The Foley Beach Express intracoastal bridge as we know it will soon be a distant memory, as the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) is set to purchase the bridge from the Baldwin County Bridge Company (BCBC) for $60 million and remove all existing tolls immediately upon ownership,  Gov. Kay Ivey announced on Thursday, April 18.

Extensive discussions and litigation have continued for some time between ALDOT and BCBC regarding bridge development on the Intracoastal Waterway -- with ALDOT moving forward on a new toll-free bridge project roughly a mile west of the beach express along Alabama 181 in Gulf Shores, while BCBC has urged officials to simply add lanes to the existing bridge and continue collecting tolls. Even the Alabama State Supreme Court got involved, overturning a preliminary injunction issued against the state bridge development in Gulf Shores by a lower court in August 2023, allowing efforts to resume.

After the court's decision, BCBC increased the toll from $2.75 to $5. Totals across recent years show 5.58 million cars passed through the bridge in 2022, increasing to 5.67 million in 2023. Orange Beach has been collecting a flat rate of 30 cents per car, leading to a $1.67 million share of the toll in 2022 and $1.7 million in 2023, according to OBA's website. The $93,193 share taken for the month of December 2023 was Orange Beach's lowest since Decmber 2019 ($88,034).

ALDOT will now pay $57 million to BCBC for the bridge, send $3 million to the City of Orange Beach for road improvements and commits to widening Canal Road to five lanes between the bridges with intersection improvement at State Route 161/180. The latter two notes were both projects already in the ALDOT's State Transportation Improvement Program for 2024-2027, and these agreements will serve as a resolution in the lawsuit filed by BCBC, terminating its contract with the City of Orange Beach.  The sale is expected to be closed by May, with tolls ending at noon on the close date, according to the governor's press release. A closing date will be announced once it is scheduled.

"When the transaction is finalized, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) will operate the Beach Express Bridge toll free, initially carrying southbound and northbound traffic," Ivey's press release stated. "ALDOT’s construction of the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge will continue, with completion expected in spring or early summer 2026. Upon completion, the Beach Express Bridge will be converted to carry northbound traffic and the new ALDOT bridge will carry southbound traffic – creating 'one-way pairs,' parallel paired bridges to move traffic more efficiently to and from Alabama’s beaches."

Orange Beach City Council will vote on the proposed agreement Tuesday, May 7. In the meantime, BCBC will not open any new accounts or adjust current accounts starting April 30 to accomodate the end of tolling. Current account holders can still add funds up to a few days before the close, and refunds of any remaining account balances will start in June.

“This agreement is the result of collaborative efforts between ALDOT, the City of Orange Beach and the Baldwin County Bridge Company and was made possible by the city’s willingness to forego annual financial benefits in order to achieve improved traffic flow for Orange Beach and Gulf Shores citizens and visitors,” Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon said. “On behalf of the Orange Beach City Council, I would like to thank Gov. Ivey for working with us to eliminate tolls and improve traffic flow and efficiency to and from our Alabama beaches.”

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