NORTH CAROLINA -- Memorial Day Weekend is expected to be a busy weekend for drivers taking day trips, but those drivers are going to have to pay more at the pump than last year.

  • Average price of gas in NC is $2.79.
  • NCDOT expecting more traffic during holiday weekend.
  • National gas price average is $3.

According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of gas in North Carolina is $2.79. At this time last year, the average was only $2.20.

Despite the higher prices, the NC Department of Transportation still expects much more traffic than usual on Memorial Day, with many travelers traveling out of state or to the North Carolina coast. Because of that, NCDOT is pausing most of their construction projects on Memorial Day.

However, even some drivers making trips for the weekend are lamenting the high gas prices.

"I bought a car that got worse gas mileage so I got lulled into the sense of thinking gas prices would be low forever," said Jeff Worley, who is driving from Raleigh to New Bern. "I bought a car that's not as good on gas and I'm maybe regretting that a little bit now."

North Carolina's gas prices are still lower than the national average, which is near $3 a gallon.

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