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
BIG SEWICKLEY CREEK EB Pennsylvania Fair 1891 135 118
UNAMI CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1891 135 100
COCALICO CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1891 135 100
OVER LITTLE PINE CR. Pennsylvania Poor 1891 135 143
SHAMOKIN CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1891 135 5,850
SHERMAN CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1891 135 100
LAUREL HILL CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1891 135 50
TENMILE CREEK West Virginia Fair 1891 135 10
W FK KICKAPOO RIVER Wisconsin Fair 1891 135 205
MILWAUKEE RIVER Wisconsin Poor 1891 135
HONDA CREEK Puerto Rico Poor 1891 135 6,400
GUAMANI RIVER Puerto Rico Poor 1891 135 1,800
HONDA CREEK Puerto Rico Fair 1891 135 6,400
RIO GRANDE RIVER Colorado Poor 1892 134 37
HARBOR BROOK Connecticut Fair 1892 134 16,744
METRO-NORTH RAILROAD Connecticut Fair 1892 134 9,700
AMTRAK RAILROAD Connecticut Fair 1892 134 5,900
HOFFMAN DITCH #2 Indiana Fair 1892 134 130
LITTLE BLUE RIVER Indiana Poor 1892 134 271
WHITE RIVER Indiana Poor 1892 134 230
Black River Indiana Poor 1892 134 263
STREAM Iowa Poor 1892 134 69
LITTLE OSSIPEE RIVER Maine Fair 1892 134 40
WATER RESERVE CHANNEL Massachusetts Fair 1892 134 24,052
WATER MUDDY RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1892 134 2,100
WATER SCARBOROUGH POND Massachusetts Fair 1892 134 130
COMB MBTA/BMRR & DRIVE Massachusetts Fair 1892 134 9,500
RR CSX Massachusetts Fair 1892 134 6,541
SALMON BROOK New Hampshire Fair 1892 134 9,118
HACKENSACK RIVER New Jersey Good 1892 134 4,774
WOODBURY CREEK New Jersey Poor 1892 134 21,874
SPRUCE RUN New Jersey Good 1892 134 242
WEASEL BROOK New Jersey Fair 1892 134 17,704
MUSCONETCONG RIVER New Jersey Good 1892 134 2,873
GENESEE RIVER New York Poor 1892 134 5,677
RAQUETTE RIVER New York Poor 1892 134 152
ROWLEYS BROOK New York Fair 1892 134 5,374
ARGYLE-WOODLND (SUNBURY) Ohio Good 1892 134 12,400
KOKOSING RIVER Ohio Good 1892 134 26,321
DEER CREEK Pennsylvania Good 1892 134 251
RAYSTOWN BR.JUNIATA RIV. Pennsylvania Fair 1892 134 20
BIG ELK CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1892 134 177
OVER OIL CREEK EAST BR Pennsylvania Fair 1892 134 191
OVER OIL CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1892 134 451
YOUGHIOGHENY RIVER/TRAIL Pennsylvania Poor 1892 134 1,086
MUDDY CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1892 134
NRTH FORK LIL BEAV CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1892 134 50
OVER LT NESHANNOCK CR TR Pennsylvania Fair 1892 134 503
UNAMI CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1892 134 259
ALLEGHENY RIVER Pennsylvania Fair 1892 134 97

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.