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Traffic Volume Trends - May 2006

Based on preliminary reports from the State Highway Agencies, travel during May 2006 on all roads and streets in the nation changed by -0.3 percent resulting in estimated travel for the month at 259.4** billion vehicle-miles.

This total includes 94.8 billion vehicle-miles on rural roads and 164.6 billion vehicle-miles on urban roads and streets.

Cumulative Travel changed by +0.7 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 May Year to Date Moving 12-Month
1981 134,305 616,382 1,531,292
1982 140,283 615,579 1,549,466
1983 143,619 640,438 1,617,340
1984 151,046 669,693 1,678,363
1985 156,726 692,273 1,739,350
1986 160,459 718,443 1,800,933
1987 167,776 761,065 1,880,862
1988 178,042 803,309 1,966,572
1989 184,823 840,616 2,062,893
1990 189,247 864,210 2,130,634
1991 191,929 861,783 2,145,074
1992 196,725 894,428 2,204,858
1993 205,981 917,111 2,269,835
1994 206,594 933,949 2,313,543
1995 212,586 976,916 2,400,555
1996 218,676 988,128 2,433,987
1997 226,082 1,023,401 2,517,474
1998 227,899 1,044,079 2,581,051
1999 230,786 1,057,611 2,638,895
2000 242,556 1,105,944 2,727,792
2001 245,345 1,121,788 2,762,770
2002 251,978 1,149,471 2,823,292
2003 253,589 1,152,846 2,858,883
2004 256,595 1,195,639 2,933,243
2005 260,138 1,200,252 2,967,104
2006 259,362 1,208,309 2,973,430

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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