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Eastern Shore, AL

Transportation

The Eastern Shore is ideally located near state and federal highways. Interstate 10, running east and west, and state highways link the communities’ commercial and industrial centers to each other as well as to other Alabama counties and nearby states.

Air Travel
Eastern Shore residents find air travel convenient. Regional airports in Mobile and Pensacola are within an hour’s drive, and Fairhope has a municipal airport with a 6,600-foot lighted runway. Whether residents choose to fly commercially, in a private plane or to use charter services, the choice of airports makes air travel a breeze.

Major Highways
• U.S. Highway 98 runs east from Mississippi through Mobile to Spanish Fort. Then it runs south to Point Clear and Barnwell, then east to Foley and the western Florida Panhandle.
• Route 59 runs south from I-10 to Gulf Shores.
• Interstate 65, just north of Bay Minette, runs north and south.
• Interstate 10 runs east and west from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Diego, California.
• Other major routes include U.S. highways 31 and 90 and state routes 225, 104 and 181.

Rail
The freight carrier CSX, located in neighboring Bay Minette, provides rail service. Amtrak, which operates out of Mobile, offers passenger service.

Bus Service
The Baldwin Rural Area Transport System (BRATS) offers scheduled service throughout the county. BRATS’ fleet of vehicles transports individuals to work, daily appointments, shopping areas and other destinations. BRATS provides Dial-A-Ride, work routes, historic rides and routes for medical visits, among others.

Waterways
Eastern Shore businesses have easy access to waterway transportation. We are located conveniently between the Port of Mobile and the Port of Pensacola. The Tenn-Tom Waterway provides easy access inland to the north for commercial traffic. The Mobile Bay Ferry crosses between Ft. Gaines on Dauphin Island (at the southernmost extremity of the bay) and Ft. Morgan (on the tip of the peninsula) every 90 minutes. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway runs through the southernmost tip of Baldwin County to the southeast of the Eastern Shore area and connects Mobile Bay and the islands and inlets shared with the western Florida Panhandle.