund (Handewitt municipality) to Füssen in the south. A total of 962.2 kilometers.
If there is an even number on the motorway sign, then the route runs from west to east, such as the A8. It runs in sections from the Luxembourg border near Perl via Pirmasens via Stuttgart, Ulm, Augsburg and Munich to Bad Reichenhall on the border with Austria. This route is one of the most important East-West connections in Central Europe.
One, two or three digits: the numbers on the motorway signs
And the number of digits is also crucial. The numbering indicates the importance of each highway.
- One digit: Motorways with only one number are therefore of great nationwide importance and connect large parts of the country.
- Two-digit: Signs with two numbers indicate highways of greater regional importance.
- Three-digit: Motorway signs with three digits are found on routes of lesser regional importance. These are often feeders or bypasses.
Numbers on the signs also indicate the location of the highways
The first digit on the motorway signs is also used for orientation. It can be used to determine the approximate location of the respective route – but this is only possible with multi-digit information. Single-digit motorways run through several regions in the country.
- The approximate location:
- 1 – Greater Berlin
- 2 – Greater Hamburg/ Bremen
- 3 – Hanover/Bielefeld/Osnabrück area
- 4 – Greater Ruhr Area/Kassel/Rhineland-Palatinate
- 5 – greater Cologne area
- 6 – Greater Frankfurt am Main area
- 7 – Greater area of Schweinfurt/Nuremberg/Erfurt
- 8 – greater Stuttgart area
- 9 – Greater Munich area
Until 2005, the shortest autobahn was in Baden-Württemberg. With a length of 400 meters, the A862 ran from the Neuenburg interchange on the A5 federal motorway to the Ottmarsheim Rhine bridge. It is now just a branch of the A5. Incidentally, the highest number, the A999, belongs to the Munich ring road. *echo24.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
