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
MILLERS RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1890 136 250
MONTOUR RUN Pennsylvania Good 1890 136 5,216
UNAMI CREEK / 2806-E4 Pennsylvania Poor 1890 136 3,005
STONYCREEK RIVER Pennsylvania Fair 1890 136 34
BLACK CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1890 136 50
OVER CONNEAUT OUTLET Pennsylvania Poor 1890 136 250
BIG SPRING CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1890 136 251
HOOVERS RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1890 136 50
PINE CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1890 136 190
KNAPP CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1890 136 40
SWAMP CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1890 136 838
RDG.BLUE MT.NOR RR SCH.R Pennsylvania Poor 1890 136
BUFFALO CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1890 136 50
MILLERS RUN Pennsylvania Good 1890 136 40
WHEELING CREEK TRIB Pennsylvania Poor 1890 136 20
PIGEON CREEK trib Pennsylvania Fair 1890 136 150
N BRANCH PIGEON CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1890 136 2
CSX RAILROAD Pennsylvania Good 1890 136 27,785
MESHOPPEN CREEK Pennsylvania Good 1890 136 50
BLACK FALLS BROOK Vermont Fair 1890 136 410
MILL BROOK Vermont Fair 1890 136 50
CALFPASTURE RIVER Virginia Good 1890 136 104
TUG FORK West Virginia Poor 1890 136 500
TUG FORK West Virginia Poor 1890 136
BR MCCARTNEY BRANCH Wisconsin Poor 1890 136 240
S BR LITTLE WOLF RIVER Wisconsin Good 1890 136 597
S BR LITTLE WOLF RIVER Wisconsin Poor 1890 136 56
UNKOWN CREEK Puerto Rico Fair 1890 136 17,100
WATERWAY Puerto Rico Fair 1890 136 5,944
MISSION CREEK California Fair 1891 135 10,600
AMTRAK RAILROAD Connecticut Fair 1891 135 3,500
STONE MOUNTAIN CREEK Georgia Fair 1891 135 2,202
JACKSON PK LAGOON IN Illinois Fair 1891 135 36,700
DEER CREEK Indiana Fair 1891 135 938
GREAT WORKS RIVER Maine Poor 1891 135 1,170
COMB STRW DR & CHAS RIV Massachusetts Fair 1891 135 38,638
COMB CONN RIV & PVRR Massachusetts Fair 1891 135 18,700
OTHER LITTLE RIVER CUL Massachusetts Good 1891 135 4,500
RR MBTA/BMRR Massachusetts Fair 1891 135 1,200
RR MBTA/CSX Massachusetts Poor 1891 135 1,300
WATER FRENCH RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1891 135 2,000
S CH PLATTE RIVER Nebraska Poor 1891 135 15
CROSSWICKS CREEK New Jersey Fair 1891 135 1,668
Whippany River New Jersey Fair 1891 135 17,820
RARITAN VALLEY LINE New Jersey Fair 1891 135 15
OTSELIC RIVER New York Poor 1891 135 257
ISCHUA CREEK New York Fair 1891 135 92
DEER RIVER New York Poor 1891 135 77
MOHAWK RIVER New York Fair 1891 135 1,142
W & LE RR (TUNNEL) Ohio Fair 1891 135 1,841

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.