Travel Up, Gas Prices Down As Motorists Hit Road For Holiday Weekend
By Justin Udo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Good news for drivers this Memorial Day Weekend. The price of gas at the pump will not hurt your pockets as much as it has in recent years.
AAA Mid-Atlantic says gas prices are nearly one dollar less than this time last year, and the lowest for a Memorial Day Weekend in five years.
"Although we've seen recent increases in prices at the pump compared to what they were last fall and the begriming of this year, that's definitely a significant saving for motorists," says spokeswoman Jana Tidwell.
More than 400,000 motorists from the Delaware Valley are expected to travel throughout the holiday weekend. Tidwell says travel is up five percent from last year.
"The volume you are seeing for this Memorial Day Weekend is the largest volume for Memorial Day in the past ten years," she says. "Gas prices are definitely fueling that travel increase this year."
Tidwell says barring any major catastrophe, throughout the summer, gas prices should remain below the $3 per gallon mark this year.
According to gasbuddy.com, the average price for gas in Southeast Pennsylvania is $2.84 and in Southern New Jersey it's $2.53.