Lookout Valley stations offer cheapest gas in Mid-South

A pair of gas stations in Lookout Valley offered the cheapest gas prices in the Mid-South on Monday as fuel prices continued to decline following the end of summertime travel and hurricane season.

Two gas stations on Cummings Highway in Lookout Valley near the Interstate 24 exit — Exxon and Murphy USA — were selling gas Monday at the lowest regular gas prices of any station in Tennessee or Georgia at $2.38 per gallon.

Across Chattanooga, the price of regular gas fell an average of 3.5 cents a gallon last week and averaged 29 cents per gallon less than the U.S. average, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 170 stations in Chattanooga.

“Much of the country continues to enjoy broad decreases in gas prices as oil prices drop to $69 per barrel,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy “In fact, with the exception of the West Coast where an earlier natural gas pipeline shutdown caused prices to go up, nearly every state saw prices move lower.”

The drop in gas prices is typical following the busy summer travel season, but that decline was delayed this year due to concern over Iran sanctions and OPEC production.

“While Great Lakes states may see prices bounce off current lows in the week ahead, much of the rest of the country will likely see additional downward movement,” DeHaan said.

According to a separate price survey by AAA gas prices in Tennessee have declined for the past 10 consecutive days.

“Motorists are getting a welcome reprieve from high prices at the pump,” said Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA - The Auto Club Group. “Gas prices have been pushed lower by oil prices, which significantly declined during the past two weeks. The market is responding to strong gains in domestic oil supplies, easing global supply concerns. Motorists can expect additional declines at the pump if oil prices drop again this week.”

But the $2.54-per-gallon average price for regular gas at the pump locally was still 43 cents per gallon higher than at this time a year ago and was up 54 cents a gallon from where gas prices were two years ago, GasBuddy said in a report released Monday.

The higher gas prices are costing the typical Tennessee motorist an extra $6 to fill up his or her vehicle. On average, Tennessee motorists spend $40 for a full tank of gasoline.

Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfree press.com or at 757-6340.