Connecticut’s average gas price
falls below $3 a gallon
Gas stations on Williams Avenue in New London's Hodges Square Wednesday, December 10,
2014.Sean D. Elliot/The Day
Published December 10. 2014 8:38AM
Updated December 10. 2014 11:49PM
By Brian Hallenbeck
Publication: theday.com
New London — Gasoline prices, creeping lower for weeks and
months, reached a milestone Wednesday in Connecticut, where
the average price of a gallon of regular dipped below $3, AAA
announced.
Some local drivers said they doubted the low prices would stay
low for long.
Heralding the event, AAA noted in a press release that the
statewide average price was $2.995, the first time it’s been below
$3 since Nov. 5, 2010, a stretch of 1,495 days or slightly more
than four years — the longest such period in history.
“I don’t think it will last. I’m sure it will go back up,” said Hillary
Hollingsworth, 23, of Waterford, who filled up at the Shell station
on Williams Street in Hodges Square. “Still, I do what I have to
do. … But it’s nice to have a little more money.”
The station was charging a cash price of $2.999 and a credit card
price of $3.069. Next door, a Sunoco station was charging $2.979
and $3.039. On the other side of the Shell, a Citgo was charging
$3.059.
The average price in the New London-Norwich area fell below $3
at some point within the last week, according to Aaron Kupec, a
AAA spokesman. On Wednesday, it was $2.97. A week earlier, it
was $3.05.
Statewide, the average price has fallen 24 cents in the past month
and 67 cents since this time a year ago, although it remains the
fourth highest in the country.
AAA estimates that the lower prices are saving Americans about
$350 million a day compared to the spring and summer. At that
point the average price in Connecticut peaked at $3.98, just before
the Fourth of July.
“The bigger news is the additional disposable income people have
around the holidays,” Kupec said. “It could lead to more
shopping, more dining out. … It’s like getting a pay raise.”
For Nick Charriez, a 23-year-old New London resident fueling up
at the Williams Street Shell, the falling gas price was not of major
significance.
“I don’t travel a whole lot,” said Charriez, assistant swimming
coach at Connecticut College. “I can tell you when I was going to
college in Ohio and driving nine hours to get there from
Westchester, N.Y., it would have made a difference.”
“I just hope it stays down,” he said of the price. “But I don’t think
it’s realistic. In a couple of years, we’ll see the July 2009 thing
again.”
Another Shell customer, Jeff Gran, 19, of Waterford, said he had
ample reason to welcome low gas prices.
“When you have a vehicle that gets seven miles to a gallon, it’s
big,” he said. “I’m driving my truck a little more now. I hope the
price stays down or even just goes up a little. For people who
don’t make a lot of money, half their paycheck is going toward
gas.”
Kupec said gas prices are expected to continue to drop or hold
steady until at least the spring. Barring any global supply issues,
he said, “We’re going to see lower peaks, deeper valleys in 2015.”
He said the low prices are attributable to a large global supply of
crude oil at the same time demand is lessening. January and
February are typically the months with the least demand, he said.
For all its falling, Connecticut’s average gas price AAA reported,
trails only New York ($3.06), Alaska ($3.43) and Hawaii ($3.77).
Missouri boasts the lowest average price at $2.32.