The number of visitors to DS "Barry" began to decline after 1990, and by 2015 had dwindled to only about 10,000 people per year. Although "Barry"s hull remained seaworthy, it had begun to deteriorate, and she required about $2 million in repairs and renovations, an amount the U.S. Navy deemed unaffordable given the low annual number of visitors. Meanwhile, the District of Columbia government had made plans to replace the existing Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, a swing bridge, with a new bridge, construction of which was to begin in October 2015. The District of Columbia considered replacing the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge with another swing bridge, but found that adding a swing capability to the new bridge would add $140 million to its cost plus an additional $100,000 per year for maintenance; instead, the city government opted for a fixed-span bridge that, when complete, would trap "Barry" in the Anacostia River.