Late lastweek, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gas topped $3. It is expected to keep climbing.

And as of Monday, the average price was up to nearly $3.04 per gallon, an increase of more than 5 cents since last Thursday. In Maryland, motorists pay slightly less ? an average of about $2.98, up 1/10 of a cent from the day before, the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report stated.