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
EEL RIVER California Fair 1911 115 5,300
SACRAMENTO RIVER OVFL California Poor 1911 115 1,500
HAMILTON CREEK California Fair 1911 115 106
SACRAMENTO UP BNSF AMTRA California Fair 1911 115 4,938
MC CUNE CREEK California Fair 1911 115 1,521
LINDA AVENUE California Fair 1911 115 8,058
STEVENS CREEK (FREMONT) California Fair 1911 115 14,369
SAN FRANCISQUITO CREEK California Fair 1911 115 3,000
DEL PUERTO CREEK California Fair 1911 115 1,823
DRY CREEK CANAL California Fair 1911 115 7,818
SAN LUIS OBISPO CREEK California Fair 1911 115 3,000
HONDO BARRANCA California Good 1911 115 18,000
TAPO CANYON CREEK California Good 1911 115 24,000
METROLINK & UP RR CREEK California Fair 1911 115 6,100
RUBIO WASH California Good 1911 115 30,846
LARIMER CO CANAL Colorado Fair 1911 115 7,900
SOUTH PLATTE RIVER Colorado Fair 1911 115 42,000
BOGGS POND BROOK Connecticut Fair 1911 115 13,740
STRICKLAND BROOK Connecticut Fair 1911 115 18,700
HOUSATONIC RR Connecticut Good 1911 115 2,500
WARTONS BRANCH Delaware Fair 1911 115 23,985
TANYARD CREEK Georgia Fair 1911 115 8,530
CHICKEN CREEK Georgia Fair 1911 115 1,110
NS RAILROAD Georgia Fair 1911 115 4,060
Honolii Stream Hawaii Fair 1911 115 160
PUNALAU STRM(KOLEA) Hawaii Poor 1911 115 1,800
HONOMANU STRM Hawaii Fair 1911 115 1,800
NUAAILUA STRM Hawaii Fair 1911 115 1,800
KOUKOUAI STRM Hawaii Fair 1911 115 450
HONOLEWA STRM Hawaii Poor 1911 115 450
WAIKAKOI STRM Hawaii Poor 1911 115 775
KALIALINUI GULCH Hawaii Good 1911 115 30
PAUWELA GULCH Hawaii Poor 1911 115 700
SPRECKELSVILLE DITCH Hawaii Fair 1911 115 1,519
KEALIA POND OUTLET #72 Hawaii Fair 1911 115 15,000
N SHORE CHANNEL Illinois Fair 1911 115 9,400
TROLLEY CAR TUNNEL Illinois Poor 1911 115 4,750
TROLLEY CAR TUNNEL Illinois Fair 1911 115 18,600
N FORK SALT CREEK Illinois Poor 1911 115 25
SPRING CREEK Illinois Poor 1911 115 50
SPRING CREEK Illinois Poor 1911 115 575
SPRING CREEK Illinois Poor 1911 115 400
CLIFTY CREEK Indiana Poor 1911 115 130
FLATROCK RIVER Indiana Poor 1911 115 360
BIG SHAWNEE CREEK Indiana Poor 1911 115 100
INDPLS WATER CO CANAL Indiana Poor 1911 115 1,052
FALL CREEK Indiana Fair 1911 115 17,744
POGUES RUN Indiana Fair 1911 115 14,153
PLEASANT RUN Indiana Fair 1911 115 5,312
S Fork Little RACCOON Cr Indiana Fair 1911 115 51

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.