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
WATER W BR MILL RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1913 113 2,365
TRENTON CHANNEL Michigan Fair 1913 113
CANOE STREAM Michigan Fair 1913 113 150
GULL LAKE RES. Minnesota Fair 1913 113 450
ELM CREEK Minnesota Poor 1913 113 16
TCW RR Minnesota Poor 1913 113 736
MIDTOWN GREENWAY Minnesota Fair 1913 113 1,688
MIDTOWN GREENWAY Minnesota Fair 1913 113 1,680
MIDTOWN GREENWAY Minnesota Fair 1913 113 1,074
MIDTOWN GREENWAY Minnesota Poor 1913 113 3,300
WHITE SAND CREEK Mississippi Fair 1913 113 109
UP RR Missouri Poor 1913 113 10,200
UP RR Missouri Poor 1913 113 4,060
CORRY BR Missouri Fair 1913 113 15
W YELLOW CR Missouri Good 1913 113 20
CLIFTON CR Missouri Poor 1913 113 10
LAMINE RVR Missouri Poor 1913 113 20
CROOKED RVR Missouri Fair 1913 113 35
RED ROCK RIVER 121 Montana Poor 1913 113 4
ELBOW CREEK 036 Montana Fair 1913 113 100
BLUEWATER CREEK 001 Montana Fair 1913 113 175
PRAIRIE DOG CREEK Nebraska Fair 1913 113 10
STREAM Nebraska Poor 1913 113 45
NIOBRARA RIVER Nebraska Poor 1913 113 10
PISCATAQUA R BACK CHAN New Hampshire Fair 1913 113 7,000
NJT MAIN LINE New Jersey Fair 1913 113 14,960
PASSAIC RIVER New Jersey Poor 1913 113 10,820
Del-Raritan St Prk Trail New Jersey Poor 1913 113 6,876
TOMS RIVER New Jersey Fair 1913 113 17,033
PECKMAN RIVER New Jersey Fair 1913 113 14,684
Stony Brook New Jersey Fair 1913 113 2,505
RAHWAY RIVER New Jersey Fair 1913 113 2,166
BEAVER BROOK New Jersey Fair 1913 113 651
WASHINGTON SEC (NS) New Jersey Fair 1913 113 9,195
MILL CREEK New York Fair 1913 113 11,108
GREEN BROOK New York Poor 1913 113 358
WHITNEY CREEK New York Poor 1913 113 6,034
FROG HOLLOW BROOK New York Poor 1913 113 5,014
HIGHLAND BROOK New York Poor 1913 113 3,536
MNRR HARLEM LINE Bronx New York Fair 1913 113 11,164
LIRR PORT WASH BR New York Fair 1913 113 6,382
LIRR PORT WASH BR. New York Fair 1913 113 8,202
LIRR PORT WASH BR LINE New York Fair 1913 113 1,970
LONG ISLAND-PW BR New York Fair 1913 113 4,311
BLACK ROCK CANAL New York Fair 1913 113 849
LONG ISLAND-MK BR New York Fair 1913 113 878
LIRR-MONTAUK BRCH New York Fair 1913 113 15,839
E BR TIOUGHNIOGA New York Poor 1913 113 150
INDIAN RIVER New York Fair 1913 113 319
MOHAWK RIVER CANAL WHAR New York Fair 1913 113 962

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.