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
METRO NO COMMUTER New York Fair 1896 130 2,349
LONG ISLAND RR New York Fair 1896 130 19,018
LIRR MONTAUK BR New York Fair 1896 130 42
RONDOUT CREEK New York Fair 1896 130 314
CRUM ELBOW CREEK New York Fair 1896 130 550
CRABAPPLE CREEK Ohio Fair 1896 130 351
TRIB. N. BR. KOKOSING Ohio Poor 1896 130 40
CSX RAILROAD BOUNDARY ST Pennsylvania Fair 1896 130 14,000
PANTH HOLLOW UNKNOWN STR Pennsylvania Fair 1896 130 13,500
LITTLE FISHING CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1896 130 100
OVER MILL RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1896 130 8,153
OVER OIL CREEK EAST BR. Pennsylvania Fair 1896 130 250
OVER WOODCOCK CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1896 130 250
OVER CONNEAUT CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1896 130 250
CONODOGUINET CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1896 130 439
SHADE CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1896 130 50
AMTRAK Pennsylvania Good 1896 130 507
FREYS RUN Pennsylvania Poor 1896 130 1,699
DELAWARE RIVER Pennsylvania Fair 1896 130 18,700
WARRIOR RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1896 130 50
BERMUDIAN CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1896 130 101
PENNYPACK CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1896 130 10,504
CSX RR TUNNELS Pennsylvania Poor 1896 130 37,818
Chamounix Drive Pennsylvania Fair 1896 130 17,999
POCASSET RIVER Rhode Island Fair 1896 130 13,032
STERLING BROOK Vermont Good 1896 130 150
N. BR. LAMOILLE RIVER Vermont Fair 1896 130 10
DRAINAGE RAVINE Wisconsin Fair 1896 130 58
ROSE CREEK Georgia Fair 1897 129 126
DUCKS MISERY Illinois Fair 1897 129 225
EAST BRANCH Illinois Fair 1897 129 25
PIPE CREEK Indiana Poor 1897 129 225
BOGGS CREEK Indiana Good 1897 129 159
BIG CREEK Indiana Poor 1897 129 5
SALT CREEK Iowa Poor 1897 129 44
MIDDLE CREEK Maryland Fair 1897 129 460
WATER MUDDY RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1897 129 14,700
TR GREEN LINE D Massachusetts Fair 1897 129 15,435
WATER CHARLES RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1897 129 1,810
RR (ABANDONED) Massachusetts Good 1897 129 2,357
WATER NORTHERN CANAL Massachusetts Fair 1897 129 11,800
RR GWRR & NECRR Massachusetts Fair 1897 129 2,500
WATER TOWN RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1897 129 20,043
NORTH MACON DRAIN Michigan Fair 1897 129 21
ANDERSON AVE Missouri Good 1897 129 1,201
JEFFERSON RIVER 004 Montana Poor 1897 129 100
BIG BLUE RIVER Nebraska Poor 1897 129 15
ATLANTIC CITY LINE New Jersey Fair 1897 129 10,772
LOCKATONG CREEK New Jersey Fair 1897 129 126
MANASQUAN RIVER New Jersey Poor 1897 129 949

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.