M-96 is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) like other state highways in Michigan. As a part of these maintenance responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic that uses the roadways under its jurisdiction. These volumes are expressed using a metric called annual average daily traffic, which is a statistical calculation of the average daily number of vehicles on a segment of roadway. MDOT's surveys in 2010 showed that the highest traffic levels along M-96 were the 22,953 vehicles daily between Capitol Avenue and I-194 in Battle Creek; the lowest counts were the 5,167 vehicles per day at the western terminus in Kalamazoo. The only section of M-96 that has been listed on the National Highway System (NHS), is in the Battle Creek area between the western BL I-94/M-37 junction and the I-94 interchange. The NHS is a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.