PROVIDENCE — Those unsightly, contaminated wooden structures sitting in the Providence River near the Point Street Bridge will soon be gone.

The Coastal Resources Management Council, The Nature Conservancy, and the city will use a $2.3 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to remove the 250 tons of abandoned creosote timbers and piers.

The work, funded through NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, will remove the pilings, which are remnants of the bridge’s old swing system, and won’t affect the Point Street Bridge itself, according to CRMC. The project will also include public outreach by the Providence Parks Department and the Downtown Providence Parks Network about marine debris prevention.

“Local advocates identified the pilings as a priority for removal during the WaterFire dredging project a few years ago,” said Scott Comings, TNC’s associate state director in Rhode Island. “Removing the contaminated timbers from the river will be a positive step for the ecosystem and for recreation, and we’re excited to see continued, strong investments in our urban waters.”

The Point Street Bridge was built in 1927 as a swing bridge, which was operational until 1959. In 1966, the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier was built just to the south, blocking larger vessels from entering the harbor and rendering the bridge’s swing feature obsolete. Now deteriorating, the creosote wooden timbers are a hazard to navigation, a potential threat to the hurricane barrier, and a source of water pollution.

CRMC and TNC will remove the wooden pilings and piers from around the bridge, clearing roughly 23,000 square feet of navigation and safety hazards from the river.

According to CRMC, the project will address a long-standing source of contamination, and provide benefits for sediment, water quality, and species living in the area; continue the beautification of the urban waterfront; and improve navigational safety and recreational boating and fishing opportunities while also benefiting commercial boat tour operators and nearby marinas.

The work is scheduled to begin in the spring and is expected to be finished by the end of the year.