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
OVER OIL CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1888 138 100
WISSAHICKON CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1888 138 15,917
Wissahickon Creek Pennsylvania Fair 1888 138 3,400
WOONASQUATUCKET RIVER Rhode Island Fair 1888 138 5,445
PAWTUXET RIVER N BRANCH Rhode Island Poor 1888 138 910
BOOTHS CREEK West Virginia Poor 1888 138 2
WEPAWAUG RIVER Connecticut Fair 1889 137 14,300
BEECH CREEK Indiana Poor 1889 137 30
TURKEY RIVER Iowa Fair 1889 137 4,755
MIDDLE CREEK Maryland Fair 1889 137 1,951
WATER MUDDY RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1889 137 1,000
WATER SALISBURY BROOK Massachusetts Good 1889 137 16,300
WATER MILLERS RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1889 137 140
WATER SECOND LEVEL CANAL Massachusetts Good 1889 137 4,762
RR MBTA/BMRR Massachusetts Fair 1889 137 7,600
RR CSX/MBTA Massachusetts Good 1889 137 14,482
WICKECHEOKE CREEK New Jersey Fair 1889 137 328
TRENTON LINE (CSX) New Jersey Poor 1889 137 1,000
GREEN BROOK New Jersey Fair 1889 137 9,189
FLAT BROOK New Jersey Poor 1889 137 302
DELAWARE RIVER New York Fair 1889 137 180
BOZEN KILL New York Fair 1889 137 23
OTSQUAGO CREEK New York Poor 1889 137 4
GOWANUS CANAL New York Poor 1889 137 914
GOWANUS CANAL New York Fair 1889 137 11,199
METRO NO COMMUTER New York Fair 1889 137
METRO NO COMMUTER New York Good 1889 137 1,956
METRO NO COMMUTER New York Good 1889 137 16,820
METRO NORTH RR New York Fair 1889 137
METRO NORTH RR New York Good 1889 137 6,587
METRO NO COMMUTER New York Good 1889 137 11,062
METRO NO COMMUTER New York Fair 1889 137 8,053
METRO NO COMMUTER New York Poor 1889 137 6,205
METRO NO COMMUTER New York Fair 1889 137 3,466
METRO NO COMMUTER New York Fair 1889 137 28,125
METRO NO COMMUTER New York Fair 1889 137 20,781
MILL CREEK New York Fair 1889 137 28
METTAWEE RIVER New York Fair 1889 137 483
ORISKANY CREEK New York Fair 1889 137 1,355
S. BRANCH KOKOSING Ohio Good 1889 137 283
MONTOUR RUN Pennsylvania Good 1889 137 650
DEER CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1889 137 88
LITTLE SEWICKLEY CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1889 137 266
BRUSH CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1889 137 25
YELLOW CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1889 137 20
TULPEHOCKEN CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1889 137 11
MORRIS RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1889 137 200
LITTLE ELK CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1889 137 427
WEST BR RED CLAY CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1889 137 659
SOUTH BR. FRENCH CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1889 137 565

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.