NEW: ALDOT tearing down toll booths on Beach Express

In the latest move to make the Baldwin Beach Express toll-free, Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) crews are tearing down the toll booths. Work begins this weekend.

Keep reading to learn about traffic diversions during the work and when it will be wrapped up.

Tentative schedule

According to an ALDOT release, crews with McInnis Construction LLC will begin work Sunday evening. Here’s a breakdown of their tentative schedule:

Sunday, June 16 starting at 9PM

• Northbound traffic will be redirected to the east bypass lane, and southbound traffic will move to the easternmost through lane under the plaza.
• Crews will remove 3 of 4 toll booths.

Monday, June 17

• Traffic will be shifted back to the west side of the plaza.
• Crews will remove the last toll booth and the bypass booth.

Tuesday, June 18

• Another traffic shift so crews can remove the awning—it will be moved to the western side of the road.

Future of the Beach Express

Removing the toll booths is one of the last steps in making the trip to Alabama’s Beaches free. The state bought the Beach Express from the Baldwin Bridge Company back in April, vowing to remove the tolls by the summer travel season.

When that ALDOT project is completed in 2026, the Baldwin Beach Express will exclusively take northbound traffic away from the beach and the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge will take southbound traffic towards the beach.

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