The span carries railroad tracks used by Amtrak for their train along the Northeast Corridor while allowing boat traffic to go through.

The span was Pratt through truss of the rim-bearing type which has a circulator drum and rollers along the perimeter of the center pier.

The 1913 span was added to the National Register of Historic Places as an example of early type of swing bridges.

As part of the project, Amtrak upgraded several portions of Northeast Corridor infrastructure in preparation for the launch of the Acela Express service.

The Shaw’s Cove bridge opens on signal 24 hours a day throughout the year.