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
LITTLE CATAWISSA CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1914 112 2,016
FLAUGHERTY CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1914 112 4,706
OVEN RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1914 112 111
QUEMAHONING CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1914 112 34
BARRS RUN Pennsylvania Poor 1914 112 132
PORTERS RUN Pennsylvania Poor 1914 112 50
NFSRR Pennsylvania Good 1914 112 474
LITTLE MUDDY CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1914 112 107
CSX (LOW FREIGHT LINE) Pennsylvania Fair 1914 112 8,992
CSX (LOW FREIGHT LINE) Pennsylvania Fair 1914 112 12,759
AMTRAK (NE Corridor) Pennsylvania Poor 1914 112 6,000
TRIB TO LONG RUN Pennsylvania Poor 1914 112 20
TRIB TO MOUNTAIN CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1914 112 500
NORFOLK SOUTHERN RR Pennsylvania Poor 1914 112 400
Perkins Run Pennsylvania Fair 1914 112 300
WARREN RIVER Rhode Island Fair 1914 112 16,524
BNSF RAILROAD South Dakota Poor 1914 112 2,560
REE CK South Dakota Poor 1914 112 10
CSX RAILROAD Tennessee Poor 1914 112 660
BRANCH Tennessee Good 1914 112 20
PINE CREEK Tennessee Poor 1914 112 20
PINE CREEK Tennessee Fair 1914 112 20
S.FK. CUMBERLAND RIVER Tennessee Fair 1914 112 20
BEECH LOG CREEK Tennessee Good 1914 112 1,210
BRANCH Tennessee Fair 1914 112 1,750
MILLER CREEK Texas Good 1914 112 6,222
TRINITY RIVER Texas Fair 1914 112 11,393
OLD N THIRD ST Texas Fair 1914 112 10,352
WEST FORK TRINITY RIVER Texas Fair 1914 112 4,053
HOGPEN CREEK Texas Fair 1914 112 18
TRIBUTARY OF DEER CREEK Texas Fair 1914 112 215
Trib Little Tehuacana Cr Texas Fair 1914 112 2,315
BUFFALO BAYOU Texas Fair 1914 112 14,649
BUFFALO & WHITE OAK BYU Texas Fair 1914 112 2,946
BUFFALO BAYOU Texas Fair 1914 112 6,162
SAN ANTONIO RIVER Texas Fair 1914 112 9,796
LEON CREEK Texas Fair 1914 112 286
PRICE RIVER Utah Poor 1914 112 19
BEAR RIVER Utah Fair 1914 112 38
JONES BROOK Vermont Fair 1914 112 80
COBB BROOK Vermont Good 1914 112 10
LEE RIVER Vermont Fair 1914 112 10
STLAWRENCE ATLANTIC RR Vermont Fair 1914 112 30
BRIDGEWATER BROOK Vermont Poor 1914 112 20
WHETSTONE BROOK Vermont Fair 1914 112 15,500
WARE CREEK Virginia Fair 1914 112 323
BEAVERDAM CREEK Virginia Fair 1914 112 665
Battle Run Virginia Poor 1914 112 21
Rush River Virginia Fair 1914 112 59
DRY WASH Washington Fair 1914 112 46

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.