Local Costco gas station to close this summer

As gas prices in western Washington hover near $6 a gallon, one local Costco gas station is closing for over a month this summer.

The Costco gas station in Tacoma will be closed from July 6 to August 14, according to The Tacoma News Tribune, citing a sign posted at the pump.

Construction at the location started on June 1 to expand the gas station.

“We are sorry for the inconvenience this may cause,” the sign reads.

The closure comes as summer travel ramps up and gas prices remain high across western Washington.

As of Wednesday, the average price of gas in Pierce County is $5.78 a gallon, the average price in King County is $5.97 a gallon, and the average price of gas in Washington is $5.67, according to AAA.

Costco closure comes as Seattle area gas prices remain stubbornly high

Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, explained to “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio last week that while gasoline prices have shown relief around the country, the Seattle area continues to feel the pinch.

“We’ve seen a dip in most areas across the country, Seattle no exception, prices down only three cents a gallon though,” De Haan said. “Hopefully, we’ve got some more room to decline. There have been some issues in the Pacific Northwest that have caused a little bit of a slower decline.”

The downward pressure on oil prices comes amid ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran.

Comparing the current crisis to the 2022 Ukraine crisis, De Haan said the supply impact is significantly larger this time around, with 15 to 18 million barrels of oil currently not reaching the market — roughly three times the disruption caused by Russia’s reduced exports in 2022.

“Every crisis is a little bit different,” he said. “This time around, there’s not so much of an aggressive climb in demand.”

Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest and Manda Factor, KIRO Newsradio

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