Lower Burrell station to offer gas for $2.38 per gallon for 2 hours

If you’re lucky — and patient — you might be able to score some gasoline at almost half-price tomorrow in Lower Burrell.

The BP gas station at Leechburg and Wildlife Lodge roads is partnering with a nonprofit to offer gasoline for $2.38 a gallon on Wednesday for about two hours to raise awareness of rising costs to residents and businesses.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the station will sell regular unleaded gas at the mid-January 2021 national average price of $2.38 a gallon.

While there’s only enough discounted gasoline for 100 to 150 vehicles in a two-hour window, Lower Burrell police are preparing for a line of cars.

Motorists who want to buy gasoline between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. must go to the old PNC building in the Hillcrest Shopping Center to get in line, city police said.

The shopping center at 3220 Leechburg Road is across the street from the BP gas station.

Motorists will use the shopping center’s Wildlife Lodge Road exit to proceed to the intersection of Wildlife Lodge and Leechburg roads to enter the gas station, said Lower Burrell Police Chief John Marhefka.

“No standing traffic or double parking on Leechburg Road will be permitted,” he said.

Police will be on the scene to prevent any traffic snarls.

The Lower Burrell BP gas station is partnering with Americans for Prosperity-Pennsylvania, which is promoting its national campaign titled “The True Cost of Washington.” The conservative social welfare organization advocates for lower taxes, less government regulation and economic prosperity for all, according to its website.

The event will highlight the effects of higher gas prices, said Mary Cirucci, coalitions director for Americans for Prosperity-Pennsylvania.

“We try to impact change by showing ‘here are real Americans hurt by inflation,’” she said.

The nonprofit will pay the station for the difference in price during the two-hour special pricing event, Cirucci said. Based on recent prices, that difference could amount to about $4,000.

They will cap $2.38-a-gallon gasoline at 1,500 gallons, which should serve about 100 to 150 vehicles, she said. The gas station and nonprofit will monitor how many cars buy fuel during the event. When they are near the 1,500-gallon limit, they will alert motorists waiting in line that the promotional gas price is expiring, Cirucci said.

The state chapter will sponsor two more events featuring $2.38-per-gallon gasoline in the next few weeks in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, she said.

The Lower Burrell BP is hosting the event to “show appreciation to our loyal customers during these difficult times,” said Tammy Bartley, the station’s manager.

“The cost of gas is high for everybody,” she said. “The cost of living is going up, and it’s hard and a lot of people can’t afford all of that.”

Related:

• Gas prices coming down but remain above $5 in Pennsylvania
• More people choosing mass transit as gas prices remain high

Lower Burrell police are planning to have officers and the Auxiliary Services Department assist with traffic control on Wednesday near the gas station,” Mayor John Andrejcik said.

The city will do its “absolute best” to keep an orderly flow of traffic, He said. The gas station is at a major intersection in the city.

“If citizens and residents of Lower Burrell can do without the discounted gasoline, I would recommend that they steer clear of that intersection on Wednesday,” Andrejcik said. “Who knows who could show up from absolutely anywhere?”

The Lower Burrell BP was selling unleaded regular gasoline Tuesday for $5.09 a gallon.

The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the state was $5.02 a gallon Tuesday; the average price in the country was $4.97 a gallon for regular unleaded, according to the American Automobile Association.