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
ROCKY COULEE Washington Fair 1914 112 71
TOUCHET RIVER Washington Poor 1914 112 100
ROCKY COULEE Washington Fair 1914 112 50
COW CREEK Washington Fair 1914 112 50
DRY RELIEF Washington Fair 1914 112 50
ROCKY COULEE Washington Fair 1914 112 14
ROCK CREEK Washington Fair 1914 112
DRY CREEK Washington Fair 1914 112 35
GREEN RIVER Washington Fair 1914 112 350
SOUTH FORK PALOUSE RIVER Washington Fair 1914 112 3
DRY CREEK Washington Fair 1914 112 29
PECKS RUN West Virginia Fair 1914 112 30
MIDDLE FORK RIVER West Virginia Fair 1914 112 10
LAUREL RUN West Virginia Fair 1914 112 250
STEWART RUN West Virginia Fair 1914 112 3,200
ELK CREEK West Virginia Fair 1914 112 30
ELK CREEK West Virginia Fair 1914 112 30
Pierce Run West Virginia Fair 1914 112 90
ROBINSON FORK West Virginia Poor 1914 112 650
MEATHOUSE FORK West Virginia Fair 1914 112 10
DOE RUN West Virginia Poor 1914 112 100
GRASSLICK CREEK West Virginia Poor 1914 112 600
LEADING CREEK West Virginia Fair 1914 112 20
STONECOAL CREEK West Virginia Fair 1914 112 150
FLAT RUN West Virginia Fair 1914 112 1,000
SECOND CREEK West Virginia Fair 1914 112 498
SOUTH FORK SLEEPY CREEK West Virginia Poor 1914 112 10
Longs Run West Virginia Fair 1914 112 150
FIVE & TWENTYMILE CREEK West Virginia Fair 1914 112 500
MYERS FORK OF GOOSE CK. West Virginia Fair 1914 112 100
NORTH FORK HUGHES RIVER West Virginia Poor 1914 112 150
SAND RUN West Virginia Fair 1914 112 10
SAND RUN West Virginia Poor 1914 112 50
RT FK OF MIDDLE FK RIVER West Virginia Fair 1914 112 20
South Fork Fishing Creek West Virginia Fair 1914 112 60
MOOSE EAR CREEK Wisconsin Fair 1914 112 200
KOSHKONONG CREEK Wisconsin Poor 1914 112 1,500
SCHOOLHOUSE CREEK Wisconsin Good 1914 112 159
EMBARRASS RIVER Wisconsin Fair 1914 112 120
BR HEMLOCK CREEK Wisconsin Poor 1914 112 480
North Piney Creek Wyoming Fair 1914 112 32
MENDOZA CREEK Puerto Rico Fair 1914 112 7,300
MOROVIS RIVER Puerto Rico Poor 1914 112 7,200
MOROVIS RIVER Puerto Rico Poor 1914 112 7,200
TRIB TO CEDAR CREEK Alabama Poor 1915 111 25
MILL CREEK Alabama Poor 1915 111 125
MORRIS AVE * RR Alabama Poor 1915 111 13,000
MORRIS AVE * RR Alabama Poor 1915 111 14,000
TOWN BRANCH Alabama Fair 1915 111 250
SHOAL CREEK Alabama Poor 1915 111 2,123

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.