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
CONRAIL (ABANDONED) Pennsylvania Fair 1906 120 79,131
COBBS CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1906 120 6,335
SEPTA Pennsylvania Fair 1906 120 2,800
PASCOAG RIVER Rhode Island Fair 1906 120 3,600
Inlet Canal South Dakota Good 1906 120 1
DUCK RIVER (OSFSP) Tennessee Poor 1906 120 50
INACTIVE NS RR SPUR Tennessee Poor 1906 120 2,659
GREEN CREEK Texas Fair 1906 120 82
MILL RIVER Vermont Fair 1906 120 20
DAKOTA CR TRIB Washington Fair 1906 120 323
Fish Creek West Virginia Poor 1906 120 50
Southern Pacific RR Arizona Fair 1907 119 50
WAR EAGLE CREEK Arkansas Fair 1907 119 540
CHILES CREEK California Fair 1907 119 1,600
PLEASANTS CREEK California Good 1907 119 500
MILLER CANYON CREEK California Fair 1907 119 817
STEVENS CREEK California Good 1907 119 49,000
CARROLL CANAL California Fair 1907 119 1,582
LINNIE CANAL California Fair 1907 119 1,582
HOWLAND CANAL California Fair 1907 119 1,582
SHERMAN CANAL California Fair 1907 119 1,582
ARKANSAS RIVER Colorado Poor 1907 119 41
MAD RIVER Connecticut Good 1907 119 3,500
AMTRAK & CENTRAL NE RR Connecticut Fair 1907 119 9,200
METRO NORTH RAILROAD Connecticut Fair 1907 119 408
MIANUS RIVER Connecticut Fair 1907 119 6,580
METRO NORTH RAILROAD Connecticut Fair 1907 119 3,865
ROOSTER RIVER OVERFLOW Connecticut Fair 1907 119 7,390
ROCK CREEK & POTOMAC PKW District of Columbia Fair 1907 119 28,000
CSXT RAILROAD District of Columbia Fair 1907 119 16,900
WASHINGTON TERMINAL YARD District of Columbia Poor 1907 119 24,000
HORSE TRAIL District of Columbia Fair 1907 119 1,800
BURLINGTON NORTH R R Illinois Poor 1907 119 775
EMBARRAS RIVER Illinois Poor 1907 119 100
PELLA DRAINAGE DITCH Illinois Fair 1907 119 25
TRIB TO SUGAR CR Illinois Poor 1907 119 50
BEEHUNTER DITCH Indiana Poor 1907 119 360
WHITE RIVER Indiana Poor 1907 119 35,555
PLEASANT RUN Indiana Fair 1907 119 1,275
BIG RACCOON Creek Indiana Poor 1907 119 232
MILL Creek Indiana Fair 1907 119 122
Black River Indiana Fair 1907 119 138
CONRAIL RR Indiana Fair 1907 119 290
ST JOSEPH RIVER Indiana Fair 1907 119 15,416
ST JOSEPH RIVER Indiana Fair 1907 119 24,491
BUTLER CREEK Iowa Poor 1907 119 1,027
LITTLE SIOUX RIVER Iowa Poor 1907 119 26
BOONE RIVER Iowa Poor 1907 119 40
SOUTH BRANCH SALT CREEK Iowa Poor 1907 119 26
KANSAS RIVER 3 RR 5 ST Kansas Poor 1907 119 20,421

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.