Pain at the Pump Continues for Essex Drivers

The pain at the pump grew considerably worse for Maryland drivers over the last week.

According to the latest AAA survey, the average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded in the state jumped to $3.78 a gallon on Sunday, which is a seven-cent increase from a week ago and a 23-cent spike from the same time a year ago.

Follow Essex-Middle River Patch on Facebook and Twitter.

The cost in Maryland nearly mirrors the average cost to fill up nationally, where the average cost for a gallon of regular unleaded was $3.79 on Sunday, a three-cent jump from a week ago and a 24-cent increase from a year ago, the survey continued.

The Greek debt swap, continued tensions in the Middle East and improving U.S. employment figures all played a factor in the rising cost of crude oil, which finished at $107.40 a barrel, according to a AAA news release.

AAA reports that the fear of the average cost for a gallon of regular unleaded reaching $4.25 a gallon by late spring is still a possibility. That average would far surpass the previous record national average of $4.11 a gallon, set in July 2008, according to AAA’s news release.

Here are some of the cheapest gas prices in the Essex-Middle River area, according to Patch’s gas price tracker and MarylandGasPrices.com:

Address Cost for Regular Unleaded 35 Back River Neck Road $3.65 1010 Old Eastern Ave. $3.65 Citgo 2929 Eastern Ave. $3.73 1 Compass Road $3.77 Citgo 9525 Pulaski Highway $3.77