PYEONGTAEK, South Korea — Motorists at Camp Humphreys will be able to gas up later this year at the post’s first-ever AAFES gas station, the first of three planned for construction at the installation, officials said Wednesday.
The Army and Air Force Exchange Service expects to open the station in early November near the intersection of Freedom and Victory roads, close to the Humphreys Army Lodge, said Robert McElroy, U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys spokesman.
And AAFES plans to build the two additional gas stations at Humphreys within the next four years, he said.
Humphreys is in the process of tripling in size to become the U.S. military’s premier installation in South Korea.
The only on-post gas source has been a military fuel point, where prices sometimes have climbed well above those at the AAFES station at nearby Osan Air Base, McElroy said.
The Humphreys station will sell regular, premium and diesel fuels, he said, adding that it also will offer snacks and beverages.
Construction is to start in late July and finish in late October.
Having an AAFES station at Humphreys has been one of the most frequently raised community concerns, McElroy said.
“The main thing that’s driven this for people has been the cost of fuel,” he said. Motorists often complained that the prices at the fuel point were higher than at Osan.
AAFES sets its overseas fuel prices based on those in the United States, adjusting them monthly, he said.
But the fuel point’s prices are set by the Defense Logistics Agency, with less frequent adjustments.
And Humphreys officials are required to add a 14-cent surcharge per gallon.
In January, for example, a spike in prices at the Humphreys fuel point saw residents paying almost 70 cents a gallon more than at the Osan AAFES station.
Gas at the Humphreys fuel point last week was $3.75 a gallon, while regular unleaded was $3.40 at the Osan AAFES station.
