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
MCGUIRE BR Missouri Fair 1904 122 30
YELLOW CR Missouri Poor 1904 122 20
PASSAIC RIVER New Jersey Good 1904 122 6,089
HOHOKUS BROOK New Jersey Fair 1904 122 13,889
HACKENSACK RIVER New Jersey Poor 1904 122 17,341
VINELAND SECONDARY New Jersey Fair 1904 122 2,725
ATLANTIC CITY LINE New Jersey Poor 1904 122 1,882
Park Road New Jersey Fair 1904 122 21,669
MONTCLAIR BOONTON LINE New Jersey Fair 1904 122 3,040
Montclair Boonton Line New Jersey Fair 1904 122 9,010
Montclair-Boonton Line New Jersey Fair 1904 122 19,260
MorristownLine (MP 8.77) New Jersey Fair 1904 122 2,480
MORRISTOWNLINE (MP 8.82) New Jersey Fair 1904 122 4,605
Morristown Line MP 8.94 New Jersey Fair 1904 122 9,840
Morristown Line(MP 9.02) New Jersey Fair 1904 122 3,780
MOLLY ANNS BROOK New Jersey Fair 1904 122 17,565
Delaware River New Jersey Fair 1904 122 7,521
Delaware River New Jersey Fair 1904 122 14,115
DELAWARE River New Jersey Fair 1904 122 3,300
DELAWARE River New Jersey Fair 1904 122 5,000
PEDESTRIAN TUNNEL New York Fair 1904 122 37,334
CATATONK CREEK New York Fair 1904 122 337
HARLEM RIVER New York Good 1904 122 21,664
Abandoned CSX TRANS/P MR New York Fair 1904 122 8,075
METRO NO COMMUTER New York Fair 1904 122 27,165
BRONX RIVER New York Fair 1904 122 27,165
PARKING GARAGE New York Fair 1904 122 5,023
NEW CROTON RESERVOIR New York Poor 1904 122
KISCO RIVER New York Good 1904 122 2,736
CROTON RESERVOIR OUTLET New York Good 1904 122 9
SAGE CREEK New York Fair 1904 122 263
JAMES RIVER North Dakota Poor 1904 122 50
SHEYENNE RIVER North Dakota Poor 1904 122 5
TWOMILE CREEK Ohio Good 1904 122 460
STONELICK CREEK Ohio Poor 1904 122 870
SANDUSKY RIVER Ohio Good 1904 122 351
BALDWIN CREEK Ohio Fair 1904 122 4,175
MARKLEY RUN Ohio Fair 1904 122 324
INDIAN CREEK Ohio Good 1904 122 1,017
WB BLACK RIVER Ohio Fair 1904 122 3,748
EAST BRANCH LOST CREEK Ohio Poor 1904 122 164
TWIN CREEK Ohio Fair 1904 122 655
LITTLE CREEK Ohio Poor 1904 122 311
TRIB. OF LITTLE CREEK Ohio Good 1904 122 293
LITTLE CUYAHOGA RIVER Ohio Fair 1904 122 7,682
MIDDLE CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1904 122 75
ALLEGHENY VALLEY RR Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 8,000
MAIDEN CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 63
TOWANDA CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1904 122 50
DELAWARE River Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 5,600

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.