Oldest Bridges Still Standing in the United States

The National Bridge Inventory tracks every public bridge in the United States, and some of them are remarkably old. While most bridges are designed for a 50-75 year service life, a handful of structures have been carrying traffic for well over a century -- some for nearly two centuries.

These surviving bridges represent extraordinary feats of engineering and maintenance. Built from stone, timber, and early iron and steel, they have outlasted countless generations of vehicles and weather cycles. Many are historic landmarks in their own right. Here are the 50 oldest bridges still tracked in the NBI.

The oldest surviving bridges tend to share certain characteristics. Many are stone arch bridges, a design that distributes loads through compression and can last centuries with minimal maintenance. Others are covered wooden bridges, where the roof protects the structural timbers from rain and snow. A few are early iron or steel bridges that were built with generous safety margins by engineers who, lacking precise mathematical tools, compensated with extra material.

The oldest bridge on this list dates to 1764, making it 262 years old. Located in Essex County, Massachusetts, it continues to serve as part of the public road network. To explore more historic bridges, see our article on [bridges built before 1920](/blog/pre-1920-bridges-still-in-use) or browse [bridge types](/types) to learn about different structural designs.