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Traffic heat map of Bell County, Kentucky: 153 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on 12th Street and Pineville Road

Bell County, Kentucky Traffic Counts

Our Bell County, Kentucky traffic data covers 1,855 road segments over 153 road miles, with an average segment of just 435 ft. Its busiest road, 12th Street, carries 19,085 vehicles a day, 5.4 times the average road. Whether you are evaluating a new retail location, planning routes or assessing infrastructure, these numbers replace guesswork.
Data sourced from TrafficZoom's proprietary analytics platform.
Data current as of:
Q3 2026
Updated:
September 29, 2026
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Total Traffic Volume & Performance in Bell County, Kentucky

Traffic

The average number of vehicles that travel each day over any road in the road network.

vehicles per day3,508
Trucks

The percentage of the total traffic volume composed of heavy vehicles.

9.0%
Average travel time

The average time of travel averaged among all vehicles traveling on the road network.

32.7 min
Congestion ratio

The rate at which the actual travel time exceeds free-flow travel time, averaged among all roads in the network.

9.1%
Drivers’ average age

Average age of residents in the geographic areas where the vehicle trips originated.

48.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income

Average income of residents in the geographic areas where the vehicle trips originated.

$38,083

The average monitored road in Bell County, Kentucky carries 3,508 vehicles per day. Across its 153 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 462,786 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈169 million per year). About 1 in 11 vehicles is a truck, fewer than the 1 in 8 across Kentucky.

Busier roads than 75% of counties in Kentucky

Bell sees 25% lower average daily traffic volume than the state average (3,508 vehicles per day against 4,696), suggesting less demand on each road - lighter roads for freight, but less passing trade for roadside retail. Across the whole network, that travel is about 0.4% of Kentucky's statewide total. By volume, Bell's 3,508 vehicles per day outpaces 75% of counties in Kentucky.

The average trip takes 32.7 minutes, on par with the state level. 68% of counties in Kentucky have a shorter average travel time than Bell's 32.7 minutes.

At 38% lower than the state level, the 9.1% congestion ratio signals smoother traffic flow - travel times are easy to plan around for scheduled deliveries.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Bell County, Kentucky

Trafficvehicles per day7,720
Trucks9.9%
Average travel time36.0 min
Congestion ratio12.9%
Drivers’ average age48.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income$39,344

Most travel in Bell County, Kentucky happens on highways, 75% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 7,720 vehicles per day, 303% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 1,916 vehicles per day.

With 32% of the road miles (49 miles in 509 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 346,813 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈127 million per year).

Lower highway truck share than 85% of counties in Kentucky

Highway truck concentration here runs 37% lower than the state average, at 9.9%. Highways here mostly serve passenger trips, so local access matters more than long-haul routing for logistics operators.

85% of counties in Kentucky see a higher highway truck share than Bell's 9.9%. 60% of counties in Kentucky see more highway trucks per day than Bell's roughly 768.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Bell County, Kentucky

Trafficvehicles per day1,916
Trucks6.2%
Average travel time31.4 min
Congestion ratio7.7%
Drivers’ average age48.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income$35,960

Local roads carry a smaller share of travel in Bell County, Kentucky, 25% of vehicle-miles; most driving happens on highways. On the average non-highway road, that comes to 1,916 vehicles per day.

Spread over 104 miles and 1,346 segments, 68% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 115,973 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈42.3 million per year). About 1 in 16 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (6.2%).

Drivers from lower-income areas than 97% of counties in Kentucky

The concentration of trucks on non-highway roads is 37% lower than on highways.

The non-highway congestion ratio of 7.7% is 45% lower than the state level, suggesting more efficient local mobility than the state average.

Trip origins here have lower average income than 97% of counties in Kentucky. Bell's median driver age is higher than 60% of counties in Kentucky.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Bell County, Kentucky, the peak hour concentrates about 8% of the day's traffic.

Bell County vs. Kentucky Traffic Comparison

The highway truck share sets Bell County apart: 37% below the Kentucky average. Its average daily traffic per road is also 25% below.

MetricBell CountyKentucky averageDifference
Traffic3,5084,696-25.3%
Truck % (Total Traffic)9.0%12.1%-25.2%
Truck % (Highway)9.9%15.9%-37.3%
Avg. Travel Time32.7 min31.7 min+3.2%

How Bell County compares

Bell County against nearby counties

Nothing in this table sets Bell County sharply apart from the 4 areas nearest to it, though it has the second busiest roads of the five.

