10/20/16, Wisconsin State Journal – No wonder it’s bumper to bumper on Wisconsin roads in summer.
Drivers in the Dairy State logged a record 62.1 billion miles on the road in 2015, an increase of 2.1 billion miles from 2014 and the biggest jump percentage-wise, 4.2 percent, in 17 years, the Department of Transportation said.
The increase in the VMT, or vehicle miles traveled, is a result of several things, including a better economy, lower gas prices, a growing population and growth in commercial traffic.
“As overall travel increases, we especially see growth in commercial motor vehicle traffic, which has increased 20 percent in just the last four years,” said DOT Secretary Mark Gottlieb in a news release.
The DOT gets the VMT number from traffic counts, fuel consumption and other highway data.
The DOT said Wisconsin residents drove an average 10,767 miles in the state in 2015.