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
N BR MOOSE RIVER New York Poor 1895 131
PLATTEKILL CREEK New York Poor 1895 131 351
E B AUSABLE RIVER New York Fair 1895 131 112
TIDERISHI DITCH Ohio Poor 1895 131 37
GORDON CREEK Ohio Poor 1895 131 30
SEVEN MILE CREEK Ohio Fair 1895 131 324
BULL CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1895 131 9,826
EAST BR.PERKIOMEN CREEK Pennsylvania Good 1895 131 50
SEPTA Pennsylvania Poor 1895 131 4,918
SO BR TUNKHANNOCK CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1895 131 30
OVER WOLF CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1895 131 153
Dugan Road Pennsylvania Good 1895 131 8
BENS CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1895 131 50
CEDAR RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1895 131 22
LITTLE SANDY CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1895 131 50
N BRANCH CALKINS CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1895 131 50
EQUINUNK CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1895 131 60
READING RAILROAD;ROAD Pennsylvania Good 1895 131 27,908
Schuylkill River Pennsylvania Poor 1895 131 18,650
BLACKSTONE RIVER Rhode Island Good 1895 131 10,965
BEAVER CREEK Tennessee Good 1895 131 290
MILL BROOK Vermont Good 1895 131 100
EAST FORK GREENBRIER R West Virginia Poor 1895 131 20
CARNEROS CREEK California Fair 1896 130 1,959
US67 MISSRVR L&D15 CPRR Illinois Fair 1896 130 18,000
N BR CHICAGO RIVER Illinois Fair 1896 130 17,600
STONY CREEK Illinois Good 1896 130 9,800
ELKHART RIVER Indiana Fair 1896 130 3,593
LEATHERWOOD Creek Indiana Poor 1896 130 206
BIG PINE CREEK Indiana Poor 1896 130 60
FALLS BRANCH Indiana Fair 1896 130 290
FALLS BRANCH Indiana Fair 1896 130 1,130
FALLS BRANCH Indiana Fair 1896 130 900
BIG CREEK TRIBUTARY Indiana Fair 1896 130 2
CASCADE LANDING Iowa Poor 1896 130 743
OTHER SHINING SEA BIKEWY Massachusetts Good 1896 130 4,655
WATER CONCORD RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1896 130 14,250
RR MBTA/CSX Massachusetts Good 1896 130 8,300
OTHER COCHITUATE RAIL TR Massachusetts Good 1896 130 1,552
WATER ABERJONA RIVER Massachusetts Good 1896 130 6,206
DEARBORN RIVER 011 Montana Fair 1896 130 31
COPPER CREEK New Jersey Poor 1896 130 160
SPRUCE RUN New Jersey Fair 1896 130 753
PEDDIE LAKE New Jersey Fair 1896 130 3,115
CRANBURY BROOK New Jersey Fair 1896 130 7,125
GRAND AVENUE New Jersey Fair 1896 130 171
SOUTH BRANCH RARITAN RIV New Jersey Good 1896 130 1,821
PAULINS KILL New Jersey Good 1896 130 177
DELAWARE RIVER New Jersey Fair 1896 130 18,700
ONONDAGA CREEK New York Fair 1896 130 9,344

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.