Average retail gasoline prices in Chattanooga rose another 2.2 per gallon last week but remained 28 cents a gallon below the U.S. average, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of gas outlets released today.
The average price of gas in Chattanooga on Sunday was $2.09 per gallon. That' up 42.2 cents per gallon from a year ago when prices fell to the lowest average annual rates in more than a decade. Nationwide, the average price of gas on Sunday was $3.27 a gallon on Sunday, up 38.3 cents from a year ago.
Motorists could soon get some relief from rising gas prices, however..
"If there's ever a time one could expect gasoline prices to flatline, this week should be one of them," said Gregg Laskoski, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy. "Given the Department of Energy report last week of a huge build in gasoline inventory followed by the brutal 1-2 punch from Winter Storms Helena and Iras, that brings immediate and downward pressure on fuel prices."
A half dozen local gas stations on Signal Mountain Road, East Brainerd and Red Bank also are selling gas today at $1.95 per gallon - the cheapest in the region, according to GasBuddy.com.