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
BRANCH OF MCKEE CRK Illinois Fair 1908 118 50
N SHORE CHANNEL Illinois Fair 1908 118 1,300
North Shore Channel Illinois Poor 1908 118 4,400
CHI MET SAN CANAL Illinois Good 1908 118 4,550
N SHORE CHANNEL Illinois Fair 1908 118 11,400
TRIB OF LA MOINE R Illinois Fair 1908 118 75
SHORT CREEK Illinois Poor 1908 118 50
GUM CR Illinois Fair 1908 118 50
DEER CREEK Indiana Poor 1908 118 50
LAWRENCE CREEK Indiana Fair 1908 118 2,178
NORTH FORK OF SALT CREEK Indiana Poor 1908 118
CONRAIL RR Indiana Poor 1908 118 60
TURKEY FORK Indiana Poor 1908 118 40
EAST FORK BLUE CREEK Indiana Poor 1908 118 350
ROCK Run Creek Indiana Fair 1908 118 99
ROCK Run Creek Indiana Fair 1908 118 33
CONRAIL RR Indiana Poor 1908 118 130
WILLOW POND DITCH Indiana Fair 1908 118 60
BLUEGRASS CREEK Indiana Fair 1908 118 856
FORK OF LITTLE CREEK Indiana Fair 1908 118 477
Dry Branch Indiana Good 1908 118 10
CANOE CREEK Iowa Poor 1908 118 49
LITTLE CEDAR RIVER Iowa Poor 1908 118 33
SMALL DITCH Iowa Fair 1908 118 180
CEDAR CREEK Kansas Fair 1908 118 25
TRIB. INDEPENDENCE CK. Kansas Fair 1908 118 15
EAST BRANCH WALNUT RIVER Kansas Fair 1908 118 30
BLACK VERMILLION RIVER Kansas Poor 1908 118 10
JUDD BAYOU Louisiana Fair 1908 118
STONY RUN Maryland Fair 1908 118 6,340
SAMS CREEK Maryland Fair 1908 118 23
MONOCACY RIVER Maryland Fair 1908 118 324
MIDDLE CREEK Maryland Fair 1908 118 204
PATUXENT RIVER Maryland Fair 1908 118 1,209
GROVE CREEK Maryland Fair 1908 118 498
WATER ALEWIFE BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1908 118 26,000
WATER WILLARD BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1908 118 4,671
WATER NEPONSET RIVER Massachusetts Good 1908 118 11,900
OTHER PEDESTRIAN WLKWY Massachusetts Fair 1908 118 6,300
OTHER PEDESTRIAN WLKWY Massachusetts Fair 1908 118 7,900
COMB WALNUT ST & MBTA Massachusetts Fair 1908 118 14,483
RR MBTA Massachusetts Fair 1908 118 10,600
WATER N NASHUA RIVER Massachusetts Good 1908 118 3,800
RR PWRR Massachusetts Fair 1908 118 2,104
WATER MYSTIC RIVER Massachusetts Good 1908 118 67,900
WATER TOWN BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1908 118 8,357
WATER WILLARD BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1908 118 2,342
WATER WILLARD BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1908 118 2,342
WATER WILLARD BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1908 118 2,342
RR BMRR Massachusetts Poor 1908 118 150

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.