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
SHEYENNE RIVER North Dakota Poor 1915 111 24
SHEYENNE RIVER North Dakota Poor 1915 111 24
GOOSE RIVER North Dakota Fair 1915 111 24
JAMES RIVER North Dakota Poor 1915 111 25
PARK RIVER North Dakota Fair 1915 111 27
PARK RIVER North Dakota Poor 1915 111 10
CREEK North Dakota Fair 1915 111 24
FOREST RIVER North Dakota Poor 1915 111 26
JAMES RIVER North Dakota Poor 1915 111 5
MARGARET CK Ohio Fair 1915 111 1,397
COUNTY LINE Ohio Fair 1915 111 90
EAST FORK LITTLE MIAMI Ohio Good 1915 111 184
WILLS CREEK Ohio Fair 1915 111 797
SIMMONS RUN Ohio Fair 1915 111 209
BIG CREEK Ohio Fair 1915 111 8,872
CHAGRIN RIVER Ohio Poor 1915 111 4,146
OLENTANGY RIVER Ohio Fair 1915 111 1,712
OVER CONV CTR CONN & NSR Ohio Good 1915 111 30,128
EAGLE CREEK Ohio Good 1915 111 489
CREEK Ohio Good 1915 111 489
LITTLE TYMOCHTEE Ohio Fair 1915 111 324
1541 BRINKMAN DITCH Ohio Fair 1915 111 413
INDIAN TRAIL CREEK Ohio Fair 1915 111 209
PINEY FORK Ohio Fair 1915 111 209
YELLOW CREEK Ohio Fair 1915 111 351
WILLIAMSON RUN Ohio Fair 1915 111 1,158
LITTLE JELLOWAY CREEK Ohio Poor 1915 111 1,277
BAKER DT REDFERN RD. Ohio Good 1915 111 983
BRANCH OF DELAWARE CREEK Ohio Fair 1915 111 500
MILTON RESERVOIR Ohio Fair 1915 111 3,370
DRY RUN CREEK Ohio Fair 1915 111 400
POPLAR CREEK Ohio Poor 1915 111 452
WHETSTONE CREEK-CLOSED Ohio Poor 1915 111 161
TIMBER RUN Ohio Good 1915 111 983
SWAMP CREEK Ohio Fair 1915 111 475
NORTH POWELL CREEK Ohio Fair 1915 111 607
LITTLE CREEK Ohio Fair 1915 111 25
SANDUSKY RIVER Ohio Poor 1915 111 2,227
EAST RESERVOIR OUTLET Ohio Fair 1915 111 11,127
WEST BARNETZ CREEK Oklahoma Fair 1915 111 25
TURKEY CREEK Oklahoma Fair 1915 111 50
CREEK Oklahoma Fair 1915 111 24
SPRING CREEK Oklahoma Fair 1915 111 100
OTTER CREEK Oklahoma Fair 1915 111 24
N. CANADIAN RIVER Oklahoma Poor 1915 111 100
DRAW Oregon Fair 1915 111 6,555
B-81 OVER SW BERTHA BLVD Oregon Fair 1915 111 17,757
WILLOW CREEK EB Oregon Good 1915 111 277
B-88 X FILLED STREAMBED Oregon Good 1915 111 567
PRAIRIE CREEK Oregon Fair 1915 111 235

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.