PROVIDENCE - As motorists gear up for road-trip season, the wobbly economy is not the only factor that could put the brakes on vacation plans, according to The Providence Journal.

Gasoline prices have gone up for 16 of the past 23 weeks in Rhode Island, raising the cost of a gallon of self-service regular gas by almost 50 percent.

The price hit $2.46 on Tuesday, up from $1.66 in December, according to the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources.

Gasoline could hit $2.50 this summer, said Lloyd Albert, a spokesman for AAA of Southern New England.