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
WATTS BRANCH District of Columbia Good 1915 111 2,500
ROCK CREEK District of Columbia Fair 1915 111 3,500
LITTLE PAYNE CREEK Florida Poor 1915 111 600
BAKER CANAL Florida Good 1915 111 17,900
DOVE CREEK Georgia Poor 1915 111 323
ETOWAH RIVER Georgia Fair 1915 111 13,900
HOLOINAWAWAE GULCH Hawaii Good 1915 111 1,865
ALAALAULA STRM Hawaii Poor 1915 111 649
PAPAHAWAHAWA STRM Hawaii Good 1915 111 775
WAIOHONU STRM Hawaii Good 1915 111 775
KAPIA STRM Hawaii Poor 1915 111 775
CLOVER CREEK Idaho Fair 1915 111 50
HIGH LINE CANAL Idaho Fair 1915 111 20
PARADISE CREEK Idaho Fair 1915 111 2,600
HOLMAN CRK. Illinois Fair 1915 111 100
AVERY BRANCH Illinois Fair 1915 111 10
MCCURDY BRANCH Illinois Poor 1915 111 50
W. BUREAU CREEK Illinois Poor 1915 111 25
LIME CREEK Illinois Fair 1915 111 75
Masters Fork Illinois Poor 1915 111 25
BRUSHY BRANCH Illinois Poor 1915 111 1,300
DURBIN BRANCH Illinois Fair 1915 111 100
LOWIS BRANCH Illinois Fair 1915 111 20
GEORGE BRANCH Illinois Poor 1915 111 50
LITTLE CALUMET RIVER Illinois Poor 1915 111 8,050
FLAT CREEK Illinois Poor 1915 111 50
TRIB HURRICANE CREEK Illinois Fair 1915 111 20
BEAR CREEK Illinois Fair 1915 111 25
LA MOINE RIVER Illinois Poor 1915 111 100
SPILLMAN CREEK Illinois Fair 1915 111 50
SHIPE CREEK Illinois Fair 1915 111 50
S HENDERSON CR Illinois Poor 1915 111 25
TRIB. TO IROQ. RIVER Illinois Fair 1915 111 250
SPRING CR Illinois Poor 1915 111 50
BR COON CREEK Illinois Fair 1915 111 25
RAVINE Illinois Fair 1915 111 3,750
TRIB SUGAR CR Illinois Poor 1915 111 10
HORSE CRK Illinois Fair 1915 111 50
SKILLET FORK Illinois Fair 1915 111 75
MIDDLE FK MCKEE TRIB Illinois Poor 1915 111 25
TRIB OF KISER CREEK Illinois Fair 1915 111 25
LITTLE MARYS RIVER Illinois Fair 1915 111 575
STREAM Illinois Poor 1915 111 300
STREAM Illinois Poor 1915 111 50
BR OF YELLOW CREEK Illinois Fair 1915 111 25
BR OF LOCUST CREEK Illinois Fair 1915 111 150
BR NORTH CREEK Illinois Poor 1915 111 10
Br of Elkhorn Creek Illinois Poor 1915 111 25
EAGLE SLOUGH DRAINAG Illinois Poor 1915 111 10
WILLOW BRANCH Illinois Poor 1915 111 50

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.