The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad completed construction of the bridge in 1907, which originally consisted of three parallel two-track spans.

[4] The bridge is obsolete and requires extensive ongoing maintenance, with speeds restricted to 45 miles per hour (72 km/h).

The lift span is staffed and required to open on demand; it does so several times per day for commercial boats.

[8][9] In August 2022 the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded a $4.5 million grant to Amtrak for the bridge replacement project.

The report lists the replacement of the Pelham Bay Bridge as one of 15 "Major Backlog Projects" which have the highest priority for funding.