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
BEAVER CREEK Tennessee Fair 1910 116 290
SAND BRANCH Texas Fair 1910 116 100
CEDAR CREEK Texas Fair 1910 116 90
PEACH CREEK Texas Fair 1910 116 34
DRAW Texas Fair 1910 116 40
SAN SABA RIVER Texas Fair 1910 116 49
NEW ENGLAND CENTRAL RR Vermont Fair 1910 116 1,500
MISSISQUOI RIVER Vermont Good 1910 116 70
CONNECTICUT RIVER Vermont Fair 1910 116 5,698
BROOK Vermont Fair 1910 116 1,300
MOLLYS BROOK Vermont Fair 1910 116 400
MOSSY CREEK Virginia Good 1910 116 65
N.F. HOLSTON RIVER Virginia Fair 1910 116 74
SBD SYSTEM RAILROAD Virginia Poor 1910 116 394
NS RAILWAY Virginia Fair 1910 116 3,200
SOUND TRANSIT TUNNEL Washington Fair 1910 116 22,000
Parking garage Washington Fair 1910 116 15,000
RAILROAD STATION Washington Fair 1910 116 13,500
ST TUNNEL Washington Fair 1910 116 8,000
E 24TH&B ST& ABANDONED R Washington Good 1910 116 13,000
MILL CREEK Washington Fair 1910 116 6,123
SAND DITCH Washington Fair 1910 116 355
BUCKLEY GULCH Washington Good 1910 116 15,000
UNION FLAT CREEK Washington Fair 1910 116 200
KETTLE RIVER Washington Fair 1910 116 30
PARKING GARAGE Washington Poor 1910 116 27,000
DUNLOUP CREEK West Virginia Fair 1910 116 50
PATTERSON FORK West Virginia Poor 1910 116 1,000
JACOBS RUN West Virginia Poor 1910 116 250
GLADY CREEK West Virginia Fair 1910 116 50
WHITESTICK CREEK West Virginia Fair 1910 116 1,200
POCATALICO RIVER West Virginia Fair 1910 116 10
SWEETWATER BRANCH West Virginia Fair 1910 116 250
SPRUCE CREEK West Virginia Poor 1910 116 250
ST LOUIS RIVER Wisconsin Fair 1910 116 2,205
UNION PACIFIC RR Wisconsin Poor 1910 116 197
OTTER CREEK Wisconsin Fair 1910 116 47
ROGERS BRANCH Wisconsin Poor 1910 116 50
BR DOUGHERTY CREEK Wisconsin Fair 1910 116 105
BR TOWN CREEK Wisconsin Fair 1910 116 20
MUD CREEK Wisconsin Fair 1910 116 35
BR DUCK CREEK Wisconsin Fair 1910 116 1,100
DUCK CREEK Wisconsin Poor 1910 116 47
M BR EMBARRASS RIVER Wisconsin Fair 1910 116 120
S BR EMBARRASS RIVER Wisconsin Poor 1910 116 50
RAILS TO TRAILS TRAIL Wisconsin Poor 1910 116 47
OCONOMOWOC RIVER Wisconsin Fair 1910 116 4,664
BR CRANBERRY CREEK Wisconsin Fair 1910 116 25
CHANNEL Puerto Rico Poor 1910 116 5,000
Mule Pass-Lowell Arch Arizona Fair 1911 115 4,769

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.