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
RANDALL CREEK Georgia Fair 1914 112 100
WOLF CREEK Georgia Fair 1914 112 2
CSX RAILROAD Georgia Poor 1914 112 37,600
DRIED INDIAN CREEK Georgia Fair 1914 112 13,800
AUGUSTA CANAL Georgia Fair 1914 112 10,200
ISON BRANCH Georgia Fair 1914 112 14,500
HULEIA STRM(KIPU BR) Hawaii Poor 1914 112 200
ULAINO STRM Hawaii Fair 1914 112 1,800
OILOWAI STRM Hawaii Fair 1914 112 1,800
SHAFER CREEK Idaho Poor 1914 112 20
MILLER BRANCH Illinois Poor 1914 112 50
ELM CREEK Illinois Fair 1914 112 900
LIMESTONE CREEK Illinois Fair 1914 112 75
EMBARRAS RIVER Illinois Poor 1914 112 50
N BR CHICAGO RIVER Illinois Poor 1914 112 19,900
CALUMET RIVER Illinois Poor 1914 112 11,200
N BR CHICAGO RIVER Illinois Fair 1914 112 12,900
CREEK Illinois Fair 1914 112 50
BRANCH OF TILTON CR. Illinois Poor 1914 112 25
SPRING CR. TRIB. Illinois Poor 1914 112 200
MUD CR Illinois Poor 1914 112 25
STREAM Illinois Poor 1914 112 50
KANKAKEE RIVER Illinois Fair 1914 112 2,900
MORGAN CREEK Illinois Fair 1914 112 4,800
RAVINE Illinois Fair 1914 112 175
RAVINE Illinois Poor 1914 112 175
HICKORY CREEK Illinois Fair 1914 112 75
INDIAN CRK. Illinois Fair 1914 112 75
DITCH Illinois Fair 1914 112 1,150
MIDDLE FORK SALINE R Illinois Fair 1914 112 2,900
BRUSH CREEK Illinois Poor 1914 112 200
SALAMONIE RIVER Indiana Fair 1914 112 7,439
ST JOSEPH RIVER Indiana Fair 1914 112 30,522
TURKEY RUN Indiana Good 1914 112 2
N. FORK VERMILION RIVER Indiana Poor 1914 112 50
TURNER DITCH Indiana Fair 1914 112 145
Little RACCOON Creek Indiana Fair 1914 112 67
MIDDLE FORK LEWIS CREEK Indiana Fair 1914 112 175
WATKINS CREEK Indiana Fair 1914 112 125
WINNEBAGO RIVER Iowa Fair 1914 112 2,278
GLOVERS CREEK Iowa Poor 1914 112 719
SHERMANS CREEK Iowa Poor 1914 112 6,893
RACCOON RIVER Iowa Poor 1914 112 26
MAPLE RIVER Iowa Poor 1914 112 15
MIDDLE RACCOON RIVER Iowa Poor 1914 112 15
EAST SUGAR CREEK Iowa Poor 1914 112 20
WHARAM CREEK Iowa Fair 1914 112 21
WILLOW CREEK Iowa Fair 1914 112 275
SCHNEIDERS CREEK Iowa Poor 1914 112 10
NORTH WYACONDAH CREEK Iowa Poor 1914 112 34

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.