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
ROCKAWAY CREEK New Jersey Good 1900 126 1,363
NO BRANCH ROCKAWAY CREEK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 136
LEHIGH VALLEY LINE New Jersey Fair 1900 126 168
S.BRANCH RARITAN RIVER New Jersey Good 1900 126 616
ALEXAUKEN CREEK New Jersey Poor 1900 126 67
NISHISAKAWICK CREEK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 100
NESHANIC RIVER New Jersey Fair 1900 126 208
HAKIHOKAKE CREEK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 180
MUSCONETCONG RIVER New Jersey Poor 1900 126 1,147
MUSCONETCONG RIVER New Jersey Fair 1900 126 1,904
ROCKAWAY CREEK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 103
ROCKAWAY CREEK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 392
ROCKAWAY CREEK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 392
ROCKAWAY CREEK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 11
STONY BROOK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 17,410
ASSUNPINK CREEK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 6,170
FIDDLERS CREEK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 1,675
Trib of Moores Creek New Jersey Fair 1900 126 541
AMTRAK NE CORRIDOR New Jersey Poor 1900 126 15,867
AMBROSE BROOK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 3,295
PORT READING SEC CONRAIL New Jersey Fair 1900 126 17,720
MANASQUAN RIVER New Jersey Fair 1900 126 4,891
OCEANPORT CREEK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 5,328
MCGELLIARDS BROOK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 10,037
MOHINGSON BROOK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 10,360
INDIAN RUN New Jersey Fair 1900 126 539
SCHOOLHOUSE BROOK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 809
MIRY RUN New Jersey Fair 1900 126 809
MIRY RUN New Jersey Fair 1900 126 968
LAHAWAY CREEK New Jersey Poor 1900 126 350
CROSSWICKS CREEK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 281
CRANE CREEK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 1,758
TRIBUTARY TO ROCKY BROOK New Jersey Poor 1900 126 2,927
JUMPING BROOK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 6,517
WHIPPANY RIVER New Jersey Poor 1900 126 13,169
ROCKAWAY RIVER New Jersey Fair 1900 126 8,583
TRIB TO ROCKAWAY RIVER New Jersey Fair 1900 126 14,084
MALAPARDIS BROOK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 12,442
DEN BROOK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 656
WHIPPANY RIVER New Jersey Fair 1900 126 3,848
BEAVER BROOK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 5,114
TRIB TO ROCKAWAY RIVER New Jersey Fair 1900 126 4,079
RUSSIA BROOK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 6,975
ROCKAWAY RIVER New Jersey Fair 1900 126 12,322
MUSCONETCONG RIVER New Jersey Fair 1900 126 113
SO.BRANCH RARITAN RIVER New Jersey Fair 1900 126 1,668
DRAKES BROOK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 1,277
BLACK RIVER New Jersey Fair 1900 126 148
ROCKWAY RIVER New Jersey Poor 1900 126 37,033
DEN BROOK New Jersey Fair 1900 126 19,890

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.