97-Cent Gas Draws Crowds, Closes Powder Springs Roads

Two neighboring gas stations in Powder Springs, Georgia, repeatedly undercut each other’s prices, briefly bringing regular gasoline down to 97 cents per gallon and drawing a surge of motorists. The price competition between a Sunoco and an Amoco escalated after the Amoco set its price five cents below the Sunoco’s, prompting both stations to keep matching and lowering prices. Police temporarily shut off traffic because of the crowds; after the rush subsided, the stations reopened and prices returned to about $3.64 per gallon. The unusual discount came amid broader declines in regional fuel prices: Georgia’s average was around $3.73 per gallon, while Chattanooga’s average fell to $3.61 in the latest weekly report.