By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
As Americans prepare to travel for Independence Day, gas prices are actually looking very good for us here in the center part of the country.
"In Kansas, the average gas price today is $3.06 a gallon," Shawn Steward with AAA said Tuesday. "That's almost 20 cents less than where we were a year ago, and that puts us sixth lowest in the nation. So nothing to complain about there. We have seen a downturn in prices over the last few weeks. We did see an uptick here in the last day or so. There may be a little bit more of a rise to go in the summer as more people start traveling here in the peak of summer travel season, but overall here locally and at the national level, prices are down from where we were a year ago today."
Local county averages are on either side of the state average.
Reno: $2.92
McPherson: $2.99
Harvey: $3.05
Sedgwick: $3.10
Kingman: $3.21
Pratt: $3.13
Stafford: $3.10
Rice: $3.13
"Even in the past couple of summers when gas prices were higher than they are today, there was no lack of travel," Steward said. "People still want to get out on the road and take a summer vacation, and so they'll make decisions. They may stay at a less expensive hotel or look for a less expensive or free activities and attractions at their destination. So there's definitely ways to save money if you are paying more for gas, but this year, luckily, gas prices are very moderate."
Colorado is the most expensive of the neighboring states to Kansas at an average of $3.30 a gallon. The national average as of Tuesday is $3.47 a gallon.