Governor Kay Ivey confirmed plans for the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) and Baldwin County Bridge Company (BCBC) to meet and sign paperwork that officially transfers ownership of the Foley Beach Express to the state on Thursday, May 23, per ALDOT.

Following the closing process, all routes to Alabama's beaches will be free at noon.

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 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 December 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.

“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.”