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Traffic heat map of Pondera County, Montana: 187 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on Main Street and I 15

Pondera County, Montana Traffic Counts

How busy are the roads of Pondera County, Montana? We measure 187 road miles, divided into 607 segments, with multi-sourced, cross-verified mobile and sensor data. Its busiest road, Main Street, carries 3,450 vehicles a day, 4.0 times the average road. The breakdown below covers volume, trucks, congestion and driver profiles for retailers, logistics planners and engineers.
Data sourced from TrafficZoom's proprietary analytics platform.
Data current as of:
Q3 2026
Updated:
September 29, 2026
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total traffic icon

Total Traffic Volume & Performance in Pondera County, Montana

Traffic

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

vehicles per day853
Trucks

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

12.6%
Average travel time

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

40.3 min
Congestion ratio

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

3.5%
Drivers’ average age

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

53.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$60,939

The average monitored road in Pondera County, Montana carries 853 vehicles per day. Across its 187 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 180,366 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈65.8 million per year). About 1 in 8 vehicles is a truck, in line with Montana (11.7%).

Traffic 80% below the Montana average

Pondera's average daily traffic volume is 80% lower than the state average - 853 vehicles per day against 4,202 - suggesting less traffic load per road - quiet roads that suit freight movement more than drive-by retail. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 0.6% of Montana's statewide total of vehicle-miles. 89% of counties in Montana see more traffic than Pondera's 853 vehicles per day.

The average trip takes 40.3 minutes, 11% higher than the state level. 58% of counties in Montana have a shorter average travel time than Pondera's 40.3 minutes.

Congestion runs 71% lower than the state level, at a ratio of 3.5%, which means smoother traffic flow - free-flowing roads make scheduled deliveries highly predictable.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Pondera County, Montana

Trafficvehicles per day1,482
Trucks13.8%
Average travel time51.7 min
Congestion ratio3.4%
Drivers’ average age53.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income$68,874

A little more than half of the driving in Pondera County, Montana happens on highways: 65% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 1,482 vehicles per day, 93% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 767 vehicles per day.

With 40% of the road miles (75 miles in 73 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 117,545 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈42.9 million per year).

Fewer highway trucks than 83% of counties in Montana

At 13.8%, highway truck share is 8% lower than the state average. The highway traffic mix is typical for Montana: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

By truck concentration, highways here trail 57% of counties in Montana. By raw truck volume, Pondera carries fewer highway trucks than 83% of counties in Montana.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Pondera County, Montana

Trafficvehicles per day767
Trucks10.4%
Average travel time38.7 min
Congestion ratio3.5%
Drivers’ average age52.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income$54,755

A significant share of driving in Pondera County, Montana, 35% of vehicle-miles, happens on local roads. A typical local road sees 767 vehicles per day.

Spread over 112 miles and 534 segments, 60% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 62,820 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈22.9 million per year). About 1 in 10 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (10.4%).

Local congestion 71% below the Montana average

The concentration of trucks on non-highway roads is 25% lower than on highways.

Non-highway congestion (3.5%) runs 71% lower than the state average, pointing to smoother local traffic flow.

Trip origins here have lower average income than 76% of counties in Montana. Pondera's median driver age is higher than 65% of counties in Montana.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 10:00 AM–12:00 PM and PM peak 3:00 PM–4:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 79% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekend traffic is about as busy as on weekdays (+3%): leisure and through trips largely replace the commute.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
July–September is the high season, with volumes +87% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -60% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Pondera County, Montana, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a strong seasonal swing of +87% in high season.

Pondera County vs. Montana Traffic Comparison

The average daily traffic per road sets Pondera County apart: 80% below the Montana average.

MetricPondera CountyMontana averageDifference
Traffic8534,202-79.7%
Truck % (Total Traffic)12.6%11.7%+8.0%
Truck % (Highway)13.8%15.0%-7.9%
Avg. Travel Time40.3 min36.2 min+11.4%

How Pondera County compares

Pondera County is the least congested of its nearby counties

Compared with its 4 closest neighbours, Pondera County is 32.6% less congested; it has the fourth busiest roads of the five. Less traffic and more room for it - the roads here run both quieter and freer than the areas around them.

Pondera County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Montana average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Pondera County85312.6%180,36640.3 min3.5%
Teton County, Montana85010.9%172,24333.3 min4.8%
Glacier County, Montana1,77010.4%230,70756.0 min6.9%
Toole County, Montana1,02515.1%137,03340.0 min5.1%
Liberty County, Montana95211.5%40,68744.5 min3.9%
Montana average4,20211.7%N/A36.2 min12.3%

Pondera County ranked within Montana

Average daily traffic volume places Pondera County #50 of 56 in Montana - the bottom quarter of the state.

Pondera County ranked among 56 county-level areas in Montana (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 47.
MeasurePondera CountyMontana rank
Traffic volume (AADT)853#50 of 56
Highway vehicle-miles per day117,545#36 of 47
Truck share on highways13.8%#27 of 47
Highway trucks per day204#39 of 47
Average travel time40.3 min#24 of 56
Average driver income$60,939#43 of 56
Average driver age53.1 yrs#20 of 56

Busiest roads in Pondera County, Montana

The three busiest roads in Pondera County average 2,688 vehicles a day, 3.2 times the county average of 853 across all its monitored roads.

Main Street is the busiest road, at 3,450 vehicles a day, 265 of them trucks (7.7%). I 15 carries the most trucks, 420 a day (13.7% of its traffic), although it ranks #2 for all traffic.

I 15 carries longer journeys than most roads here, with a median trip of 53.6 minutes against 40.3 county-wide.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Main StreetPrimary road · 3,450vehicles265trucks · 7.7%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
32.3 min
Drivers’ median age
53.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$52,527

Main Street carries 4.0 times the county average at its busiest, 265 of them trucks (7.7%, below the county-wide 12.6%).

2I 15Motorway · 3,060vehicles420trucks · 13.7%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
3.2%
Median trip time
53.6 min
Drivers’ median age
53.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$68,865

I 15 carries 3.6 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 53.6 minutes.

3Teton AvenuePrimary road · 1,554vehicles140trucks · 9.0%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
3.5%
Median trip time
31.3 min
Drivers’ median age
51.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$49,712

Teton Avenue carries 82% more than the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 31.3 minutes.

4I 15 BusinessPrimary road · 1,466vehicles151trucks · 10.3%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
2.7%
Median trip time
29.8 min
Drivers’ median age
52.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$52,871

Trips on I 15 Business are short, a median 29.8 minutes against 40.3 county-wide, so it mostly serves local errands and commutes.

5Valier HighwayPrimary road · 1,036vehicles93trucks · 9.0%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
2.7%
Median trip time
35.4 min
Drivers’ median age
51.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$49,174

At 21% more than the county average, Valier Highway draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $49,174 in household income.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 15Motorway · #2 by traffic3,060vehicles420trucks · 13.7%
2Main StreetPrimary road · #1 by traffic3,450vehicles265trucks · 7.7%
3I 15 BusinessPrimary road · #4 by traffic1,466vehicles151trucks · 10.3%
4Teton AvenuePrimary road · #3 by traffic1,554vehicles140trucks · 9.0%
5Valier HighwayPrimary road · #5 by traffic1,036vehicles93trucks · 9.0%
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

PonderaDepartment 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 Pondera County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Pondera County, Montana.

Need segment-level traffic data?

Identify traffic patterns street by street and analyze the exact corridors that matter to your project.