In 2002, King County inspectors gave the bridge a score of 6 out of a possible 100, per Federal Highway Administration criteria, and the rating later fell to as low as 4.

However, due to a lack of county, state and federal funding for a proposed replacement project, the South Park Bridge continued to operate in its deteriorated condition.

[7] Although plans to build a new bridge were ready, the project failed to receive a $99 million federal TIGER I grant in early 2010.

[9] Dismantling of the bridge began in late August 2010, with removal of the lift span sections,[10] even while the outlook for the proposed replacement project remained unclear.

[11] On October 15, 2010, it was announced that the project had been awarded $34 million in TIGER II financing, filling the funding gap and allowing work to replace the bridge to move forward.