Gas Price Report For February 27, 2017

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Only a week after reversing course, the price of gas turned once more, as the national average pushed back up about a penny per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The weekly E.I.A. gas price survey shows prices settled, nationally, at just over $2.31 per gallon. Prices across the East Coast were generally down, but a significant price hike in California dragged the national averages higher. The cost of diesel increased this week, albeit barely, according to the E.I.A. The average cost of diesel went up about a half a penny per gallon, as the national price average pushed up to $2.58. Regional cost averages for both gasoline and diesel are listed below, ranked from highest to lowest price.

Regional Gasoline Averages:

$2.796: PADD 5 WEST COAST (INCL. CA) $2.522: PADD 5 WEST COAST (W/O CA) $2.396: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC $2.286: PADD 1 EAST COAST $2.272: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND $2.273: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN $2.210: PADD 2 MIDWEST $2.207: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC $2.069: PADD 3 GULF COAST

Regional Diesel Averages:

$2.877: PADD 5 WEST COAST $2.772: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC $2.658: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND $2.635: PADD 1 EAST COAST $2.582: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN $2.533: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC $2.499: PADD 2 MIDWEST $2.433: PADD 3 GULF COAST Note: PADD is an acronym for Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts.]]>

Gas Price Report For February 20*, 2017

Editor’s note: The EIA weekly price survey was delayed due to the Presidents’ Day Holiday, which was February 20. The report was released February 21, 2017.

Gas Price trend for week of February 20, 2017

Fort Lauderdale, FL – The price of gasoline took a little turn for the better this week, at least for most drivers. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s weekly price survey shows the nation’s average price for a gallon of unleaded gas fell about a half-penny per gallon, settling at $2.30.

Prices fell in most regions, except along the West Coast and in the Rocky Mountains. East Coast prices were up fractionally, led by a rise in costs along the Lower Atlantic states.

The cost of diesel increased this week, bucking the regular gasoline trend, according to the E.I.A. However, the average cost of diesel went up less than a penny per gallon, and the national price average remains at $2.57.

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

Regional Gasoline Averages:

$2.750: PADD 5 WEST COAST (INCL. CA)
$2.496: PADD 5 WEST COAST (W/O CA)
$2.420: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC
$2.294: PADD 1 EAST COAST
$2.288: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND
$2.252: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN
$2.201: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC
$2.190: PADD 2 MIDWEST
$2.069: PADD 3 GULF COAST

Regional Diesel Averages:

$2.876: PADD 5 WEST COAST
$2.770: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC
$2.658: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND
$2.628: PADD 1 EAST COAST
$2.548: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN
$2.521: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC
$2.495: PADD 2 MIDWEST
$2.433: PADD 3 GULF COAST

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

Gas Price Report For February 13, 2017

Gas price trend for week of February 13, 2017

Fort Lauderdale, FL – The cost of filling your gas tank may have gone up this week, as the nation’s average fuel costs reversed course and pumped upward almost one-and-a-half cents, on average, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The average cost of a gallon of unleaded gas is now $2.31.

The surge in prices was largely due to dramatic price increases across the Midwest and West Coast regions, both which inflated the national average. Prices increased only slightly or went down in every other region, dropping noticeably in both Atlantic regions.

The cost of diesel increased this week, but only just, according to the E.I.A. The average cost of diesel went up about a penny per gallon and is now $2.57.

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

Regional Gasoline Averages:

$2.732: PADD 5 WEST COAST (INCL. CA)
$2.487: PADD 5 WEST COAST (W/O CA)
$2.424: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC
$2.296: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND
$2.293: PADD 1 EAST COAST
$2.230: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN
$2.213: PADD 2 MIDWEST
$2.195: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC
$2.080: PADD 3 GULF COAST

Regional Diesel Averages:

$2.869: PADD 5 WEST COAST
$2.765: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC
$2.668: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND
$2.626: PADD 1 EAST COAST
$2.522: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN
$2.519: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC
$2.487: PADD 2 MIDWEST
$2.424: PADD 3 GULF COAST

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

Gas Price Report For Monday, February 6, 2017

Gas price trend for week of February 6, 2017

Fort Lauderdale, FL – The nation’s average gas price dropped for a fourth consecutive week, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The E.I.A.’s weekly gas price survey shows the average price of the nation’s gasoline fell from $2.30 to $2.29, although the actual price decline was only three-tenths of a penny.

However, drivers in the Midwest and Central Atlantic regions enjoyed as much as a penny off last week’s fuel costs, according to the report.

The cost of diesel dropped again this week, as well, according to the E.I.A. The average cost of diesel is now $2.56 per gallon. Regional cost averages for both gasoline and diesel are listed below, ranked from highest to lowest price.

