Historic Bridges

94,376 bridges built before 1951 across the United States still in service today.

Bridges Built Before 1951

The United States has 94,376 bridges built before 1951 that remain in active service. These structures are 75+ years old — many predate modern engineering codes and were not designed for today's traffic volumes and vehicle weights. The average design life of a bridge is 50 years, making these aging structures a significant infrastructure concern.

Bridge State Condition Year Built Age (Years) ADT
FALL CREEK Indiana Fair 1903 123 6,527
EEL RIVER Indiana Poor 1903 123 100
POTATO Creek Indiana Fair 1903 123 246
CANEY CREEK Indiana Poor 1903 123 139
HARRISON CREEK Kansas Fair 1903 123 50
MONOCACY RIVER Maryland Fair 1903 123 2,045
WATER SHAWSHEEN RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1903 123 37,000
WATER NEPONSET RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1903 123 66,466
RR BMRR (ABANDONED) Massachusetts Fair 1903 123 300
RR GWRR Massachusetts Poor 1903 123 4,008
RR MACRR Massachusetts Good 1903 123 129
WATER QUEQUECHAN RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1903 123 5,560
OTHER LITTLE RIVER CUL Massachusetts Good 1903 123 3,800
WATER IPSWICH RIVER Massachusetts Good 1903 123 10,000
WATER MARTINS BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1903 123 31,080
RR CONRAIL (ABANDNED) Massachusetts Poor 1903 123 21,207
BAD RIVER DRAIN Michigan Fair 1903 123 113
COLDWATER RIVER Michigan Poor 1903 123 192
GRAND RIVER Michigan Poor 1903 123 6,343
AYD MILL RD; CP RAIL Minnesota Fair 1903 123 7,900
MINNESOTA RIVER Minnesota Poor 1903 123 500
HOMOCHITTO RIVER Mississippi Poor 1903 123 1
INDIAN CAMP CR Missouri Fair 1903 123 200
BR OF CARROLL CR Missouri Fair 1903 123 47
NIOBRARA RIVER Nebraska Fair 1903 123 5
EDGEWATER BRANCH (ABAN) New Jersey Fair 1903 123 1,321
MAIN LINE M.P. 7.23 New Jersey Fair 1903 123 20,665
SECOND RIVER New Jersey Fair 1903 123 14,556
TRIB MULHOCKAWAY CREEK New Jersey Good 1903 123 1,391
PLUM BROOK New Jersey Fair 1903 123 133
ROCKAWAY RIVER New Jersey Fair 1903 123 5,771
WEASEL BROOK New Jersey Good 1903 123 12,741
PASSAIC RIVER RACEWAY New Jersey Fair 1903 123 14,600
GREEN BROOK New Jersey Good 1903 123 2,476
MorristownLine(MP 20.18) New Jersey Fair 1903 123 11,600
PLUMB BROOK New York Poor 1903 123 161
ESOPUS CREEK New York Fair 1903 123 10
FDR DRIVE BARUCH DRIVE New York Fair 1903 123 81,526
NYCTA F LINE GOWANUS CA New York Good 1903 123 8,906
GOWANUS CANAL New York Poor 1903 123 8,951
DOAN BROOK Ohio Fair 1903 123 10,957
MCINTYRE CREEK Ohio Good 1903 123 110
TRIBUTARY OF BRUSH RUN Ohio Fair 1903 123 24
SYCAMORE CREEK Ohio Fair 1903 123 40
OLIVE GREEN CREEK Ohio Poor 1903 123 209
CROOKED CREEK Ohio Good 1903 123 180
WEST-BR-NIMISHILLEN-CREE Ohio Fair 1903 123 4,914
LITTLE STILLWATER CREEK Ohio Fair 1903 123 1,743
W BELLEVUE RD DILWRTH RN Pennsylvania Fair 1903 123 2,147
NORFOLK SOUTHERN RR Pennsylvania Poor 1903 123 5,603

Historic Bridges by State

States ranked by number of bridges built before 1951 still in service.

StateHistoric BridgesOldest YearAvg Age
Texas 8,191 1900 89 yrs
Pennsylvania 6,062 1697 99 yrs
Kansas 5,656 1870 93 yrs
Oklahoma 5,554 1900 89 yrs
Missouri 4,522 1874 96 yrs
California 4,414 1860 91 yrs
New York 3,831 1800 96 yrs
Ohio 3,386 1828 101 yrs
Nebraska 3,270 1888 91 yrs
Illinois 3,065 1863 99 yrs
Iowa 3,036 1876 98 yrs
Tennessee 2,857 1841 89 yrs
Alabama 2,703 1800 90 yrs
Indiana 2,682 1838 98 yrs
Virginia 2,504 1820 92 yrs
Kentucky 2,241 1835 89 yrs
Arkansas 1,932 1860 89 yrs
Georgia 1,832 1872 88 yrs
New Jersey 1,814 1792 99 yrs
Michigan 1,528 1867 94 yrs
Massachusetts 1,481 1764 107 yrs
Wisconsin 1,333 1887 92 yrs
South Carolina 1,282 1910 89 yrs
West Virginia 1,245 1817 96 yrs
North Carolina 1,203 1900 89 yrs
Arizona 1,189 1900 90 yrs
Washington 1,188 1900 92 yrs
South Dakota 1,118 1900 92 yrs
Minnesota 1,035 1884 94 yrs
Vermont 987 1824 99 yrs
Maryland 968 1809 99 yrs
Mississippi 908 1900 87 yrs
Connecticut 860 1832 96 yrs
Colorado 857 1887 89 yrs
Oregon 790 1899 92 yrs
New Mexico 719 1908 87 yrs
New Hampshire 716 1832 97 yrs
Florida 707 1900 87 yrs
North Dakota 685 1885 91 yrs
Montana 662 1881 90 yrs
Maine 630 1854 92 yrs
Louisiana 614 1908 87 yrs
Puerto Rico 463 1842 95 yrs
Hawaii 386 1900 95 yrs
Idaho 354 1908 90 yrs
Utah 217 1905 88 yrs
Wyoming 191 1908 88 yrs
Rhode Island 179 1810 107 yrs
Delaware 122 1839 99 yrs
Nevada 89 1900 89 yrs
District of Columbia 81 1831 94 yrs
Alaska 37 1910 86 yrs

About Historic Bridge Data

Bridges built before 1951 are classified as historic in this database. Many were designed to 1940s standards with lower load limits and narrower lanes. While FHWA requires regular inspections of all bridges regardless of age, older structures often require more frequent monitoring and rehabilitation investment.