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
DELAWARE RIVER Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 10,300
DELAWARE River Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 3,300
CRUM CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 1,874
SOUTH BR. FRENCH CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 136
EAST BR MAHONING CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 40
WOODCOCK CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 67
AMTRAK MAIN LINE Pennsylvania Poor 1904 122 3,659
OVER FRENCH CREEK TRIB Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 213
Meadow Run Pennsylvania Poor 1904 122 55
TR Conococheague Creek Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 10,617
E BR CONOCOCHEAGUE CR Pennsylvania Good 1904 122 100
SUMMIT LAKE CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 5,417
BIG RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 8,919
LITTLE SWATARA CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1904 122 50
LITTLE MUNCY CREEK Pennsylvania Good 1904 122 30
OVER MILL RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 267
NORFOLK SOUTHERN Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 6,927
DELAWARE River Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 4,500
GLADE RUN Pennsylvania Poor 1904 122
HALLOWING RUN Pennsylvania Poor 1904 122 25
LICK RUN Pennsylvania Good 1904 122 175
Zerbe Run Pennsylvania Poor 1904 122 400
SHERMAN CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 75
LITTLE SCHUYLKILL RIVER Pennsylvania Good 1904 122 6,528
RACCOON CREEK TRIB Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 10
RACCOON CREEK trib Pennsylvania Good 1904 122 40
RACCOON CREEK TRIB Pennsylvania Good 1904 122 20
SEWICKLEY CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1904 122 227
POQUESSING CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 22,647
MON RIVER & PRIVATE RR Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 17,500
LIZARD CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1904 122 350
BLACKSTONE RIVER Rhode Island Fair 1904 122 7,777
MOSHASSUCK RIVER Rhode Island Fair 1904 122 15,043
JAMES RIVER South Dakota Poor 1904 122 35
BRANCH Tennessee Fair 1904 122 31,515
2ND BRANCH WHITE R. Vermont Good 1904 122 60
2ND BRANCH WHITE R. Vermont Good 1904 122 40
2ND BRANCH WHITE R. Vermont Good 1904 122 20
MILL BROOK Vermont Good 1904 122 10
SIXTEENMILE CREEK West Virginia Fair 1904 122 20
PRAIRIE RIVER Wisconsin Fair 1904 122 7,300
ROCKY RUN Wisconsin Fair 1904 122 62
Mt. Fork River Arkansas Poor 1905 121 144
Fourche LaFave River Arkansas Poor 1905 121 15
WEST UNION CREEK California Good 1905 121 2,075
SAN LUIS OBISPO CREEK California Poor 1905 121 30
BIRCH MOUNTAIN BROOK Connecticut Fair 1905 121 1,200
HORSENECK BROOK Connecticut Good 1905 121 1,890
ATLANTA BELTLINE Georgia Fair 1905 121 28,300
WAIKELE STRM Hawaii Poor 1905 121 11,182

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.