Gas Price Report For December 26, 2016*

*Note: Report delayed to December 27 due to Christmas holiday

Gas price trend for week of December 26, 2016

Fort Lauderdale, FL – The price of gas continued surging upward through the holidays, according to the latest weekly price survey from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The last E.I.A. gas price report of 2016 was delayed one day due to the Christmas holiday, and shows the price of regular unleaded increased another 4-and-a-half cents, to settle near $2.31.

According to E.I.A. reports over the past four weeks, average prices, nationwide, have increased nearly 16-cents per gallon. Prices across the Midwest went up more than half that amount in the past week, alone, according to the E.I.A., stinging holiday travelers.

The cost of diesel pushed upward again this week, too, according to the E.I.A. The national average cost of diesel went up just over a penny per gallon and now stands at $2.54.

Regional cost averages for both gasoline and diesel are listed below, ranked from highest to lowest price.

Regional Gasoline Averages:

$2.592: PADD 5 WEST COAST (INCL. CA)
$2.416: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC
$2.395 PADD 5 WEST COAST (W/O CA)
$2.313: PADD 1 EAST COAST
$2.311: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND
$2.280: PADD 2 MIDWEST
$2.237: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC
$2.175: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN
$2.080: PADD 3 GULF COAST

Regional Diesel Averages:

$2.807: PADD 5 WEST COAST
$2.687: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC
$2.611: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND
$2.573: PADD 1 EAST COAST
$2.516: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN
$2.489: PADD 2 MIDWEST
$2.478: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC
$2.421: PADD 3 GULF COAST

Note: PADD is an acronym for Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts.

Gas Price Report For December 19, 2016

Gas price trend for week of December 19, 2016

Fort Lauderdale, FL – The price of gas continues to move higher nationwide, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, as prices pushed upward nearly three cents again this week. The national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is now over $2.26. In all, prices nationwide have surged 11¢ higher since Thanksgiving.

The E.I.A.’s weekly price survey of the nation’s petroleum defense districts shows prices went up in all regions this week, unlike last week. Prices in the Lower Atlantic and Gulf Coast states each went up 4.5¢ per gallon, or a nickel, in more practical terms. In a rare shift of rank, the Central Atlantic states have, technically, higher prices for gas than the West Coast of the U.S., provided California is removed from the formula.

The cost of diesel pushed upward again this week, too, according to the E.I.A. The national average cost of diesel went up just over a three cents per gallon and now stands at $2.53.

Regional cost averages for both gasoline and diesel are listed below, ranked from highest to lowest price.

Regional Gasoline Averages:

$2.563: PADD 5 WEST COAST (INCL. CA)
$2.378: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC
$2.377 PADD 5 WEST COAST (W/O CA)
$2.290: PADD 1 EAST COAST
$2.281: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND
$2.226: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC
$2.192: PADD 2 MIDWEST
$2.135: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN
$2.053: PADD 3 GULF COAST

Regional Diesel Averages:

$2.788: PADD 5 WEST COAST
$2.667: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC
$2.587: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND
$2.559: PADD 1 EAST COAST
$2.495: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN
$2.479: PADD 2 MIDWEST
$2.470: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC
$2.410: PADD 3 GULF COAST

Note: PADD is an acronym for Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts.

Gas Price Report For December 12, 2016

Gas price trends for week of December 12, 2016

Fort Lauderdale, FL – The price of gas lurched upward once more, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, as prices followed last week’s five-cent gain with another three-cent price jump this week. The average price of regular unleaded, nationwide, is now nearly $2.24 per gallon, according to this week’s E.I.A. price survey.

The weekly report shows all regions are now, officially, above the $2.00 price point, with prices along the Gulf Coast slipping up to $2.01 this week. The only regions where prices are going down are California and the broader West Coast, where prices are already highest in the nation.

The cost of diesel pushed upward again this week, as well, according to the E.I.A. The E.I.A. reports the national average cost of diesel went up just over a penny per gallon and now stands at $2.49.

Regional cost averages for both gasoline and diesel are listed below, ranked from highest to lowest price.

Regional Gasoline Averages:

$2.556: PADD 5 WEST COAST (INCL. CA)
$2.368 PADD 5 WEST COAST (W/O CA)
$2.363: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC
$2.257: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND
$2.259: PADD 1 EAST COAST
$2.181: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC
$2.162: PADD 2 MIDWEST
$2.122: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN
$2.008: PADD 3 GULF COAST

Regional Diesel Averages:

$2.772: PADD 5 WEST COAST
$2.633: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC
$2.547: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND
$2.520: PADD 1 EAST COAST
$2.447: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN
$2.446: PADD 2 MIDWEST
$2.429: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC
$2.371: PADD 3 GULF COAST

Note: PADD is an acronym for Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts.

2017 Toll Increases Impact Multiple States

Many Agencies Raising Tolls For Capital Improvement Projects

Road Widening and Technology Upgrades Lead Lists

Drivers across many of the nation’s toll roads will find themselves pitching more change into the basket as they pass barriers in 2017, as a number of states’ tolling agencies announced they are preparing to raise costs. Pennsylvania’s Turnpike Commission announced its rate increase in July, via an online news release. The Ohio Turnpike Commission began raising rates in 2013, and the commission has already published Ohio’s annual rate increases on its website through 2023. Illinois announced its rate increase for 2017 early in 2016.

