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
FOURPOLE CREEK West Virginia Poor 1915 111 200
CUCUMBER CREEK West Virginia Fair 1915 111 200
CACAPON RIVER West Virginia Poor 1915 111 550
LITTLE BEAVER CREEK West Virginia Fair 1915 111 12,100
ISNER CREEK West Virginia Poor 1915 111 600
TYGART VALLEY RIVER West Virginia Poor 1915 111 50
KINGS RUN West Virginia Poor 1915 111 150
TAYLOR RUN West Virginia Poor 1915 111 20
LEFT FORK OF SLAB CREEK West Virginia Fair 1915 111 550
BRANCH OF DOG RUN West Virginia Fair 1915 111 80
SLATE RUN West Virginia Poor 1915 111 1,100
PECKS RUN West Virginia Fair 1915 111 80
SAND RUN West Virginia Fair 1915 111 50
LAUREL FORK West Virginia Fair 1915 111 200
GAULEY RIVER West Virginia Fair 1915 111 250
WISCONSIN RIVER 31 Wisconsin Poor 1915 111 28,144
SAUK CREEK Wisconsin Fair 1915 111 10,200
WILLOW RIVER Wisconsin Fair 1915 111 226
QUADERERS CREEK Wisconsin Fair 1915 111 4,200
JOSIE CREEK Wisconsin Poor 1915 111 25
PENSAUKEE RIVER Wisconsin Poor 1915 111 100
BR PINE CREEK Wisconsin Poor 1915 111 531
E BR YELLOW RIVER Wisconsin Poor 1915 111 60
Ft Laramie Canal Wyoming Fair 1915 111 2
FIREHOLE RIVER Wyoming Fair 1915 111 250
North Platte River Wyoming Poor 1915 111 69
Encampment River Wyoming Poor 1915 111 71
Medicine Bow River Wyoming Poor 1915 111 59
GRANDE RIVER Puerto Rico Fair 1915 111 7,200
LA PUENTE CHANNEL Puerto Rico Fair 1915 111 7,900
PASTILLO RIVER Puerto Rico Poor 1915 111 8,500
Boulder Creek Arizona Fair 1916 110 1,169
Santa Cruz River Arizona Fair 1916 110 840
Graveyard Wash Arizona Fair 1916 110 1,188
Pinal Creek Arizona Fair 1916 110 642
SPRING RIVER Arkansas Poor 1916 110 779
LEau Frais Crk Arkansas Fair 1916 110 378
REDWOOD CREEK California Fair 1916 110 78
CAMPBELL SLOUGH California Fair 1916 110 1,500
S FK WILLOW CREEK California Fair 1916 110 46
LITTLE CHICO CREEK California Fair 1916 110 5,200
BEAR R CAMP FARWEST WIER California Fair 1916 110 540
QUAKER DRAW California Good 1916 110 1,000
SMITH CREEK California Fair 1916 110 1,500
UNION SCHOOL SLOUGH California Fair 1916 110 115
SACRAMENTO BYPASS (WEIR) California Fair 1916 110 2,889
RILEY RAVINE California Fair 1916 110 1,000
ARCADE CREEK California Good 1916 110 17,544
ARROYO CALERO California Fair 1916 110 3,760
WATERFORD CANAL California Fair 1916 110 9,100

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.