There are hundreds of thousands of bridges in the United States. Many of them are famous as landmarks and incredible feats of engineering. Who hasn’t heard of the Brooklyn Bridge or the Golden Gate Bridge? The Bay Bridge or the Chesapeake Bay Bridge?
From these grand structures crossing vast expanses of water to rustic covered bridges over rural streams, many American bridges are historic. 24/7 Wall St. has compiled a list of the country’s oldest bridges, starting with a master list of almost 10,000 built before 1910. (For a picture of what things were like in earlier days in this country, see this collection of 50 photos from American life in the 19th century.)
Some of the bridges on our list were built long before 1910. Some even date back to the 18th century. Not surprisingly, these tend to be found in the Northeast, particularly in the original Thirteen Colonies. The oldest bridge in Massachusetts dates back to 1764, the oldest in New Jersey to 1792. They might be worth seeing when we can travel again to the most beautiful places to visit in the U.S.
Click here to see the states with the oldest bridges
To identify the states with the oldest bridges, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the Federal Highway Administration’s National Bridge Inventory (NBI) to look at the 9,857 bridges in the United States built before 1910. The average age of a state bridge was calculated using the total number of bridges and their years of use in each state. Year of construction and the geographic crossing of each bridge was from the NBI report, updated in 2020. Additional information was obtained from the U.S. National Parks Service’s Registry of Historic Places; Bridgehunter.com, a site maintained by the non-profit Historic Bridge Foundation; and Bridgereports.com, a searchable version of the NBI database. According to Bridgereports, construction dates in the NBI database are often estimated, especially those ending in “00” or “05,” and in some cases the NBI doesn’t note that the original bridges have been rebuilt.
While history buffs will enjoy reading about these old bridges, the officials who have to maintain them might view things somewhat differently. Many bridges still get a lot of use and some of them are in poor condition, although that does not necessarily mean that they are unsafe or about to collapse. They are all, however, part of our nation’s aging infrastructure, to which new attention is now being paid.
50. Alaska
> Approximate average age of Alaska bridges: 111 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Million Dollar Bridge, 1910
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49. Idaho
> Approximate average age of Idaho bridges: 112.1 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Sperry Bridge, 1908
48. New Mexico
> Approximate average age of New Mexico bridges: 112.5 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Cold Spring Canyon Bridge, 1908
47. Oregon
> Approximate average age of Oregon bridges: 113 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Unnamed, over the north fork of the John Day River, 1899
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46. Louisiana
> Approximate average age of Louisiana bridges: 113 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Judd Bayou-Charles Brown Road Bridge, 1908
45. Wyoming
> Approximate average age of Wyoming bridges: 114 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Tongue River Bridge, 1903
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44. Oklahoma
> Approximate average age of Oklahoma bridges: 114.1 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Clear Creek Bridge, 1900
43. North Carolina
> Approximate average age of North Carolina bridges: 114.5 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Pigeon River Truss Bridge, 1900
42. Arkansas
> Approximate average age of Arkansas bridges: 114.5 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Frisco Bridge, 1892
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41. Nebraska
> Approximate average age of Nebraska bridges: 114.7 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Loosveldt Bridge, 1888
40. South Dakota
> Approximate average age of South Dakota bridges: 114.7 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Unnamed bridge over Sand Creek, 1900
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39. Nevada
> Approximate average age of Nevada bridges: 115.4 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Pit Taylor Canal Bridge, 1900
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38. Utah
> Approximate average age of a Utah bridge: 116 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Unnamed bridge over Spring Canyon, 1905
37. North Dakota
> Approximate average age of North Dakota bridges: 116 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Viking Bridge, 1885
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36. Kansas
> Approximate average age of Kansas bridges: 116.1 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Day Road Bridge, 1870
35. Texas
> Approximate average age of Texas bridges: 116.3 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Unnamed bridge over Clear Creek, 1900
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34. California
> Approximate average age of California bridges: 116.6 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Main Street Bridge, 1860
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33. Mississippi
> Approximate average age of Mississippi bridges: 116.6 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Midsouth Railroad Bridge, 1900