DOWNLOAD 2017 TOLL BOOKS

NewsOK.com. Illinois Tollway rate card from Illinois Tollway. Ohio Turnpike toll rates from The Ohio Turnpike Commission. Pennsylvania Turnpike rates from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

In making its announcement for 2017, the PA Turnpike Commission said its toll increases were necessary to fund a “10-year spending plan which invests more than $5.77-billion” into the turnpike system. Part of that plan, the commission said, includes road widening and reconstruction projects.

The Ohio Turnpike Commission issued a proclamation, in 2013, that stated, in part, “[T]oll rate increases are needed to pay any increased operating costs over the next ten years, as well as increases in debt service payments required because of the issuance of Turnpike Revenue Bonds.”

Illinois Tollway construction
Road work on the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, in April 2016.

Meanwhile, Illinois has been on a massive technology and infrastructure improvement plan that, this year, included a major upgrade of the Jane Addams Memorial Highway, in addition to improvements on other toll roads of the Illinois Tollway system. The current set of price increases is due to impact primarily truckers. New all-electronic tolling systems are also set to become operational Illinois’ Route 390 later in 2017, according to the state’s official toll website.

Different Dates For Toll Rate Hikes From State To State

Not all 2017 increases are happening on New Year’s Day. While Illinois and Ohio are hiking rates on January 1, Pennsylvania is giving drivers a one-week grace period, of sorts. Penna rates will go up on January 8.

However, not all 2017 toll rate increases have been finalized, and not all state toll agencies know whether they plan to raise rates.

Some Toll Adjustments In Some States Still Uncertain

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority had planned a 12% toll increase that would take effect January 1, but a challenge to the bond issue the increase would fund has put the precise date, and the increase, in doubt, said Jack Damrill, the authority’s Director of Communications and Facilities.

However, Mr. Damrill sounded confident Oklahoma’s tolls would be adjusted in the coming year, regardless of the state’s Supreme Court case. “There is a good possibility the toll increase could be put on hold until the outcome of the litigation,” he wrote in an email, adding, “In short, our tolls will be changing sometime in 2017.”

Chad Huff, with Florida’s Department of Transportation, said authorities in that state were unsure about any toll increase on Florida’s Turnpike in 2017, even though the state’s legislature has authorized the agency to raise rates to keep up with U.S. Consumer Price Index, a process the state calls “toll indexing.”

Huff said Florida’s toll agency would review the potential for a 2017 increase well after the start of the year, suggesting a decision may be made early in the second quarter of 2017. “Our toll rates are evaluated in the Spring, for possible implementation in the Summer,” Huff wrote TurnpikeInfo.com. “Best to check back in April.” Florida typically raises rates in July, although there were no increases in 2016.

Indiana, Massachusetts Hike Rates In 2016

Indiana Toll Road eastbound
The Indiana Toll Road, pictured above, recently underwent a major resurfacing that finally forced the state’s concession company to raise rates in July of 2016.

Some states have already raised rates ahead of the coming new year. Tolls across Indiana went up July 1, after an announcement by the Indiana Toll Road Concession Company, a private-sector company contracted to run the state’s 157-mile toll highway. The ITR connects to the Chicago Skyway on the west end and to the Ohio Turnpike at the east gate. The ITRCC announced the hike only two months before it officially took effect.

In Massachusetts, the residents and visitors traveling the Massachusetts Turnpike were introduced to new tolls on October 28, 2016, along with a new all-electronic toll system that no longer accepts cash. The Mass Pike, as it is known colloquially, connects to the New York State Thruway on the west end of the state, and to Boston and Logan International Airport in the east.

No Toll Increases For New Jersey, New York

Neither the New Jersey Turnpike nor the Garden State Parkway were due for a toll increase in the coming year, said Thomas Feeney, with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

In New York, a spokeswoman at the New York State Thruway press office said Governor Andrew Cuomo had frozen future toll increases until after 2020.

Gas Price Report For December 5, 2016

Gas price trend for week of December 5, 2016

Fort Lauderdale, FL – The price of gas did an about-face this week, after three weeks of declines, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which reports the average national price for regular unleaded shot upward over five cents per gallon in the past seven days. The national average is now nearly $2.21 per gallon, up from about $2.15 just a week ago. Several regions had prices lurch upward as much as eight cents per gallon. In an unusual trend, California, and the broader West Coast, enjoyed a decline in gas prices.

The cost of diesel jumped this week, as well, according to the E.I.A. The E.I.A. reports the national average cost of diesel surged six cents per gallon and now stands at $2.48.

Regional cost averages for both gasoline and diesel are listed below, ranked from highest to lowest price.

Regional Gasoline Averages:

$2.571: PADD 5 WEST COAST (INCL. CA)
$2.380: PADD 5 WEST COAST (W/O CA)
$2.340: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC
$2.236: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND
$2.231: PADD 1 EAST COAST
$2.147: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC
$2.120: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN
$2.107: PADD 2 MIDWEST
$1.979: PADD 3 GULF COAST

Regional Diesel Averages:

$2.770: PADD 5 WEST COAST
$2.602: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC
$2.526: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND
$2.457: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN
$2.499: PADD 1 EAST COAST
$2.415: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC
$2.431: PADD 2 MIDWEST
$2.361: PADD 3 GULF COAST

Note: PADD is an acronym for Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts.