AASHTO Journal, 26 June 2015
U.S. drivers traveled an estimated 267.9 billion vehicle miles in April, a record high for that month, the Federal Highway Administration said, which meant vehicle miles traveled reached a record 987.8 billion for the first four months of the year.
The previous record for January through April of any year was 965.5 billion VMT, set in 2007.
The April estimate also shows the VMT measure increasing for 14 months in a row, as vehicles put more traffic demand on the nation’s road and bridge network. The FHWA said that volume growth underscores “the need for greater investment in transportation infrastructure.”
Among highlights of the latest data, the agency said Indiana led the nation with the largest single-state traffic increase at 14.8 percent compared with the same month a year earlier, followed by Hawaii at 8.1 percent and North Dakota at 7.4 percent.
The complete VMT data is available in the FHWA’s “Traffic Volume Trends” reports, based on information collected from more than 4,800 continuous count stations nationwide.