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
OLSON CREEK Washington Fair 1900 126 25
Deep Creek Washington Fair 1900 126 209
TUSCARORA CREEK West Virginia Good 1900 126 2,000
KITCHEN CREEK West Virginia Fair 1900 126 150
BRANCH CHERRY RUN West Virginia Fair 1900 126 250
SLEEPY CREEK West Virginia Poor 1900 126 3,100
Wheeling Creek West Virginia Poor 1900 126 7,500
TYGART VALLEY RIVER West Virginia Poor 1900 126 600
SUSSEX CREEK Wisconsin Fair 1900 126 1,600
BRANCH RIVER Wisconsin Poor 1900 126 840
PINE CREEK Wisconsin Fair 1900 126 640
UNION PACIFIC RR Wisconsin Poor 1900 126 79
CROOKED CREEK Wisconsin Poor 1900 126 102
CN RR Wisconsin Poor 1900 126 52
BR MORRIS CREEK Wisconsin Fair 1900 126 23
S BR LITTLE WOLF RIVER Wisconsin Good 1900 126 421
JUAN GONZALEZ CREEK Puerto Rico Poor 1900 126 1,000
WATERWAY Puerto Rico Fair 1900 126 3,500
DEPRESSION Puerto Rico Fair 1900 126 4,100
DEPRESSION Puerto Rico Fair 1900 126 4,100
DEPRESSION Puerto Rico Fair 1900 126 4,100
SANTANA CREEK Puerto Rico Fair 1900 126 2,800
WATERWAY Puerto Rico Fair 1900 126 12,800
Chase Creek Arizona Poor 1901 125 458
DRY CREEK California Fair 1901 125 220
LITTLE WOLF CREEK California Good 1901 125 1,075
BLOSSOM CREEK California Fair 1901 125 2,775
SAN LEANDRO CREEK California Fair 1901 125 25,000
SAN MATEO CREEK California Fair 1901 125 3,630
FOREIGN TRADE ZONE BLVD Colorado Good 1901 125 435
Misc Drainage Basin Colorado Good 1901 125 6,085
Local Drainage Colorado Poor 1901 125 309
Capitol Creek Colorado Fair 1901 125 2
WEST BRANCH TROUT BROOK Connecticut Fair 1901 125 15,660
METRO NORTH RAILROAD Connecticut Fair 1901 125 5,146
HOUSATONIC RAILROAD Connecticut Fair 1901 125 1,500
Ditch Florida Fair 1901 125 300
Unnamed Branch Florida Poor 1901 125 1,400
Unnamed Branch Florida Fair 1901 125 3,000
Branch of Kennedy Creek Florida Fair 1901 125 250
Unnamed Branch Florida Fair 1901 125 2,400
Coldwater Creek Florida Fair 1901 125 500
Moore Creek Florida Fair 1901 125 450
Mare Branch Florida Fair 1901 125 350
Unnamed Branch Florida Poor 1901 125 500
Juniper Creek Florida Fair 1901 125 500
Pond Creek Florida Fair 1901 125 1,200
Wakulla River Florida Poor 1901 125 1,400
Vause Branch Florida Fair 1901 125 650
Bay Branch Florida Poor 1901 125 1,500

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.