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
SCHUYLKILL 24TH RR 32 31 Pennsylvania Fair 1892 134 16,101
Frankford Creek Pennsylvania Fair 1892 134 11,500
AMTRAK (NE CORRIDOR) Pennsylvania Good 1892 134 5,300
N. 13TH STREET Pennsylvania Poor 1892 134 150
WASH. OLD DOM. REG. TRL. Virginia Fair 1892 134 1,247
Wheeling Creek West Virginia Fair 1892 134 5,300
BLACK OTTER CREEK Wisconsin Fair 1892 134 5,151
CAMBALACHE CREEK Puerto Rico Poor 1892 134 7,800
SALTO ABAJO CREEK Puerto Rico Poor 1892 134 7,800
EL MUERTO CREEK Puerto Rico Poor 1892 134 5,000
DEPRESSION Puerto Rico Poor 1892 134 5,000
METRO-NORTH RAILROAD Connecticut Fair 1893 133 18,900
METRO NORTH RAILROAD Connecticut Good 1893 133 11,803
RILEY CREEK Illinois Fair 1893 133 150
STREAM Illinois Poor 1893 133 25
BROWNS WONDER CREEK Indiana Fair 1893 133 120
MOUNTS RUN Indiana Fair 1893 133 110
LAMBS CREEK Indiana Fair 1893 133 270
BLUEGRASS CREEK Indiana Fair 1893 133 325
WET CREEK Iowa Poor 1893 133 294
BUFFINGTON CREEK Iowa Poor 1893 133 11
REPUBLICAN RIVER Kansas Poor 1893 133 135
WESTERN RUN Maryland Fair 1893 133 3,524
TR GREEN LINE D Massachusetts Fair 1893 133 20,300
COMB FNDRY ST&MBTA&AMTK Massachusetts Fair 1893 133 14,700
WATER FORGE POND Massachusetts Fair 1893 133 24,500
TR GREEN LINE D Massachusetts Fair 1893 133 9,681
BNSF RR Minnesota Fair 1893 133 1,738
MARIES RVR Missouri Poor 1893 133 50
LITTLE BLUE RIVER Nebraska Poor 1893 133 45
CONTOOCOOK RIVER New Hampshire Fair 1893 133 4,507
CONNECTICUT RIVER New Hampshire Fair 1893 133 303
SO BR RANCOCAS CREEK New Jersey Fair 1893 133 495
WINDERMERE BROOK New Jersey Good 1893 133 2,966
S. BRANCH RARITAN RIVER New Jersey Fair 1893 133 668
BIG FLAT BROOK New Jersey Poor 1893 133 33
PERCH RIVER New York Poor 1893 133 3,648
STARCH FACTORY CK New York Fair 1893 133 3,019
GENESEE RIVER OLD SUBWA New York Fair 1893 133 4,936
W BRANCH AUSABLE RIVER New York Fair 1893 133 1,095
ISCHUA CREEK New York Poor 1893 133 18
MNRR NH LINE New York Poor 1893 133 3,610
MIAMI-ERIE CANAL Ohio Fair 1893 133 385
LITTLE BEAVER CREEK Ohio Fair 1893 133 324
NORTH FORK LITTLE BEAVER Ohio Fair 1893 133 156
DEER CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1893 133 88
ABERS CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1893 133 850
GALLOWS RUN Pennsylvania Good 1893 133 50
OVER PADAN RUN Pennsylvania Poor 1893 133 212
ROBERTS RUN Pennsylvania Poor 1893 133 50

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.