GULF SHORES, Ala. (WKRG) — The Alabama Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Alabama Department of Transportation Friday, allowing ALDOT to move forward with construction of a new bridge over the Intercoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores after a Montgomery Circuit Judge had halted the work back in May.

The case pitted owners of the Foley Beach Express Toll Bridge, The Baldwin County Bridge Company, which had asked Montgomery Circuit Judge Jimmy Pool to halt construction while they pursued a lawsuit alleging that the new ALDOT bridge was unnecessary and could put them out of business.

The Alabama Supreme Court ruling addressed three concerns raised by the initial lawsuit. In the ruling, released Friday morning, the court said, “After reviewing the briefs submitted by the parties in all three of these matters, we now conclude that BCBC’s claim on which the preliminary injunction is based is barred by State immunity. Accordingly, the trial court has no subject-matter jurisdiction over that claim and the preliminary injunction must be reversed.”

Construction of the 375-foot, two-lane ALDOT bridge began in October 2022 in response to traffic congestion on Highway 59.

This is a developing story. WKRG News 5 will update this story as we learn more.