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
NORTH CEDAR CREEK Iowa Poor 1913 113 5
FLOOD CREEK Iowa Poor 1913 113 44
DD Iowa Fair 1913 113 50
BNSF RR Iowa Poor 1913 113 15
MUD CREEK Iowa Poor 1913 113 79
KEIGLEY BRANCH Iowa Fair 1913 113 80
BRANCH IOWA RIVER Iowa Poor 1913 113 33
BUTTRICK CREEK Iowa Poor 1913 113 26
DRAINAGE DITCH NO. 3 Iowa Poor 1913 113 30
NORTH FORK YELLOW RIVER Iowa Fair 1913 113 29
CREEK Iowa Poor 1913 113 11
UPPER IOWA RIVER Iowa Poor 1913 113 39
ELK CREEK Kansas Fair 1913 113 75
DELAWARE RIVER Kansas Fair 1913 113 25
DRY CREEK Kansas Poor 1913 113 5
MUDDY CREEK Kansas Poor 1913 113 50
Trib S.Br. L. Walnut Riv Kansas Fair 1913 113 30
LYON CREEK Kansas Fair 1913 113 50
TRIB. TO DEER CREEK Kansas Fair 1913 113 50
TRIB. TO NEOSHO RIVER Kansas Fair 1913 113 30
LITTLE SUGAR CREEK Kansas Poor 1913 113 40
PERKINS CREEK Kansas Poor 1913 113 10
WOLF CREEK Kansas Fair 1913 113 30
WOLF CREEK Kansas Fair 1913 113 25
WOLF CREEK Kansas Fair 1913 113 25
TRIB. MARAIS DES CYGNES Kansas Fair 1913 113 12
TRIB. TO NEOSHO RIVER Kansas Fair 1913 113 30
THIRD STREET DRAIN Kansas Fair 1913 113 630
SABBATUS RIVER Maine Poor 1913 113 2,812
MILL YARD Maine Poor 1913 113 310
HERRING BRANCH Maryland Fair 1913 113 753
BR OF HIGHFIELD CREEK Maryland Fair 1913 113 192
CENTRAL BOOKING PARKING Maryland Fair 1913 113 2,382
WATTS CREEK Maryland Poor 1913 113 570
HERRING RUN Maryland Fair 1913 113 516
WINTERS RUN Maryland Fair 1913 113 11
WATER ALEWIFE BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1913 113 650
WATER BLACKSTONE CANAL Massachusetts Fair 1913 113 9,440
TR BLUE LINE Massachusetts Fair 1913 113 34,400
WATER SALISBURY BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1913 113 1,600
WATER SALISBURY BROOK Massachusetts Fair 1913 113 12,672
WATER SWIFT RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1913 113 2,071
WATER WESTERN CANAL Massachusetts Fair 1913 113 3,700
RR MBTA/BMRR Massachusetts Fair 1913 113 2,450
RR MBTA/BMRR Massachusetts Fair 1913 113 5,125
RR MBTA/BMRR Massachusetts Fair 1913 113 3,425
WATER E BR HOUSATONIC R Massachusetts Fair 1913 113 4,267
WATER SW BR HOUSATONIC R Massachusetts Fair 1913 113 11,151
WATER SW BR HOUSATONIC R Massachusetts Good 1913 113 1,655
RR MBTA/BMRR Massachusetts Fair 1913 113 10,900

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.