In a press release from this morning, the Baldwin County Bridge Company (BCBC) announced an increase in toll rates for the Beach Express Bridge, effective immediately on August 30, 2023. The company attributes the hike to actions taken by John Cooper, the Director of the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). According to BCBC, Cooper rejected a proposal for a new 4-lane bridge that would have been free for Baldwin County residents. The new rates will see an increase of $0.20 for prepaid account holders, bringing the average toll to $2.22. Rates for Orange Beach residents will remain unchanged at $1.00, while the cash and debit/credit card rate will rise to $5.00. 

Press Release:

ALDOT Director John Cooper’s Actions Force BCBC to Increase Tolls on BEX Bridge

New Toll Rates Will Take Effect August 30, 2023

The Baldwin County Bridge Company released the following statement regarding new toll rates for the Beach Express Bridge: “BCBC had proposed to build a new span and provide a 4-lane bridge for the citizens of Baldwin County to use for free, but ALDOT Director John Cooper refused to even consider that proposal. Now, as a result of the actions taken by Director Cooper, BCBC has been forced to increase the toll rates on the Beach Express Bridge. The increase will take effect on August 30, 2023. Electronic rates for prepaid account holders, which are the rates paid by many local residents of South Baldwin County, will be increased by $0.20 to an average rate of $2.22. The discounted electronic rate for Orange Beach residents will not be increased and will remain flat at $1.00. The cash and debit/credit card rate will be increased to $5.00.

Like all businesses, we’ve had to weather increasing costs because of national economic headwinds and inflation. Despite those costs, BCBC has not increased tolls since 2010. We’ve done everything we can to be a good neighbor, keep our tolls low, and provide safe and efficient travel options for drivers in Coastal Alabama. We’ve also taken pride in the fact that our business provides jobs for dozens of Alabama residents who provide excellent service to our customers.

But BCBC has also faced a challenge no business in this State should ever have to face: an unelected bureaucrat has decided to do everything in his power to put BCBC out of business. For years, ALDOT Director John Cooper has been on a personal mission to destroy our company. Director Cooper has admitted that he is building a new bridge right next to the BEX Bridge to put our company “out of business” and take away our property. BCBC has been forced to spend a substantial amount of money to defend itself in court from Director Cooper’s conduct, and it now appears that Director Cooper will be allowed to carry out his plan to destroy BCBC’s business and try to bankrupt our company.

The cost of years of litigation, uncertainty, bad faith negotiations, and direct pressure put on our company by Director Cooper has negatively impacted our business. As a result of Director Cooper’s actions, BCBC has been forced to increase its tolls. Despite the hostile business environment that Director Cooper created for us, we’re still working hard to keep costs low and limit toll increases as much as possible going forward.”