- A gallon of regular gas averages $4.26 in the Omaha area on Friday, up nearly $1.40 from last year
- AAA expects a record number of travelers this Memorial Day weekend despite rising fuel costs
- Some Benson neighbors are cutting trips short or canceling plans altogether to offset higher gas prices
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) – Memorial Day weekend travel plans are being reconsidered by some Benson neighbors as gas prices continue to rise.
It's a weekend that's been circled on neighbor Winnie Dennis' calendar for decades. She hops in the car and heads to Kansas City to visit her godmother on Memorial Day weekend.
"We usually go to the park and barbecue, and things like that, but everything is just growing up so high. I don't know about that this year," Dennis said.
Not only does Dennis not know if she's going to do those activities because of higher costs, but she doesn't even know if she's going to be making the road trip this weekend.
"Yeah, the gas prices is so high now. It's kind of not in my budget, so I'm still debating," Dennis said.
According to AAA, a gallon of regular gas now costs on average $4.26 in the Omaha area – that's up nearly $1.40 from this time last year.
3 News Now's Central Omaha neighborhood reporter Jeremy Fredricks spoke with AAA's Nick Jarmusz, who says the group expects a record number of travelers this holiday weekend, even if people are changing their vacationing habits.
"They're cutting their trip short a day so that they can recoup the cost of like one night at the hotel stay or fewer meals or things like that," Jarmusz said.
"I usually get a hotel, so that's why I'm debating if I'm gonna stay with her, because I gotta pay so much for gas to get down there," Dennis said.
Also filling up, Benson neighbor Jesse Wilson. He says he's been going to Denver on Memorial Day for years, but not this year.
"I got family up here. I got sisters, uh, cousins up here, so definitely gonna miss out going up here, but, you know, make the best of it here in Omaha," Wilson said.
If you're traveling this weekend, AAA recommends driving at the speed limit, because that way you'll get the best fuel efficiency.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