Bell County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Kentucky average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Bell County3,5089.0%462,78632.7 min9.1%
Knox County, Kentucky3,0698.7%669,18529.9 min8.1%
Claiborne County, Tennessee5,4818.9%658,09031.6 min20.0%
Harlan County, Kentucky2,0638.2%417,29227.3 min6.6%
Clay County, Kentucky2,35411.2%317,55328.6 min7.9%
Kentucky average4,69612.1%N/A31.7 min14.7%

Bell County ranked within Kentucky

Bell County sits in the bottom quarter of the Kentucky field on average driver income, at #117 of 120.

Bell County ranked among 120 county-level areas in Kentucky (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 115.
MeasureBell CountyKentucky rank
Traffic volume (AADT)3,508#31 of 120
Highway vehicle-miles per day346,813#61 of 115
Truck share on highways9.9%#98 of 115
Highway trucks per day768#69 of 115
Average travel time32.7 min#39 of 120
Average driver income$38,083#117 of 120
Average driver age48.8 yrs#48 of 120

The two ends of this table sit far apart: #31 of 120 on average daily traffic volume, against #117 of 120 on average driver income.

Busiest roads in Bell County, Kentucky

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Bell County carry 16,882 vehicles a day on average, 4.8 times the typical road in the county (3,508).

12th Street leads with 19,085 vehicles a day, 1,737 of them trucks (9.1%). It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

Trucks make up 15.6% of traffic on Cumberland Gap Parkway, against 9.0% across all roads in the county.

Trips using Cumberland Gap Parkway are long: a median of 46.4 minutes against 32.7 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
112th StreetTrunk road · 19,085vehicles1,737trucks · 9.1%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
31.2 min
Drivers’ median age
49.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$38,324

A main artery: 12th Street's busiest stretch carries 5.4 times the county average; trucks are 9.1% of it, in line with the county-wide 9.0%.

2Pineville RoadTrunk road · 16,046vehicles1,420trucks · 8.8%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
38.9 min
Drivers’ median age
48.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$37,905

On its busiest stretch, Pineville Road carries 4.6 times the county average; trucks are 8.8% of it, in line with the county-wide 9.0%.

3Wilderness RoadTrunk road · 15,515vehicles1,324trucks · 8.5%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
18.5%
Median trip time
38.7 min
Drivers’ median age
48.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$38,100

Travel on Wilderness Road's busiest stretch runs 18% over free-flow time, against 9% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

4Bob Madon BypassTrunk road · 14,910vehicles1,162trucks · 7.8%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
34.7 min
Drivers’ median age
48.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$39,856

Bob Madon Bypass peaks at 14,910 vehicles a day, 4.2 times the county average; trucks are 7.8% of it, below the county-wide 9.0%.

5US 25ETrunk road · 12,996vehicles1,069trucks · 8.2%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
16.4%
Median trip time
36.8 min
Drivers’ median age
48.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$39,648

US 25E is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 16% longer than at free-flow speed, against 9% county-wide.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
112th StreetTrunk road · #1 by traffic19,085vehicles1,737trucks · 9.1%
2Cumberland Gap ParkwayTrunk road · 10,926vehicles1,707trucks · 15.6%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
12.8%
Median trip time
46.4 min
Drivers’ median age
47.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$39,342

Cumberland Gap Parkway carries 3.1 times the county average at its busiest, 1,707 of them trucks (15.6%, above the county-wide 9.0%).

3Pineville RoadTrunk road · #2 by traffic16,046vehicles1,420trucks · 8.8%
4Wilderness RoadTrunk road · #3 by traffic15,515vehicles1,324trucks · 8.5%
5Bob Madon BypassTrunk road · #4 by traffic14,910vehicles1,162trucks · 7.8%
How to read these road counts
  • The first number is AADT, annual average daily traffic: the vehicles passing a point on an average day, both directions combined and trucks included. On a divided highway both carriageways are added together.
  • Traffic changes along a road, with more near interchanges and towns and less in open country. Every figure for a road describes its busiest stretch in the county, so the two rankings show the same numbers for the same road.
  • The second number is the trucks on that stretch, a part of its AADT. The bar splits the AADT into cars and light vehicles (blue) and trucks (amber).
  • See segment-level AADT for any road on TrafficZoom.

Data Sources & Methodology

The data presented on this page is derived from TrafficZoom's proprietary analytics platform, which aggregates and normalizes information from multiple sources, including:

Mobile device location data (anonymized and aggregated)

Road sensor networks and traffic counters

Historical traffic pattern databases

Public traffic count programs published by the

BellDepartment of Transportation

Demographic Baseline for O-D Modeling

U.S. Census Bureau
All metrics represent estimates based on statistical modeling and are intended for strategic planning purposes.
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Data current as of:
Q3 2026

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Counties near Bell County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Bell County, Kentucky.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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