Houston Gas War Drives Motorists Happy

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Gas War Drives Motorists Happy

Prices were chopped by more than a dollar per gallon. (KHOU-TV)
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A pair of northwest Harris County gas stations near Houston launched a war on Tuesday afternoon. There was no collateral damage in the battle, just plenty of happy drivers who lined up their cars for hours on end as the price of gas dropped by more than a $1 gallon in less than four hours.

The petro-battle started when the Chevron station on FM 529 at North Eldridge started lowering its gas prices as part of its grand opening. What started out as $3.50 a gallon at 5 a.m. on Tuesday quickly dropped to almost $2 some 15 hours later.

Not to be outdone, the Shell station across the street answered the call and also started lowering the price of unleaded. At 1:23 p.m., the price of a gallon of gas at the Chevron was $3.05 while the Shell was selling fuel for $2.99 a gallon. The price war did not stop there as the price of a gallon of gas kept dropping hour by hour.

As of 5:50 p.m., the Chevron was selling gas for $2.38 a gallon, but ran out of fuel. The store managers at Chevron said they had more gas being trucked in. Meanwhile, the Shell was offering up gas at $2.47 a gallon with its tanks full of fuel.

The long lines caused traffic headaches. Harris County deputies were called in to direct traffic.

There were a few hot heads as well as those waiting in line displayed their frustration, hollering at those who cut in line. By 8:30 p.m., the gas truck had arrived at the Chevron and the price war continued. Shell dropped its gas prices to $2.29 a gallon while Chevron matched it with gas for $2.29 a gallon.

Just before 10 p.m. on Tuesday night the prices dropped to $2.08 at the Chevron and at the Shell station the sign was blank as managers were trying to determine just how low prices would go.

The average price of gas in Houston is $3.62 a gallon according to AAA.

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