CHICAGO (CBS) — Gas prices in the Chicago-area are a bit higher now than they were a week ago, but one analyst predicts smooth sailing ahead for drivers.
The nickel a gallon rise last week was due to “refinery kinks,’ said Patrick DeHaan of Gas Buddy. Those problems have since been resolved.
The outlook for the rest of this year and 2014 should mean lower prices at the pump for drivers–especially with the end of the modernization project at BP’s huge refinery in Whiting, Ind.
“Finally, we should see some benefit from all of that work,” DeHaan said. “And all of the heartache and problems that we have had from that refinery being on an off that past few years should be wrapped up in a few months.”
DeHaan said 2013 was a roller-coaster for gasoline prices, but they still ended lower than a year before.
