On 18 December 2000, the Providence City Council approved the transfer of the bridge to the Federal Government. The United States Army Corps of Engineers then advertised to give the bridge to any organization that could demonstrate a suitable disposition for it. No claims were received, so demolition was scheduled to begin in October 2001. By then, the estimated removal cost had increased to US$668,690 which also had been agreed to be split evenly by the Army Corps and the city. At the end of December 2001, the swing span had been dismantled. The final step was to remove the concrete platform measuring in diameter that supported the swing section. As of February 2020, only the two fixed truss sections on the East Providence side remained. However, in the summer of 2019, the East Providence City Council had passed a resolution asking for federal help in removing these remaining sections. The Army Corps of Engineers responded by saying there is money in the fiscal year 2020 budget for an environmental review and design to remove it but not for the actual demolition costs.
