Gas Prices Up More Than 50 Cents On Average For Labor Day

Start your engines! Travelers are hitting the roads this Labor Day weekend, the last big weekend of the summer, and they should expect to shell out a bit more for gas than they did last year.

The average price of gas in Massachusetts matches the national average at $2.84 for a gallon of unleaded regular, a 2 cent increase from last week, according to AAA Northeast. That's 58 cents higher than last year, when the state's average cost per gallon was $2.26.

Nationally, gas prices were at their highest level in four years on both Memorial Day and Independence Day this year, according to AAA.

The range in prices in the latest AAA survey for unleaded regular in Massachusetts is 48 cents, from a low of $2.69 to a high of $3.17.

The busiest traffic times are expected to be Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and Monday afternoon, according to spokesman Drew Carlson.