We at Arizona Highways love Arizona's highways. And so, it turns out, do other Arizonans, who drove nearly 67 billion miles on them in 2016.
That's according to a new report from the Federal Highway Administration, which found that drivers covered an estimated 66.86 billion miles in the Grand Canyon State last year — an increase of more than 1.8 billion miles, or 2.8 percent, from 2015.
The Arizona Department of Transportation announced the report's findings earlier this month. ADOT Director John Halikowski said the continued growth of the number of miles driven in Arizona shows the importance of maintaining and improving the state's transportation system.
How far is 67 billion miles? Well, the sun is only 93 million miles away from Earth, so 67 billion miles would take you to the sun and back about 355 times. If an interplanetary highway existed, that is.
Nationwide, Americans traveled a record 3.2 trillion miles by car in 2016. That's more than half a light-year, the distance light travels in a calendar year.
It's a good thing Arizona is home to so many beautiful roads — including the North Rim Parkway, the Coronado Trail and Historic Route 66. There are plenty more, though. What's your favorite road to drive in Arizona?