GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Low gas prices should lead to busy roads this holiday week.
Patrick DeHaan of gasbuddy.com says that the current landscape is generally favorable, even though that might not matter to some.
“Even if gas prices were three or four dollars, I think Midwesterners are pretty resilient in the sixty or ninety days of summer that we get,” he explains. “We’re really not going to hold back unless gas prices are through the roof.”
And thankfully, they aren’t.
DeHaan says motorists shouldn’t experience much consternation while filling up this week.
“Green Bay specifically is about $2.58 a gallon, on average,” says DeHaan. “That’s up from $2.55 a week ago, still lower than a month ago when it was $2.71.”
Those looking to make a long weekend out of Thursday’s Independence Day celebration should be paying less than they did during the most recent extended weekend.
“We are about 20-cents-a-gallon lower than we were on Memorial Day Weekend,” he explains.
And for those wondering, the recent bump-up in prices has nothing to do with the calendar.
Rather, it has more to do with international politics.
“In the last couple of weeks we have started to see the trend turnaround and prices have started to move higher,” says DeHaan. “A lot of that is to do with the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.”
With no immediate end in sight to that situation, DeHaan predicts that the upward trend should continue to some extent.
But, the gradual rise shouldn’t be enough to drive motorists to the pump any earlier than they were originally planning.
In terms of traffic, it could be an unprecedented scene on American roadways.
AAA is reporting that they expect a record-breaking 48.9 million Americans to travel for a July 4 getaway, which would be nearly two million more than last year.
“Gas prices are, on average, 20 cents cheaper than Memorial Day weekend, which is welcome news for motorists hitting the road to celebrate the July Fourth holiday,” explains Nick Jarmusz with AAA.
According to him, the busiest day for travel will be on July 3.
