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Traffic Volume Trends - January 2006

Based on preliminary reports from the State Highway Agencies, travel during January 2006 on all roads and streets in the nation changed by 3.8 percent resulting in estimated travel for the month at 230.2** billion vehicle-miles.

This total includes 80 billion vehicle-miles on rural roads and 150.2 billion vehicle-miles on urban roads and streets.

Cumulative Travel changed by +3.8 percent.

Note: Annual travel has been adjusted to match the Highway Performance Monitoring System for 2003. While the adjustment to total travel was less than one percent, rural travel declined 5% and urban travel increased 4% because of this adjustment. The larger changes to rural and urban travel are primarily because of the expansion in urban boundaries reflected in the 2000 census. Travel estimates for 2004 and beyond will also reflect this adjustment.

Travel for the current month, the cumulative yearly total, as well as the moving 12-month total on all roads and streets is shown below.

Travel in Millions of Vehicle Miles
All Roads and Streets

Year January Year to Date Moving 12-Month
1981 116,049 116,049 1,520,443
1982 109,757 109,757 1,543,978
1983 119,436 119,436 1,602,159
1984 122,529 122,529 1,652,201
1985 124,122 124,122 1,718,362
1986 132,998 132,998 1,783,639
1987 139,918 139,918 1,845,160
1988 148,879 148,879 1,933,289
1989 159,750 159,750 2,036,457
1990 163,600 163,600 2,110,889
1991 157,889 157,889 2,141,790
1992 167,652 167,652 2,181,977
1993 171,680 171,680 2,251,180
1994 169,314 169,314 2,294,338
1995 193,838 193,838 2,382,111
1996 183,465 183,465 2,412,403
1997 190,126 190,126 2,488,862
1998 196,870 196,870 2,567,117
1999 193,581 193,581 2,622,074
2000 203,582 203,582 2,689,460
2001 209,774 209,774 2,753,117
2002 215,230 215,230 2,801,066
2003 218,749 218,749 2,859,027
2004 222,524 222,524 2,894,225
2005 221,880 221,880 2,961,846
2006 230,231 230,231 2,972,732

Traffic Volume Trends is a monthly report based on hourly traffic count data. These data, collected at approximately 4,000 continuous traffic counting locations nationwide, are used to determine the percent change in traffic for the current month compared to the same month in the previous year. This percent change is applied to the travel for the same month of the previous year to obtain an estimate of travel for the current month.

** System entries may not add to give "All Systems" total due to rounding for Page 2 to 8.

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