<p>I am supposed to go visit my daughter in Western NC this weekend. I have heard there is still a shortage and concerend about being able to get gas to get down and back.
Will be traveling down the endless I-81, perhaps through Tennessee and I-26 or get off I-81 and take I-77 down to I-40 and go west. </p>
<p>Any suggestions?</p>
<p>I’m not sure of the gas situation on those routes exactly, but I have heard they are bad. If I were you, I would take multiple spare gas cans filled before you get that far. If it is similar to Georgia, you will have to get lucky to find a station at the exact time that they receive a shipment.</p>
<p>I traveled 81 last month and exits are further apart and not as many stations. I would figure how many gallons I would need to get back to where gas is plentiful and carry that much with you. It is really bad down here.</p>
<p>We are having to wait over an hour in line to get gas, IF we find a station with it!</p>
<p>It may depend on exactly where you’re going? We just got back from Family Weekend at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem – no closed gas stations and no lines of cars. Good luck.</p>
<p>My brother lives south of Winston-Salem near I-40 and gas was very sparse last weekend. Stations that had it would allow you to get it only 5 gallons at a time for $5/gallon.
We are heading to Western NC - Asheville.</p>
<p>I have heard Georgia is very critical. Carrying gas cans is not something I prefer to do. ugh.</p>
<p>Yes, its pretty bad here (Atlanta). People are starting to follow tanker trucks delivering the gas to the station. It gets delivered and is gone in a few hours. Peopel are hoarding and topping off tanks and some fools are filling milk jugs!!! They showed those clowns on TV. Try checking with AAA (if you are a member) to check out the situation in the area to which you are travelling. Good luck!</p>
<p>Just visited my daughter at Elon over the weekend.</p>
<p>One station limited purchase to 10 gallons.</p>
<p>On the way back to the airport near Raleigh, several stations had no gasoline. We went off of the highway a couple of miles and found a station with gasoline.</p>
<p>I didn’t see the milk jugs jym, too funny! I know of one station that has had gas continually since this started. Not close to you, but still is GAS! Pm me if you need it, 24 hour station. I have gone there at 4am to avoid lines.</p>
<p>OP, I wouldn’t want to carry gas cans either, just a desperate suggestion.</p>
<p>The Winston-Salem area is fine; Asheville was pretty bad, but I’ve heard the situation has improved somewhat.</p>
<p>[More</a> gas stations getting supplies | CITIZEN-TIMES.com | Asheville Citizen-Times](<a href=“http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880928029]More”>http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880928029)</p>
<p>Thanks for all your replies. You guys are great! I am hoping we can get gas before Asheville and get back out without worrying about needing it in Asheville.</p>
<p>sounds like I-40 from Statesville west to Asheville may not be best.</p>
<p>Anyone know what the situation is like in East Tennessee or South western Virginia?</p>
<p>Neighbors just got back from the Outer Banks area and said they saw stations with no gas.</p>
<p>I was told that it is very dangerous to drive around with full gas cans in your car, so I would not recommend that.
Tennessee is fine right now. There are stations that are out of Premium, but I haven’t had a problem with Regular since last Tuesday. Alabama was fine last week, too.
It is really scary to be driving around worrying about whether you can find gas.
There is absolutely the funniest online video you have ever seen about the gas shortage in Nashville. It is true genius. Google Nashville Scene Inside the Metro Bunker. I promise you it is worth it.</p>
<p>It is getting rough in the Atlanta area, I passed eleven stations on the way to work this morning and only one had gas (limiting it to $20 worth). I am now driving my D’s Civic and taking a packed lunch. Crazy times!</p>
<p>Yes, it’s tricky to find gas here in western NC. I too am seeing people following tanker trucks to their delivery point. I live about halfway between I77 and Asheville on I40. According to local news, Asheville is tighter than we are here. Locally, Raceway (or is it Racetrack?) stations have had less problems (something about having their own storage). I would rec. looking for gas when you reach half a tank.</p>
<p>Rough in the Charlotte area too. One station that had gas this a.m. was out by lunch time. DH rode around for an hour yesterday looking for gas (almost ran out of gas looking for gas). By pure luck found two stations with gas last night. One would only let us get 10 gallons so we took that and then went down the road to the other station to get more. Paid $4.09 at both. </p>
<p>I found the stations that had gas by looking on AAA Fuel Finder and typing in our zip code. I’m not a AAA member. Anyone can use the site.</p>
<p>Fortunately, D in Atlanta is right on the bus line to her office and there is a grocery store right around the corner from her apartment. She plans to leave her car at the apartment and use public transportation until this passes. Has ridership increased on MARTA since the shortage began? It is amazing to me how few people use the public transportation system in the Atlanta area. It is a really good system and the traffic there is just awful.</p>
<p>The gas situation is easing just slightly. I was able to get gas this morning with only a short wait, but the line had increased by the time I left the station. The gas runs really slowly from the pump, which adds to the long lines. ANd people are doing stupid things like block the exit trying to get in, so the cars can’t leace the pump. I got boxed in by some clown that did this this morning. Fortunately the cars that were in the correct lanes waiting to get to the pumps made enough of a gap between them that I was able to get out.</p>
<p>MARTA is great if there is a stop near where one lives, or if one is close enough that they can drive to the station. I am in the suburbs, and our public transportation is poor. Hopefully this crisis will facilitate an increase in growth of the MARTA system. Some of the counties have been resistent . Maybe theyll be a little more open-minded.</p>
<p>I’ve heard anecdotally that Tenn is seriously impacted as well. Hopefully someone from the Tenn area you’d be driving in can comment. I’d certainly check that before driving that way. I believe Nashville was pretty hard hit but don’t really know if western Tenn has the same problem.</p>
<p>I live in the Atlanta area and it’s been crazy…I’ve passed as many as 30 stations before I found one that had gas. One morning I went to one at 6:30 but they were only allowing you to get $20. I lived through the 70’s and this one feels worse, although maybe it’s just because I’m old now!</p>
<p>When heading from the northeast to the Carolinas and Georgia I love I-81 over I-95. However, in VA and NC 81 travels largely through rural areas and the exits can be far (2 miles or more) from commercial areas with gas stations.</p>
<p>curiouser, maybe it is because we are older. Seems like in the 70’s, I saw it more as an adventure—pushing people’s cars into the gas stations, pilling lots of teens into cars to save on gas. Now I don’t have the patience, the energy and would rather life be boring than this kind of “excitement”.</p>
<p>Any update on the Gas situation? I-81, I-77 and west on I-40…
Soutern Va, Mid NC and Western NC?</p>
<p>thanks for all your input. I have heard and hoping the supply starts increasing this weekend.</p>