Fewer miles logged shrinks highway funds

WASHINGTON, June 19 (UPI) -- U.S. drivers logged 1.4 billion fewer miles on federal highways in April than they did a year ago, continuing six months of steady declines, officials said.

The U.S. Department of Transportation said 400 million fewer miles were logged on U.S. highways compared with March and mileage on all public roads is down 1.8 percent from a year ago.

From November to April, U.S. drivers have cut back 30 billion miles compared with the previous year. This year alone, driving has declined by 20 billion miles.

"We're burning less fuel as energy costs change driving patterns," Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters said in a statement.

The reduced miles means less funding for the federal Highway Trust Fund, which receives 18.4 cents per gallon of gas and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel fuel sold in the country.

"As positive as any move toward greater fuel efficiency is, we need to make sure we have the kind of sustainable funding measures in place to support needed highway and transit improvements well into the future," acting Federal Highway Administrator Jim Ray said in the statement.