ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Citizens of Orange Beach and regular users of the Foley Beach Express will get an opportunity to voice their concerns regarding the recent increase in rates at a meeting of the Orange Beach Citizens Association on Tuesday. The meeting, which will be held at City Hall, will begin at 6 p.m. following the regularly scheduled Committee of the Whole meeting.

In attendance will be Neal Belitsky, CEO of American Roads who owns the bridge. Belitsky has served American Roads since 2007, a company with other toll facilities in Montgomery and Tuscaloosa.

Belitsky was present at a Town Hall meeting in 2009, but this will be the first opportunity that citizens have had to speak with him since the toll rate increase at the beginning of the year.

Currently, the company has $2 million set aside for the construction of a Southern Hurricane Evacuation Route, and $16 million in holding for expansion of the bridge when numbers warrant it. Since 2006, however, the number of users of the toll bridge have decreased by almost 1 million. In 2006, there were 3,376,211 users, followed by 2,959,079 in 2007, 2,499,540 in 2008 and 2,394,109 in 2009.

Other toll facilities owned by American Roads include the Tuscaloosa Bypass and Montgomery Expressway, where commuter toll fees are $1.50 each.  A third facility, the Emerald Mountain Express charges $1.75 for commuters.

In a letter dated January 28 from the Beach Express to customers and residents of South Baldwin, the company stated that “we feel strongly that the bridge continues to provide value. Your toll fee helps save time on the road, stop wasting money on fuel while being stuck in traffic, contribute to your community, and bring in travelers to bolster the local economy.”

All area residents are invited to this forum to better understand the relationship between the toll bridge and the many people who use it on a daily basis.