(April 15): Here’s the latest sign of the great U.S. gasoline comeback: For the first time since the pandemic started, driving on the nation’s highways is higher than at the same time in 2019.

Vehicle miles traveled on interstates rose to roughly 16.7 billion in the week ended April 11 -- 1% higher than in 2019, U.S. government data showed. The last time there was an increase versus 2019 was in early March of last year, before the World Health Organization had declared a pandemic.