At the pump. NJ drivers are paying $1.05 per gallon more today than a year ago

Gas prices ticked up across the nation and remained the same in New Jersey but are expected to drop in the Garden State as a new tax rate takes effect, analysts say.

AAA Mid-Atlantic says the average price of a gallon of regular gas in New Jersey on Friday was $3.22, unchanged from a week ago.

Drivers were paying an average of $2.17 a gallon a year ago at this time.

The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.19 up a penny from last week.

Drivers were paying $2.19 a gallon on average a year ago at this time.

Analysts say New Jersey drivers should start to see the usual autumn easing of prices with the 8.3 cent drop in the gas tax.

But they caution that 16 percent of crude production in the Gulf of Mexico remains shuttered due to recent storms and ``high crude prices will likely keep prices at the pump high this fall.``

- The Associated Press