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
COMAL RIVER Texas Good 1905 121 2,808
SPRING CANYON WASH Utah Fair 1905 121 32
BLACK RIVER Vermont Fair 1905 121 720
Ohio River West Virginia Poor 1905 121 7,500
PYLES FORK West Virginia Poor 1905 121 200
BUCKHANNON RIVER West Virginia Fair 1905 121 25
POND CREEK West Virginia Poor 1905 121 10
YAHARA RIVER Wisconsin Fair 1905 121 16,800
LA CUCHILLA CREEK Puerto Rico Fair 1905 121 11,800
ARENAS RIVER Puerto Rico Fair 1905 121 5,700
GRANDE DE MANATI RIVER Puerto Rico Fair 1905 121 2,000
GRANDE DE CARITE RIVER Puerto Rico Poor 1905 121 400
BUMPASS CREEK Alabama Fair 1906 120 210
COAL CREEK Alabama Poor 1906 120 106
LITTLE CHICO CREEK California Fair 1906 120 613
SANDY GULCH California Fair 1906 120 325
SANTA ROSA CREEK California Good 1906 120 8,600
RTE 10 CONN BUSWAY California Fair 1906 120 15,000
TEXAS CREEK Colorado Fair 1906 120 1,800
FOUNTAIN CREEK Colorado Fair 1906 120 1,195
ARKANSAS RIVER Colorado Fair 1906 120 2,325
CONNECTICUT RIVER Connecticut Fair 1906 120 135,200
AMTRAK RAILROAD Connecticut Fair 1906 120 3,600
METRO NORTH RAILROAD Connecticut Fair 1906 120 3,092
MAD RIVER Connecticut Fair 1906 120 6,000
AMTRAK RAILROAD Connecticut Fair 1906 120 2,287
BRANDYWINE CREEK&FLUME Delaware Fair 1906 120 99
PINEY BRANCH PARKWAY District of Columbia Fair 1906 120 37,000
ATLANTA BELTLINE Georgia Fair 1906 120 11,600
ATLANTA BELTLINE Georgia Fair 1906 120 28,500
SYLVAN SLOUGH Illinois Fair 1906 120 8,900
S BR CHICAGO RIV Illinois Fair 1906 120 9,100
BRONSON CREEK Illinois Fair 1906 120 25
THE BLUFF CANAL Illinois Fair 1906 120 75
WABASH RIVER Illinois Poor 1906 120 500
WABASH RIVER Illinois Poor 1906 120 500
PED. & BIKE PATH Illinois Fair 1906 120 2,750
WABASH RIVER Indiana Poor 1906 120 750
EAST FORK SCHOEN CREEK Indiana Fair 1906 120 1,451
INDPLS WATER CO CANAL Indiana Fair 1906 120 3,200
CSX RR Indiana Poor 1906 120 170
SUGAR MILL Creek Indiana Fair 1906 120 70
DEER CREEK Indiana Fair 1906 120 120
ST JOSEPH RIVER Indiana Fair 1906 120 10,736
LOCUST CREEK Indiana Poor 1906 120 1,906
CEDAR RIVER Iowa Fair 1906 120 1,629
JACK CREEK Iowa Poor 1906 120 11
PRAIRIE CREEK Iowa Poor 1906 120 110
TRIB. TO TIMBER CREEK Kansas Poor 1906 120 50
Trib Prairie Dog Creek Kansas Fair 1906 120 25

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.