Regional Gasoline Averages:

$2.700: PADD 5 WEST COAST (INCL. CA)
$2.483 PADD 5 WEST COAST (W/O CA)
$2.432: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC
$2.301: PADD 1 EAST COAST
$2.294: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND
$2.233: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN
$2.206: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC
$2.181: PADD 2 MIDWEST
$2.071: PADD 3 GULF COAST

Regional Diesel Averages:

$2.856: PADD 5 WEST COAST
$2.763: PADD 1b CENTRAL ATLANTIC
$2.661: PADD 1a NEW ENGLAND
$2.618: PADD 1 EAST COAST
$2.515: PADD 4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN
$2.508: PADD 1c LOWER ATLANTIC
$2.492: PADD 2 MIDWEST
$2.403: PADD 3 GULF COAST

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

Delaware River Bridge To Remain Closed Two Months

Officials Announce April Reopening, But Only If “Best Case Scenario” Prevails

The Delaware River Bridge, which connects the New Jersey Turnpike and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, is slated to remain closed at least another eight weeks, officials announced Friday. The bridge was shut to civilian traffic on Friday, January 20 when a large crack was discovered in a support truss. The decision to keep the bridge closed was made by a joint engineering task force being co-led by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. The agencies jointly own and manage the DRB.

Jacking And Realigning Bridge To Take At Least One Month

Crack in Delaware River Bridge
Weight loads shifted considerably, officials say, when this crack opened in a support truss of the DRB, which has been closed to traffic since January 20, 2017. The bridge now must be realigned before the fracture can be repaired.

That means the next several weeks will be devoted to installing temporary towers and hydraulic jacks to realign the bridge. The groundwork for the jacking towers began last week, authorities said. Steel-pipe pilings are being installed underground, according to officials, that will support 80-foot towers. Those towers will be carefully jacked into position to realign the bridge, but that will not happen until early March, at least, according to authorities.
However, officials admit they do not know whether the rest of the bridge can support a regular traffic flow, and authorities said they will not be able to determine that until the jacking process is completed.

“The goal of the jacking operation is to return the bridge to its original position and allow us to complete a permanent splice of the fracture,” said Brad Heigel, Chief Engineer for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. “As the jacking operation occurs, and load is transferred within the bridge, instrumentation will monitor the actual loads, stresses and displacements, which will be compared to estimated outcomes from computer models.”

Agency Heads Say They Hope For “Best Case Scenario”, But Sound Cautionary Tone

“Under the best case scenario, the bridge will return to its original position and the construction team will be able to install a permanent repair splice on the fractured steel member,” officials with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority wrote in a prepared statement. “It is possible, however, that the process will reveal the need for a [sic] more complex repairs or possibly even replacement of the entire structure, in which case the closure would last longer.”

“We want to get this bridge reopened to traffic as soon as we are safely able to do so,” said New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Richard T. Hammer. Hammer also serves as chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority board.

“We understand the inconvenience this closure creates for tens of thousands of drivers every day,” he said. “We are working around the clock to get it reopened. But we won’t allow a single car to cross that bridge until we are absolutely certain that it is safe.”

Alternate routes remain in effect for traffic crossing between the two states’ turnpikes. Authorities say the DRB carries an average of 42-thousand vehicles per day across the now-disabled span.

REPAIR TIMETABLE

The PTC announced a tentative repair timetable, which authorities say represents the best case scenario for reopening the bridge to traffic. That timetable is as follows:
Estimated Bridge Repair Timetable

  • Feb. 6 – Install jacking towers.
  • Feb. 13 – Install jacking towers, instrumentation and structural reinforcement required for jacking.
  • Feb. 20 – Install instrumentation and structural reinforcement required for jacking.
  • Feb. 27 – Install structural reinforcement required for jacking.
  • March 6 – Perform jacking.
  • March 13 – Install permanent repair splice.
  • March 20 – Perform load testing.
  • March 27 – Demobilize jacking towers.


ALTERNATE ROUTES

Eastbound Detour (Pennsylvania to New Jersey)

PA Turnpike motorists heading east into New Jersey should use this revised alternate route: Exit at the Bensalem Interchange, #351 in Bucks County. Follow U.S. Route 1 north, to I-95 north, to I-295, south, to I-195 east. Take Exit 6 on I-195, and reenter the NJ Turnpike. Source: PA Turnpike Commission.

Westbound Detour (New Jersey to Pennsylvania)

NJTP drivers heading west into Pennsylvania will need to use either Interstate 78, Interstate 295, or the Burlington-Bristol Bridge. Source: New Jersey Turnpike Authority.