A year after the removal of tolls on the Beach Express bridge, traffic counts show the change is continuing to ease congestion on SR-59 while directing more vehicles to the SR-161 Beach Express corridor.
ALDOT analyzed traffic from a 44-day summer travel period June 21 through August 3, and compared results from 2024 to 2025.
Key Findings:
- More Vehicles Overall: ALDOT observed 3,614,761 vehicles during this year’s 44-day period, compared to 3,476,454 in 2024.
- Balanced Growth: SR-59 saw a modest 1.8% year-over-year increase in volume, while SR-161 recorded a stronger 8.6% increase.
- July 4th Week Surge: During the seven-day prime holiday week, SR-59 observed about 6,700 more vehicles than last year, while SR-161 saw an additional 21,073 vehicles—3.5 times more vehicles than SR-59.
- Daily Trends: Nearly one out of every three days on SR-59 (29.5%) actually saw fewer vehicles in 2025 compared to 2024. On SR-161, only one out of every 15 days (6.8%) recorded a decrease.
The numbers highlight how the state purchase and toll removal in 2024 continues to benefit travelers and communities: SR-59 traffic remains near last year’s levels despite overall growth, while SR-161 continues to absorb more of the summer travel demand.
“These results show that the toll removal is doing exactly what was intended—providing a more balanced flow of vehicles to Alabama’s beaches,” said ALDOT spokesperson James Gordon. “By shifting more drivers to SR-161, we are easing the pressure on SR-59 and making travel safer and more reliable for everyone.”
With another peak summer season now in the books, the focus turns to next season. On the horizon, ALDOT anticipates the completion of the new Waterways roadway and bridge by next summer, which will increase capacity for the route and provide even better levels of service for residents and the thousands of visitors to Alabama beaches.
