Currently the bridge is part of the Northeast Corridor line, carrying rail traffic of Amtrak and Metro-North, as well as freight trains operated by the Providence & Worcester Railroad.

[1] It was one of eight legacy moveable bridges on the Amtrak route through Connecticut surveyed in one multiple property study in 1986.

The old bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, an honor not enjoyed for long, as it was obvious even before the survey that total replacement, rather than repair, was needed for the span.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the 1902 bridge began to rapidly deteriorate due to corrosion, metal fatigue, and heavy river currents.

[4] Construction on a replacement bridge, which began in 1993, was undertaken in 3 phases in order to minimize the effect on both rail and marine traffic through the area: The new bridge has 105 feet (32 m) of horizontal clearance, which allows passage of marine traffic in two directions at the time, as well as 20 feet (6.1 m) of vertical clearance (When closed).