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
PISCATAQUIS RIVER Maine Poor 1907 119 103
MIDDLE BR MOUSAM RIVER Maine Fair 1907 119 613
PATUXENT RIVER Maryland Fair 1907 119 25
LITTLE CONOCOCHEAGUE CRE Maryland Fair 1907 119 681
CSX RAILROAD Maryland Fair 1907 119 2,972
CSX RAILROAD Maryland Poor 1907 119 551
GWYNNS FALLS CSX Maryland Good 1907 119 3,900
WATER FORT POND BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1907 119 12,700
WATER DANVERS RIVER Massachusetts Poor 1907 119 4,728
WATER DANVERS RIVER Massachusetts Poor 1907 119 4,728
WATER NEPONSET RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1907 119 16,600
OTHER PEDESTRIAN WLKWY Massachusetts Fair 1907 119 4,300
WATER LANCASTER POND Massachusetts Fair 1907 119 5
RR PWRR Massachusetts Poor 1907 119 5,509
OTHER CLIPR RAIL TRAIL Massachusetts Fair 1907 119 14,930
WATER CHARLES RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1907 119 7,500
TR GREEN LINE D Massachusetts Fair 1907 119 3,000
TR GREEN LINE D Massachusetts Fair 1907 119 4,267
TR GREEN LINE D Massachusetts Fair 1907 119 13,600
RR MBTA Massachusetts Poor 1907 119 3,500
WATER PEARL HILL BROOK Massachusetts Poor 1907 119 8,542
WATER CHARLES RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1907 119 18,491
N BR PINE RIVER Michigan Fair 1907 119 226
CHARLOTTE RIVER Michigan Poor 1907 119 50
DEAD CREEK Michigan Poor 1907 119 133
MIDDLE BR CASS RIVER Michigan Fair 1907 119 150
N BR TWO RIVERS Minnesota Poor 1907 119 12
LAMINE RVR Missouri Poor 1907 119 25
LIT HORSESHOE CR Missouri Fair 1907 119 50
PETITE SALINE CR Missouri Fair 1907 119 35
HENRIE AVE Missouri Poor 1907 119 1,700
BIG RVR Missouri Fair 1907 119 1,337
CHESTNUT TFWY Missouri Poor 1907 119 8,474
YELLOWSTONE RIVER 094 Montana Fair 1907 119 78
BLACKFOOT RIVER 088 Montana Poor 1907 119 100
YELLOWSTONE RIVER 030 Montana Fair 1907 119 37
USBR MAIN CANAL 001 Montana Fair 1907 119 100
STREAM Nebraska Poor 1907 119 50
CSX New Hampshire Fair 1907 119 5,525
ROCKY BROOK New Jersey Fair 1907 119 10,922
NJT-Morristown Line New Jersey Fair 1907 119 21,845
PASSAIC RIVER New Jersey Fair 1907 119 22,816
PASSAIC RIVER New Jersey Fair 1907 119 25,713
ROBINSONS BRANCH RAH RIV New Jersey Fair 1907 119 1,502
PEQUEST RIVER New Jersey Fair 1907 119 4,855
SHABBACONG CREEK New Jersey Fair 1907 119 13,200
ONONDAGA CREEK New York Fair 1907 119 776
Middletown & NJ Railroad New York Poor 1907 119
AMTRAK/CSXT/P&W New York Fair 1907 119 40,586
RTE 907P HARLEM RIVER New York Fair 1907 119 39,068

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.