Motorists continue to see sharply higher prices at the pumps in New Jersey.

AAA Mid-Atlantic says the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in New Jersey on Friday was $3.63, up 6 cents from last week. That's also higher than the price from a year ago, when motorists were paying $3.54.

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New Jersey Gas Prices provided by GasBuddy.com

Meanwhile, the national average price rose 14 cents to $3.78. That's also higher than the national average from a year ago, when motorists were paying $3.61.

Analysts say the higher gas prices are mainly due to the trend of refineries across the U.S. performing seasonal maintenance and making the switch-over to summer blend gasoline production earlier than normal.

Rising crude oil prices have also played a role, though oil prices have eased in recent days.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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