Do we really need mile markers so close together?

I did some driving this past weekend, and I think it was in Missouri, but might have been Illinois, that at one point there were a ridiculous amount of mile markers on the side of the road. 25.4, 25.8, 26.4 I mean really, is that not just a total waste of money? A bunch of mile markers less than a mile, sometimes less than a half mile apart?

This type of waste in government and business drives me crazy. They must have set aside a certain sum of money for the project and had more than they knew what to do with. Instead of using it for something else, they have to use it on the project it is approved for. That is all I can figure out as an explanation. Remember, our exit number system has been completely transformed so the exit number is also a mile marker, so that was there in addition.

What do you think? What else could cause transportation to number the mile markers so close together?

How often do you like to see a mile marker when traveling?