More people will be traveling over the year-end holiday period compared to last year. That’s the word from Triple-A (AAA) Iowa spokesperson Gail Weinholzer. “We’re expecting just over a three-percent increase in holiday travel this year over last – or slightly more than 92-million Americans will traveling between this Thursday and January second,” Weinholzer said.

Most of those travelers, around 86%, will be driving a vehicle and motorists in Iowa are paying more for gas. According to Triple-A, Iowa gas prices are averaging $2.92 a gallon. “That is an increase of about a dime over a month ago and it’s nearly 40 cents higher than a year ago,” Weinholzer said. The national average is $2.98 a gallon. Weinholzer doesn’t expect average prices in Iowa to hit the three-dollar mark anytime soon.

“I think nationally, it’s somewhat likely that you’ll see a three-dollar average, but Iowa’s typically below the national average. So, I think it’s less likely for that to occur in Iowa,” Weinholzer said. Average gas prices in Iowa’s largest cities vary. Davenport is at $2.95 a gallon, Cedar Rapids is at $2.93, Sioux City is at $2.88 and Des Moines and Waterloo area gas prices are averaging $2.86 a gallon.

See the complete survey here: www.fuelgaugereport.aaa.com