Gas Prices On The Rise Ahead Of Memorial Day Weekend Travel

Wisconsin residents who are traveling for Memorial Day weekend will see the highest gas prices in four years.

AAA Wisconsin says the average price of a gallon of gas reached $2.72 last month, up 33 cents from the same period last year.

“We’re seeing a simple supply and demand equation playing out,” Nick Jarmusz of AAA Wisconsin told WPR’s “The Morning Show.” “As the economy continues to improve, more people are working. That’s more people doing a daily commute as well as having the disposable income to take leisure travel. At the same time there’s been a reduction in the production of oil, and that’s leading to higher prices.”

Despite higher gas prices, AAA projects a fourth straight increase in Memorial Day road traffic, with more than 733,000 Wisconsin residents traveling by automobile between Friday and Monday.

The state is suspending road work in most areas until Tuesday morning and opening additional lanes to accommodate the extra traffic.

But law enforcement will be out in higher numbers over the weekend, to watch for impaired or distracted drivers.

Randy Romanski of the state Department of Transportation said Wisconsin is taking part in the national Click It Or Ticket mobilization, to encourage drivers to use seat belts.

“Wisconsinites are buckling up at a higher level now than they ever have,” Romanski said. “Almost 90 percent of Wisconsinites are buckling up. We do still lag behind the national average and our neighboring states.”

DOT officials said drivers should allow extra time to get to their destinations, and still use caution when driving through work zones because the lane configurations in some areas have changed.

The state expects the heaviest traffic Friday afternoon and Monday afternoon.