The highest recorded average price in Springfield for regular gas is $4.99 and $5.75 for diesel as of Tuesday, AAA reports.
The gas average for Springfield and Clark County is $4.99, up 20 cents from Monday at $4.79, said AAA spokesperson Kara Hitchens.
Prices range from 5 to 10 cents in surrounding counties, Hitchens said. Clark County has the second highest gas price average, following behind Miami County at $5.03. Champaign County is at $4.94.
Hitchens said it’s a real possibility to hit an average of $5 or more.
“I think there will be a breaking point where people stop or at least greatly reduce their driving and prices come back down. We don’t know what that breaking point is yet,” Hitchens said.
“We know from a survey done in February, that people said at $4 a gallon they would adjust their driving habits, but no one has said they will stop altogether and park the car,” she added.
The average price for a gallon of gas increased by 62 cents from last week at multiple gas stations in the county, according to AAA.
This week, prices in Springfield have gone up from $4.37 a week ago to $4.79 and $4.99.
Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, predicted last week that the average price of regular unleaded gasoline in Ohio would reach $5 this month.
The Ohio average was $5.07 on Tuesday, higher than the national average of $4.95, according to GasBuddy, which tracks real-time gas prices across the United States.
“It’s awful,” De Haan said. “I would not have expected at the start of the year that we’d be seeing gas prices so high, but a lot has changed since the start of the year and unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to get much better for quite some time. I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
Some Springfield gas station that have surpassed the $5 per gallon mark include BP on East Main Street, Marathon on East National Road, Sunoco on East Home Road and Speedway on South Limestone Street. They are all $5.09 per gallon.
Other gas stations such as Love’s Travel Stop on Ridge Road is at $4.99 and Fuel Mart on North Urbana Street is at $4.95.
In Urbana, several gas stations also passed the $5 mark, such as Speedway on Scioto Street and North Main Street, also are at $5.09 per gallon, according to GasBuddy.
Other gas station such as Sunoco on West Main Street is the cheapest at $4.77, while Marathon on OH-235 is at $4.79 and Marathon on East Main Street is at $4.99.
“It’s just absolutely mind-blowing to see how quickly prices have gone up,” De Haan said.
About the Authors
