 The Florida Department of Transportation annual average daily traffic (AADT) numbers for 2012 show average numbers starting at 10,000 vehicles on the southern portion of the road, increasing to between 17,000 and 22,000 vehicles around SR 298, and again decreasing to 16,000 as the road approaches Bellview, hitting 14,000 vehicles per day at the road's northern terminus.In 1955, a portion of today's routing of SR 173, from today's US 98/SR 30 to the sharp turn to the east close to today's northern terminus, is being shown as a bituminous road, and is signed as SR 297.SR 297 at the time included what is today signed as CR 297, as well as the part of today's SR 298 from CR 297 and SR 173, which runs alongside Perdido Bay.