Conditions and Performance Chapter Listing

Conditions and Performance Home Page

Introduction

System and Use Characteristics

While only 4.0 percent of total road mileage is on the NHS, these roads carry 43.5 percent of total vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Exhibit B-1 summarizes NHS route miles, lanes miles, and VMT by functional class.

Exhibit B-1. Highway Mileage, Lane Mileage, and Vehicle-Miles Traveled on the National Highway System Compared to All Roads, by Functional System, 1997

Exhibit B-2 shows how NHS mileage, lane miles, and VMT are split between rural and urban areas. While 74.0 percent of NHS mileage is in rural areas, and 66.0 percent of NHS lane mileage is in rural areas, only 40.0 percent of NHS VMT is in rural areas. Note that all areas over 5,000 in population are considered urban.

Exhibit B-2. Rural and Urban NHS Mileage, Lane Miles, and VMT, 1997