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
PASSAIC RIVER New Jersey Good 1897 129 23,506
BLACK CREEK New York Poor 1897 129 1,504
COHOCTON RIVER New York Fair 1897 129 382
CATATONK CREEK New York Poor 1897 129 81
Parking Lot CSX TRANS/P New York Good 1897 129 11,162
METRO NORTH RR New York Fair 1897 129 5,145
BRONX RIVER New York Fair 1897 129 18,602
W125 ST 12TH AVENUE St New York Fair 1897 129 12,338
WEST KILL New York Poor 1897 129 20
POTTER HOLLOW CREEK New York Poor 1897 129 1
NIAGARA RIVER VIA/AMTRA New York Fair 1897 129 1,240
MLK BOULEVARD Ohio Fair 1897 129 8,581
Mill Creek Ohio Good 1897 129 2,000
GLADES RD (ROCKY FORK CK Ohio Fair 1897 129 383
OVER CONNEAUT OUTLET Pennsylvania Poor 1897 129 250
Chestnut Run Pennsylvania Poor 1897 129 28
SCHWABEN CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1897 129 40
SCHWABEN CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1897 129 25
LOYALSOCK CREEK Pennsylvania Poor 1897 129 15
OVER PITHOLE CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1897 129 93
PITHOLE CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1897 129 50
EQUINUNK CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1897 129 68
SKL RIV KELLY W RIV STDR Pennsylvania Fair 1897 129 12,580
POCASSET RIVER Rhode Island Poor 1897 129 11
PLEASURE LAKE Rhode Island Poor 1897 129 2,764
CUNLIFFS LAKE Rhode Island Poor 1897 129 2,551
TENNESSEE RIVER & 2 RTS. Tennessee Poor 1897 129 6,215
CSX RAILROAD West Virginia Poor 1897 129 10
YAHARA RIVER Wisconsin Fair 1897 129 450
BLACKWATER CREEK Alabama Poor 1898 128 400
GRINDSTONE CREEK Illinois Fair 1898 128 75
LAKE FORK Illinois Poor 1898 128 10
CEDAR CREEK Illinois Fair 1898 128 75
MAUMEE RIVER Indiana Fair 1898 128 19,025
DEER Creek Indiana Fair 1898 128 102
BIG WALNUT CREEK Indiana Poor 1898 128 110
SWINGING CREEK Indiana Fair 1898 128 40
BIG CREEK TRIBUTARY Indiana Fair 1898 128 2
EAST BRANCH HUMBOLDT CK. Kansas Poor 1898 128 10
GUNPOWDER FALLS Maryland Fair 1898 128 275
RR AMTRAK/MBTA Massachusetts Fair 1898 128 4,300
WATER MOTHER BROOK Massachusetts Good 1898 128 6,466
WATER MUDDY RIVER Massachusetts Good 1898 128 10,862
WATER BLACKSTONE CANAL Massachusetts Fair 1898 128 4,452
WATER LAUNDRY BROOK Massachusetts Good 1898 128 388
WATER FOREST RIVER Massachusetts Fair 1898 128 27,100
RR MBTA/BMRR Massachusetts Fair 1898 128 2,100
SOUTH BRANCH BAD RIVER Michigan Poor 1898 128 143
SPRING RVR Missouri Poor 1898 128 50
JEFFERSON RIVER 046 Montana Fair 1898 128 87

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.