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
San Pedro River Arizona Fair 1913 113 672
Chevelon Creek Arizona Fair 1913 113 36
CUMMISKEY CREEK California Fair 1913 113 1,252
STONY CREEK California Poor 1913 113 4,157
PRUITT CREEK California Fair 1913 113 9,000
SOTOYOME CREEK California Fair 1913 113 5,900
NAPA RIVER California Fair 1913 113 2,600
DRY SLOUGH California Fair 1913 113 100
JACKSON CREEK California Fair 1913 113 3,000
SAN LORENZO CREEK California Fair 1913 113 23,400
COLMA CREEK California Fair 1913 113 28,500
SAN FRANCISQUITO CREEK California Fair 1913 113 33,000
LERDO CANAL California Fair 1913 113 90,000
ARROYO BLVD / ARROYO S California Good 1913 113 10,600
ARROYO SECO CHANNEL California Fair 1913 113 19,200
PIEDRA RIVER Colorado Fair 1913 113 927
NOROTON RIVER Connecticut Good 1913 113 7,900
CONNECTICUT RIVER Connecticut Poor 1913 113 9,100
WASH BROOK Connecticut Fair 1913 113 17,800
METRO NORTH RAILROAD Connecticut Fair 1913 113 3,300
POCOTOPAUG CREEK Connecticut Fair 1913 113 3,100
MILL CREEK Delaware Fair 1913 113 11,553
HILLSBOROUGH RIVER Florida Fair 1913 113 30,500
PUUKUMU STRM BR Hawaii Fair 1913 113 647
KILAUEA STRM BR Hawaii Good 1913 113 1,322
NORTH FORK PAYETTE RIVER Idaho Fair 1913 113 100
LITTLE WOOD RIVER Idaho Poor 1913 113 200
N BR CHICAGO RIVER Illinois Poor 1913 113 17,100
S BR CHICAGO RIV Illinois Poor 1913 113 9,600
N BR CHICAGO RIVER Illinois Fair 1913 113 1,050
N BR CHICAGO RIV Illinois Poor 1913 113 3,250
UNION STATION TRACKS Illinois Poor 1913 113 9,600
RAVINE Illinois Poor 1913 113 475
WAUKEGAN RIVER Illinois Poor 1913 113 1,700
E FK WHITE RIVER OVFL Indiana Good 1913 113 5,467
MAUMEE RIVER Indiana Fair 1913 113 4,235
FLATROCK RIVER Indiana Fair 1913 113 1,280
WABASH RIVER Indiana Fair 1913 113 210
BOGGS CREEK Indiana Poor 1913 113 16
SUGAR Creek Indiana Fair 1913 113 70
Little RACCOON Creek Indiana Good 1913 113 182
BARR CREEK Indiana Fair 1913 113 151
BUCK Creek Indiana Poor 1913 113 1
WARM RUN Indiana Fair 1913 113 55
EAST BOYER RIVER Iowa Poor 1913 113 303
FIELD STREAM Iowa Poor 1913 113 26
BEAVER DAM CREEK Iowa Poor 1913 113 15
CREEK Iowa Fair 1913 113 62
STREAM Iowa Poor 1913 113 5
PECK CREEK Iowa Poor 1913 113 113

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.