> The U.S. appeared ready to join the rest of the world when President Gerald Ford in 1975 signed legislation designating it the country’s preferred measuring s

> The U.S. appeared ready to join the rest of the world when President Gerald Ford in 1975 signed legislation designating it the country’s preferred measuring system. > The U.S. Metric Board—which was put in place to help Americans make the switch—used I-19, which was being built at the time, as a test case for the measuring system on signs. > However, when President Ronald Reagan took office he disbanded the metric board and the U.S. never switched over. The signs remain. Of course.