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
ERIE BARGE CANAL New York Poor 1913 113 100
SENECA RIVER New York Poor 1913 113 105
ERIE CANAL New York Fair 1913 113 4,734
ERIE CANAL New York Poor 1913 113 2,058
ERIE CANAL New York Fair 1913 113 512
ERIE CANAL New York Fair 1913 113 3,227
MNRR HU LINE Irvington New York Fair 1913 113 2,730
MNRR HU LINE New York Poor 1913 113
WESTERLY ROAD WAY MNRR New York Poor 1913 113 836
TURTLE RIVER North Dakota Poor 1913 113 40
SHEYENNE RIVER North Dakota Fair 1913 113 5
BEAVER CREEK North Dakota Poor 1913 113 10
CREEK North Dakota Poor 1913 113 5
GRAND RIVER Ohio Fair 1913 113 96
BACKBONE CREEK Ohio Good 1913 113 983
STONELICK CREEK Ohio Fair 1913 113 637
WEST BR ROCKY RIVER Ohio Fair 1913 113 3,807
LITTLE WALNUT CREEK Ohio Fair 1913 113 351
UNNAMED STREAM Ohio Fair 1913 113 324
US 36 OVER BIKE PATH Ohio Fair 1913 113 5,338
BEAVER CREEK Ohio Fair 1913 113 4,879
AN E TRIBUTARY OF MILL C Ohio Good 1913 113 300
LITTLE OLIVE GREEN CREEK Ohio Fair 1913 113 51
LITTLE OLIVE GREEN CREEK Ohio Fair 1913 113 209
FOUR MILE RUN Ohio Good 1913 113 66
MUSKINGUM RIVER Ohio Poor 1913 113 8,919
AUKERMAN CREEK Ohio Poor 1913 113 70
CLEARFORK RIVER Ohio Good 1913 113 351
TUSCARAWAS RIVER Ohio Fair 1913 113 5,755
BUCKHORN CREEK Ohio Fair 1913 113 376
SANDUSKY RIVER Ohio Good 1913 113 369
CREEK Oklahoma Poor 1913 113 25
Willamette River Oregon Poor 1913 113 12,687
BROADWAY ST CONN Oregon Poor 1913 113 30,388
MILL CREEK Oregon Fair 1913 113 2,921
MILL CREEK Oregon Fair 1913 113 13,876
N-S RR PAT EAST BUSWAY Pennsylvania Fair 1913 113 17,746
MAHONING CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1913 113 15
BEAR CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1913 113 75
WEST SWAMP CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1913 113 3,407
SCH.RIVER;STREETS;NOR/FO Pennsylvania Fair 1913 113 25,917
TULPEHOCKEN CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1913 113 375
HOSPITAL CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1913 113 250
HOSPITAL CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1913 113 250
BIG FILL RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1913 113 1,645
CALIFORNIA RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1913 113 1,645
SOUTH DRY RUN Pennsylvania Poor 1913 113 1,634
SOUTH POPLAR RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1913 113 3,392
LITTLE BUFFALO RUN Pennsylvania Poor 1913 113 100
SANDSPRING RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1913 113 512

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.