Jim Shambarger and his son, Patrick, paid for a Freedom Pass that discounted their tolls whenever they used the Baldwin County Beach Express toll bridge to traverse from Foley into Orange Beach.

But since May 23, the tolls and the Freedom Pass renewal is something neither have had to worry about since the state officially took control of the bridge from its longtime private owner, the Baldwin County Bridge Company. By July 2, the toll plazas will be a memory of the past.