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
BIG CREEK Ohio Poor 1909 117 100
East Fork of Mill Creek Ohio Fair 1909 117 4,131
BOKENGEHALAS CREEK Ohio Good 1909 117 313
LAUREL FORK RD (DRY RUN) Ohio Poor 1909 117 86
OKMULGEE CREEK Oklahoma Good 1909 117 9,400
CREEK Oklahoma Fair 1909 117 50
PRETTY CREEK Oklahoma Poor 1909 117 25
SNAKE CREEK Oklahoma Poor 1909 117 288
B-78 OVER BNRR Oregon Poor 1909 117 13,910
BNSF Oregon Poor 1909 117 14,374
BURLINGTON NORTHERN R&R Oregon Fair 1909 117 10,361
BURLINGTON NORTHERN R&R Oregon Poor 1909 117 4,931
SAW MILL RUN CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1909 117 30
POTTER CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 174
PERKIOMEN CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 1,723
IRONSTONE CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 100
MILL RUN Pennsylvania Good 1909 117 11,341
PINEY CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1909 117 219
BEAVER CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1909 117 200
POTTS RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 45
CONODOGUINET CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 341
SR 0230 AMTRAK NSRC Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 8,140
COBBS CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 12,715
GEORGES CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1909 117 25
FALLING SPRINGS CR Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 8,162
SHANNON RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 40
SPRUCE CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 350
MILL RUN Pennsylvania Poor 1909 117 50
COCALICO CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1909 117 522
NESHANNOCK CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1909 117 18,779
TRIB. OF NESCOPECK CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 25
OVER CLARK RUN Pennsylvania Good 1909 117 431
Shenango River Pennsylvania Poor 1909 117 3,024
KISH. CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1909 117
SCIOTO CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 784
E. BR. CHILLISQUAQUE CK. Pennsylvania Good 1909 117 108
BEAVER RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 376
HOKENDAUQUA CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 13,770
SLATEFORD CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1909 117 2,941
HOKENDAUQUA CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 100
MONOCACY CK RR CITY ST Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 4,000
ZIMMERMAN CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1909 117 50
CARLEY BROOK Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 372
S BR CODORUS CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 400
TACONY CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 78,114
CONRAIL(BURIED) Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 98,564
CONRAIL(TRACKS REMOVED) Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 83,001
AMTRAK Pennsylvania Poor 1909 117 3,200
Former Crse Frankford Cr Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 13,600
Former Crse Frankford Cr Pennsylvania Fair 1909 117 13,600

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.