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
PEQUEA CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1893 133 2,000
EAST BR. PERKIOMEN CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1893 133 175
MAHANOY CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1893 133 3,447
LITTLE SCHUYLKILL RIVER Pennsylvania Fair 1893 133 3,000
CONNECTICUT RIVER Vermont Fair 1893 133 220
OTTER CREEK Vermont Fair 1893 133 8,200
N FORK SHENANDOAH RIVER Virginia Fair 1893 133 552
BIG SANDY CREEK West Virginia Poor 1893 133 10
NAPA RIVER California Fair 1894 132 2,790
EAST FORK EIGHT MILE CRK Colorado Poor 1894 132 25
HORSENECK BROOK Connecticut Fair 1894 132 12,240
FARM CREEK Illinois Poor 1894 132 150
JOHNSON FORK WHITEWATER Indiana Fair 1894 132 203
EAST FORK OF WHITE RIVER Indiana Poor 1894 132 107
LOST RIVER Indiana Fair 1894 132 125
KENTUCKY RIVER Kentucky Poor 1894 132 3,392
LITTLE GUNPOWDER FALLS Maryland Fair 1894 132 552
HWY CEMETERY RD Massachusetts Fair 1894 132 16,034
RR MBTA/CSX Massachusetts Fair 1894 132 4,655
WATER INDIAN HEAD RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1894 132 8,017
WATER THIRD LEVEL CANAL Massachusetts Fair 1894 132 24,568
WATER IPSWICH RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1894 132 1,800
WATER MILL RIVER Massachusetts Poor 1894 132 2,400
JEFFERSON RIVER 063 Montana Poor 1894 132 100
PISCATAQUOG RIVER New Hampshire Good 1894 132 12,740
BUTTERNUT CREEK New York Fair 1894 132 43
LIRR BAY-RIDGE New York Fair 1894 132 2,822
MNRR NH LINE New York Poor 1894 132 5,838
OSWEGATCHIE RIVER New York Good 1894 132 23
MNRR NH LINE New York Fair 1894 132 3,541
MILL CREEK Ohio Fair 1894 132 6,729
WILLS CREEK Ohio Poor 1894 132
PRICES CREEK Ohio Fair 1894 132 324
FOUR MILE CREEK Ohio Fair 1894 132 52
BULL CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1894 132 155
BULL CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1894 132 261
NORTH BR.TOWANDA CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1894 132 75
PICKERING CREEK Pennsylvania Good 1894 132 60
WYNCOOP RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1894 132 204
BUSHKILL CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1894 132 12,031
CASSELMAN RIVER Pennsylvania Poor 1894 132 100
TIOGA RIVER Pennsylvania Good 1894 132 55
SEPTA (CHESTNUT HILL) Pennsylvania Fair 1894 132 4,709
SEPTA Pennsylvania Poor 1894 132 5,000
Shurs Lane Pennsylvania Good 1894 132 2,500
MOSHASSUCK RIVER Rhode Island Fair 1894 132 690
WEST RIVER Rhode Island Good 1894 132 7,777
SEELEY CREEK Wisconsin Fair 1894 132 27
SOUTH YUBA RIVER California Fair 1895 131 71
IRWIN CREEK California Good 1895 131 129,000

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.