32. Colorado
> Approximate average age of Colorado bridges: 116.9 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Vincent Drive Bridge, 1887
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31. Michigan
> Approximate average age of Michigan bridges: 117.2 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Whites Bridge, 1867
30. Tennessee
> Approximate average age of Tennessee bridges: 117.3 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Old Stone Bridge, 1841
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29. Hawaii
> Approximate average age of Hawaii bridges: 117.5 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Maili Stream Bridge, 1900
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28. Wisconsin
> Approximate average age of Wisconsin bridges: 117.8 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Chicago & North Western Railroad Bridge, 1878
27. Minnesota
> Approximate average age of Minnesota bridges: 118.2 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Unnamed bridge in Ramsey County, 1884
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26. Georgia
> Approximate average age of Georgia bridges: 118.3 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Nickajack Creek Bridge, 1872
25. Washington
> Approximate average age of Washington bridges: 118.4 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Ohop Creek Bridge, 1900
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24. Missouri
> Approximate average age of Missouri bridges: 118.4 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Eads Bridge, 1874
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23. Montana
> Approximate average age of Montana bridges: 118.5 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Howie Street Bridge, 1881
22. Illinois
> Approximate average age of Illinois bridges: 119 years
> Oldest bridges in the state: 3 Illinois Central Stone Arch Railroad Bridges, 1852-1855
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21. Alabama
> Approximate average age of Alabama bridges: 119.2 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Town Creek Bridge, 1898
20. Florida
> Approximate average age of Florida bridges: 119.6 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Unnamed bridge over Moore Creek, 1900
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19. Arizona
> Approximate average age of Arizona bridges: 119.9 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Unnamed bridge over Union Canal, 1900
18. Iowa
> Approximate average age of Iowa bridges: 120.6 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Indian Creek Bridge, 1876
17. South Carolina
> Approximate average age of South Carolina bridges: 120.7 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Unnamed bridge over the Edisto River, 1900
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16. New York
> Approximate average age of New York bridges: 121.5 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Unnamed bridge over Mill Creek, 1800
15. Ohio
> Approximate average age of Ohio bridges: 121.6 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Rinehart Road South Bridge, 1828
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14. Indiana
> Approximate average age of Indiana bridges: 121.6 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Ramp Creek Covered Bridge, 1838
13. West Virginia
> Approximate average age of West Virginia bridges: 122.1 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge, 1817
12. Delaware
> Approximate average age of Delaware bridges: 123.3 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Smith Bridge, 1839
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11. Maine
> Approximate average age of Maine bridges: 123.3 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Water Street Bridge, 1854
10. New Jersey
> Approximate average age of New Jersey bridges: 124.7 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Stony Brook Bridge, 1792
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9. Connecticut
> Approximate average age of Connecticut bridges: 126.5 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Main Street Bridge, 1832
8. Kentucky
> Approximate average age of Kentucky bridges: 127.3 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Lee’s Creek Covered Bridge, 1835
7. Rhode Island
> Approximate average age of Rhode Island bridges: 128.4 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Blackstone River Bridge, 1810
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6. Pennsylvania
> Approximate average age of Pennsylvania bridges: 128.7 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Pennypack Creek Bridge (Frankford Avenue Bridge), 1697
5. Virginia
> Approximate average age of Virginia bridges: 129 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Snickersville Road Bridge, 1820
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4. Maryland
> Approximate average age of Maryland bridges: 131.5 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Old York Road Bridge, 1809
3. New Hampshire
> Approximate average age of New Hampshire bridges: 134.2 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Bath Covered Bridge, 1832
2. Massachusetts
> Approximate average age of Massachusetts bridges: 135.9 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Choate Bridge, 1764
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1. Vermont
> Approximate average age of Vermont bridges: 138.6 years
> Oldest bridge in the state: Halpin Covered Bridge (High Covered Bridge), 1824
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