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
LEATHERWOOD CREEK Indiana Poor 1909 117 240
POGUES RUN Indiana Fair 1909 117 14,733
ROCKY Run Creek Indiana Fair 1909 117 107
CONRAIL RR Indiana Poor 1909 117
GREENS FORK Indiana Poor 1909 117 57
CEDAR RIVER Iowa Poor 1909 117 4,971
DES MOINES RIVER Iowa Poor 1909 117 80
CREEK Iowa Fair 1909 117 103
HAIGHT CREEK Iowa Fair 1909 117 60
NUTTING CREEK Iowa Poor 1909 117 44
WAPSIPINICON RIVER Iowa Poor 1909 117 78
NORTH RIVER Iowa Poor 1909 117 26
STREAM Kansas Fair 1909 117 10
THIRD CREEK Kansas Fair 1909 117 10
WEST BRANCH FALL RIVER Kansas Poor 1909 117 21
trib Delaware River Kansas Poor 1909 117 5
ARKANSAS RIVER DRAINAGE Kansas Good 1909 117 4,605
PISCATAQUA RIVER Maine Poor 1909 117 284
THREE BRIDGES BRANCH Maryland Fair 1909 117 6,761
POTOMAC RIVER CSX TRANS Maryland Fair 1909 117 6,761
BUSH CREEK Maryland Good 1909 117 817
WATER MERRIMACK RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1909 117 19,271
WATER FORT POND BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1909 117 10,381
WATER SUDBURY RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1909 117 17,100
WATER CHARLES RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1909 117 23,017
WATER N NASHUA RIVER Massachusetts Poor 1909 117 3,100
WATER FALLULAH BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1909 117 500
WATER FIRST LEVEL CANAL Massachusetts Good 1909 117 6,724
RR NECRR Massachusetts Poor 1909 117 646
WATER MOSS BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1909 117 3,651
RR CSX Massachusetts Good 1909 117 1,600
RR HRR Massachusetts Poor 1909 117 12,420
WATER BEAVER BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1909 117 1,450
M BR PERE MARQUETTE RIV. Michigan Poor 1909 117 34
WASHBURN CREEK Michigan Fair 1909 117 99
CANNON RIVER Minnesota Poor 1909 117 1
CANNON RIVER Minnesota Fair 1909 117 150
HONEY CR Missouri Fair 1909 117 110
BELT CREEK Montana Fair 1909 117 99
BELT CREEK Montana Fair 1909 117 99
RED ROCK RIVER 086 Montana Fair 1909 117 15
MUD CREEK Nebraska Poor 1909 117 5
NIOBRARA RIVER Nebraska Poor 1909 117 10
ANTELOPE CREEK Nebraska Fair 1909 117 700
ANTELOPE CREEK Nebraska Fair 1909 117 18,700
ANTELOPE CREEK Nebraska Fair 1909 117 150
ANTELOPE CREEK Nebraska Fair 1909 117 150
SUNCOOK RIVER New Hampshire Good 1909 117 96
OVERPECK CREEK New Jersey Good 1909 117 7,756
SW BR OF RANCOCAS CREEK New Jersey Fair 1909 117 5,114

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.