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
FALL CREEK Indiana Good 1899 127 32,712
Black River Indiana Poor 1899 127 139
HUFFMAN DITCH Indiana Fair 1899 127 1,020
BRANCH SANDY CREEK Indiana Fair 1899 127 170
NO NAME CREEK Indiana Fair 1899 127 40
BUSSERON CREEK Indiana Poor 1899 127 110
WABASH RIVER Indiana Fair 1899 127 220
Fall CREEK Indiana Fair 1899 127 60
LITTLE OTTER CREEK Indiana Poor 1899 127 2
DES MOINES RIVER Iowa Poor 1899 127 50
WATER FORT POINT CHANNEL Massachusetts Fair 1899 127 28,319
COMB MBTA & ACCESS RD Massachusetts Good 1899 127 13,700
RR MBTA/BMRR Massachusetts Fair 1899 127 22,200
COMB BMRR & NASHUA RIV Massachusetts Fair 1899 127 7,187
RR BMRR Massachusetts Fair 1899 127 3,462
RR MBTA/CSX Massachusetts Fair 1899 127 19,237
COMB MBTA/BMRR & ORANGE Massachusetts Fair 1899 127 5,904
RR MBTA/CSX Massachusetts Good 1899 127 5,286
RR MBTA/BMRR Massachusetts Good 1899 127 51,500
RR MBTA/BMRR Massachusetts Fair 1899 127 14,000
BIG MEADOW DRAIN Michigan Fair 1899 127 9,000
RICE CREEK Michigan Fair 1899 127 1,853
S BR ROOT RIVER Minnesota Poor 1899 127 170
N FK CROW RIVER Minnesota Poor 1899 127 24
NIOBRARA RIVER Nebraska Poor 1899 127 2
HO-HO-KUS BROOK New Jersey Fair 1899 127 10,838
N BR ROCKWAY CREEK New Jersey Fair 1899 127 1,041
WICKECHEOKE CREEK New Jersey Fair 1899 127 126
BROOKVIEW STA RD AMTRAK New York Fair 1899 127 2,382
N BR W STONY CRK New York Fair 1899 127 5
SALMON CREEK New York Good 1899 127 84
CANANDAIGUA OUTLT New York Fair 1899 127 3,007
MTN.VIEW LK.OUTLT New York Good 1899 127 221
KINDERHOOK CREEK New York Poor 1899 127 804
N.FORK JOHN DAY RIVER Oregon Fair 1899 127 132
PAINTERS RUN Pennsylvania Poor 1899 127 5
DRY RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1899 127 150
KETTLE CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1899 127 125
WASHINGTON RUN Pennsylvania Fair 1899 127 1,086
PURSLEY CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1899 127 40
TOOKANY CREEK Pennsylvania Fair 1899 127 6,890
Shermans Creek Pennsylvania Fair 1899 127 212
YELLOW BREECHES CREEK Pennsylvania Good 1899 127 3,188
Abandoned Conrail Pennsylvania Fair 1899 127 5,800
STONY BROOK Vermont Fair 1899 127 400
NNS&DD (PRIVATE) R/R Virginia Good 1899 127 5,865
LOST CREEK Alabama Poor 1900 126 150
Driver Creek Alabama Poor 1900 126 15
SOUTHERNLNRAILROAD Alabama Fair 1900 126 495
RODGERS BRANCH Alabama Fair 1900 126 250

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.