The corner of Gadd and Ely Road became a clogged intersection Thursday when a Harry's convenience store cut the price of regular gasoline below a dollar a gallon for the first time in decades, luring motorists from across the city to the Citgo station.
Motorists lined up at all eight pumps at the Hixson gas station to take advantage of regular gas priced at 99 cents a gallon - one of the lowest prices ever offered by Harry's since the company was started in Chattanooga in 1991.
"It's a good chance to give back to the community, especially during this difficult times," said Arjun Patel, owner of the Harry's convenience store chain.
The one day offer for regular gas below $1 a gallon caused vehicles to line up three and four deep at each pump Thursday afternoon.
"I never thought I'd see prices like this again in my life," said Gary Crews as he filled up his pickup truck. "I've got two other vehicles that I think I'll bring back as well."
With oil prices plunging to historic lows this week, gas prices have declined steadily for more than two months since the stay-at-home orders issued to limit the spread of the coronavirus have kept motorists off the road.
"Truly unprecedented demand destruction has been dismantling expensive gas prices everywhere," said Patrick Dehaan, an analyst for Gas Buddy.com, an online gas pricing service.
GasBuddy.com said the average price of regular gas in Chattanooga has dropped to only $1.47 a gallon, while the U.S. average price was declined to $1.76 a gallon.
Average gas prices in Chattanooga were briefly lower at $1.44 in March 2016, according to GasBuddy.com. But adjusted for inflation and the improved fuel economy of most vehicles, gas prices have never been lower in most people's lifetimes.
Harry's price below of 99 cents a gallon is the lowest in Chattanooga, but across the state in western Tennessee a Fuel Mart station in Paris, Tennessee is selling gas even cheaper for only 97 cents a gallon.
Susan McBryar, a Fort Oglethorpe motorist, said she saw the 99-cent price and knew she had to take advantage of the cheaper fuel.
"I'm taking a picture of this because I'm not sure we'll ever see this again," she said.