The tolls on the San Luis Pass Bridge have been discontinued after 59 years. The bridge connects the western tip of Galveston Island to Follett’s Island in Brazoria County.
The coupled FM 3005 and CR 257, the Bluewater Highway, hugs the coastline of the barrier islands from Galveston to Surfside Beach. It is one of Texas’ iconic roads, like the Willow City Loop northeast of Fredericksburg, River Road (FM 170) between Presidio and Lajitas, TX-207 through the Caprock Escarpment between Silverton and Claude, and many other scenic highways.
The 1.3-mile concrete bridge was completed in 1966 as a replacement to a causeway destroyed by Hurricane Carla in 1961. The toll gradually increased to $2 until it was suspended in May 2025.
Galveston County Commissioner Joe Giusti told the Houston Chronicle that the bridge was paid off years ago. The county collected about $500,000 annually, of which most went to pay the workers. Leftover money, totaling about $5 million over the years, was reserved for maintenance.
The 39 miles from Galveston to Surfside Beach is a pleasant, less-traveled road. On the bayside are mostly wetlands. Legend has it that the pirate Jean Lafitte buried a treasure beneath three trees along here. Historians think Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was shipwrecked on Follett’s Island.
On the Gulf side of the highway, new pastel vacation homes on stilts have popped up. There are nearly 50 free public access points cut through the dunes to the beach where beachcombers can drive right to the water’s edge.
The bad news is that a new bridge will need to be built soon at an estimated cost of $104 million. No word if the new bridge will require tolls.
1796th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/day-trips.
This article appears in March 6 • 2026.