Gas prices rise as Memorial Day traffic hits the road

In Ohio, gas prices are at lowest since 2009.


Quick Stats for Pump Prices

• The nation’s top five most expensive markets are: California ($2.80), Hawaii ($2.66), Washington ($2.59), Alaska ($2.58) and Nevada ($2.49).

• The nation’s top five least expensive markets are: Mississippi ($2.05), South Carolina ($2.06), Arkansas ($2.06), Texas ($2.07) and Missouri ($2.07).

• For the first time since August 2015, drivers in every state and Washington, D.C. are paying averages above $2 per gallon.

Source: AAA of the Miami Valley

Gas prices are peaking for the year in the run-up to Memorial Day, but they are still at historic lows and will be luring more people to the highways this weekend.

If you want a break at the pump, go south.

That’s the word from fuel price and travel experts, who also expect gasoline prices to continue to rise this week before beginning a slow decline after Memorial Day. The good news: the average price for regular unleaded gas in Ohio started out at $2.37 per gallon this week, the lowest since $2.32 in 2009, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

As if anticipating the rising demand, the price for unleaded spiked to $2.59 at the Speedway in Kettering on Shroyer Boulevard. On Monday other stations around the area began matching that price.

Last week, the national average price of gasoline increased slightly but reached a new high for 2016 at $2.28 per gallon for regular unleaded. Although it seems high, the national average was still 46 cents per gallon below last year’s average in the same period.

The average price for regular gas in the Miami Valley was $2.46, having risen in a day from $2.37, according to the AAA daily fuel gauge report.

Wildfires in Canadian oil country, ongoing maintenance at Great Lakes refineries and peaking demand for the year are all factors in pushing prices higher. AAA said that output at BP’s Whiting, Indiana plant and the BP-Husky plant in Toledo are expected to be limited for the next few weeks.

Patrick DeHaan, Senior Petroleum Analyst with GasBuddy.com, is betting that prices at the pump in Ohio will range from $2.35 per gallon to $2.60 on Memorial Day weekend. Those prices are much lower compared to Memorial Day weeks between 2011 and 2014, when gas prices routinely topped above $3.65 per gallon, according to federal data.

“What we will see in Ohio is higher prices and more volatility as larger refineries in the Great Lakes continue a extensive period of maintenance,” he said.

Once the refinery maintenance wraps up, expect prices closer to $2.20 per gallon, DeHaan said. Larger cities with fierce competition could see lower prices, he added.

You’ll have to travel quite a bit south to get a break, DeHaan said, for example prices in Virginia were around $2.13 Tuesday. Lower prices are also found along the Gulf with oil production nearby and in South Carolina and Missouri.

Highways will likely be more crowded than they have been in many years.

AAA of the Miami Valley said it expects nearly 34 million holiday travelers, lured by lower gasoline prices, will drive to their Memorial Day destinations, an increase of 2.1 percent over last year.

AAA said it expects most U.S. drivers will pay the lowest Memorial Day gas prices since 2005.

“Gas prices peak in most years before Memorial Day, which means we could see them decline later this summer if normal trends apply,” Cindy Antrican of AAA of the Miami Valley said. “The big wild card is the cost of crude oil.”

Around Dayton, the Ohio Department of Transportation has a half-dozen projects that could be traffic hang-ups. Drivers would be advised to clear them early in the morning of their departure.

They include:

  • Interstate 75 from Third Street to Main Street with two lanes of traffic open to northbound motorists and three lanes will be open to southbound motorists. Traffic patterns are not in their traditional places at this location.
  • Interstate 70 between Airport Access Road and Ohio 48 with two lanes of traffic open in each direction. Motorist should remain alert.
  • I-75 near CR 25A in Troy with lane width restrictions. Drivers should stay alert as traffic is not in its traditional pattern. Two lanes are open in each direction with one northbound lane shifted to the southbound side, one northbound lane operating on the northbound side and two southbound lanes open on the southbound side.
  • I-75 in Hamilton County between Mitchell Avenue and Ohio 562. One lane of southbound I-75 traffic is in a contraflow position on the west side of I-75 between Ohio 562 and the Mitchell Avenue exit.
  • Interstate 71 in Warren County at Socialville-Fosters Road bridge near King's Island. The shoulders of north and southbound I-71 at the bridge are closed.

About the Author