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
SILVER CREEK Kansas Fair 1890 136 15
HUNTING CREEK Maryland Fair 1890 136 135
LITTLE PIPE CREEK Maryland Fair 1890 136 200
SIDELING HILL CREEK Maryland Fair 1890 136 66
BEAVER CREEK Maryland Fair 1890 136 678
C&O CANAL Maryland Fair 1890 136 159
WATER POWWOW RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1890 136 8,336
RR CSX Massachusetts Fair 1890 136 129
WATER DEERFIELD RIVER Massachusetts Poor 1890 136 5,950
WATER RESERVOIR 2 Massachusetts Fair 1890 136 9,582
WATER HOUSATONIC RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1890 136 6,200
COMB MBTA/BMRR & ORANGE Massachusetts Fair 1890 136 3,000
OTHER NORTHAMPTON BK WAY Massachusetts Fair 1890 136 7,500
RR MACRR Massachusetts Good 1890 136 1,857
RR CSX/MBTA Massachusetts Good 1890 136 2,300
WATER ABERJONA RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1890 136 10,600
RR PCRR (ABANDONED) Massachusetts Poor 1890 136 8,078
S FORK OF HAYWORTH Michigan Poor 1890 136 119
GRAND RIVER Michigan Fair 1890 136 1,100
MINNEHAHA CREEK Minnesota Poor 1890 136 4,334
BEAVER CREEK Minnesota Poor 1890 136 1
POMME DE TERRE RVR Missouri Poor 1890 136 35
SACO RIVER New Hampshire Fair 1890 136 2,490
CSX New Hampshire Poor 1890 136 8,749
MUSCONETCONG RIVER New Jersey Fair 1890 136 689
ROCKAWAY CREEK New Jersey Fair 1890 136 978
AMTRAK NE CORRIDOR New Jersey Fair 1890 136 10,650
AMTRAK NE CORRIDOR New Jersey Poor 1890 136 7,956
Arm of Lake Carasaljo New Jersey Fair 1890 136 4,306
S. BRANCH RARITAN RIVER New Jersey Fair 1890 136 668
POPHANDUSING CREEK New Jersey Fair 1890 136 94
ONONDAGA CREEK New York Good 1890 136 4,623
BEEMAN CREEK New York Fair 1890 136 54
BUTTERNUT CREEK New York Poor 1890 136 29
OAK CREEK New York Poor 1890 136 34
PED. OPP 109TH ST New York Fair 1890 136 9,000
DRY BROOK New York Fair 1890 136 2
STEELE CREEK New York Fair 1890 136 3,490
OATKA CREEK New York Fair 1890 136 208
CHAUTAUQUA CRK New York Fair 1890 136 443
CROPSEY LANE New York Good 1890 136 5,374
NO NAME Ohio Good 1890 136 380
PENN RR Ohio Fair 1890 136 324
SHAWNEE CREEK Ohio Fair 1890 136 3,007
TRIB W FORK MILL CREEK Ohio Fair 1890 136 21,420
MIDDLE FORK SUGAR CREEK Ohio Fair 1890 136 209
FRENCH CREEK Ohio Fair 1890 136 12,482
TOMS CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1890 136 2,578
DAYS RUN Pennsylvania Poor 1890 136 1,899
MILLERS RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1890 136 1,300

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.