Bridges in the United States

Nationwide Information

Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Covered Bridges The Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) published these guidelines that adapt the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preservation, Rehabilitation, Restoration, and Reconstruction to historic covered bridges.

Simple Truss Spans The Historic Bridge Foundation compiled this list of simple truss spans of historically noteworthy length. This is not a complete list, but is intended to highlight both record-breaking spans throughout United States history, and also to list surviving historic truss bridges of substantial span length. List compiled in 2015. This file has the list presented in two formats: bridges by span length, and bridges by year built. Also, take a look at this excerpt from a 1904 book that listed noteworthy simple truss spans.

The Best Covered Bridges in New England This page lists some of the most notable covered bridges in New England.

Alabama
Edmund Pettus Bridge Information and photographs about the events surrounding the 1965 civil rights march for voting rights on US 80 outside Selma, Alabama.

Alaska
Yukon River Bridge connects with the Dalton Highway.

Arizona
Arizona Gallery of Bridges Arizona Department of Transportation Web site. The Bridge Group is “responsible for the effective use of modern technology and resources for furnishing bridge design, bridge construction assistance, and bridge management necessary to provide and maintain safe and functional bridges and drainage facilities on Arizona highways.”
Historic Bridge Inventory – From ADOT

Arkansas
Information on Arkansas Historic bridges – Includes drawings, inventories and pictures.

List of National Register Listed Historic Bridges

California
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco The public agency that operates Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Transit and Golden Gate Ferry.

Building of the Golden Gate Bridge Archival photos are linked to this page.

Healdsburg Memorial Bridge Documents preservation success story where a historic Pennsylvania through truss was saved.

Butte, Nevada And Yuba Counties Historic bridge listings.

Colorado
Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, Colorado Official site of the Royal Gorge Bridge and park, located southwest of Colorado Springs.

Connecticut
Arrigoni Bridge in Middlesex County.

Delaware
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Bridge On state route 1.

District of Columbia
Woodrow Wilson Bridge is one of seven highway facility crossings over the Potomac River within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area

Florida
Bridge of Lions, St. Augustine Information about the completed rehabilitation of the Bridge of Lions, a Mediterranean style bascule bridge located in the heart of the National Historic Landmark District of St. Augustine, Florida.

Georgia
Historic Covered Bridges of Georgia

Hawaii

Historic Bridge Inventory – A project to update the historic bridge inventory for Hawaii.

Historic Properties – The structures section of this website’s results includes bridges.

Idaho
Railroad Bridges Mountain biking trail crosses railroad bridges (scroll down to see photos).

Steel Bridges of Eastern Idaho – Information on historic steel bridges in Eastern Idaho.

Illionois
Superbridge The official site of Clark Bridge in Alton, Illinois. Also featured onNova in November of 1997.

General William Dean Suspension Bridge Built in 1859.

Indiana
Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD) General information on all historical sites in Indiana including numerous historic bridges.

New Harmony Bridge Documentary – This documentary, In Harmony’s Way: The battle to save a bridge, tells the story of a historic through truss toll bridge between Indiana and Illinois.

Parke County, “The Covered Bridge Capital of the World” Tourism information to the 32 covered bridges in Parke County.

Iowa
Iowa Historic Bridges – A listing of National Register Eligible/Listed bridges in Iowa including photos and maps.

The Covered Bridges of Madison County Information about the six remaining covered bridges in Madison County.

Kansas
Kansas Historic Resources Inventory – This includes the historic bridge inventory.

Kentucky
Kentucky Covered Bridges Map linked to photographs.

Young’s High Bridge Historic railway bridge.

Louisiana
Caddo Lake Drawbridge – Website discussing this preserved historic 1914 vertical lift bridge, celebrating its 100th year in 2014!

Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge The longest bridge in the world.

Magnolia Bridge A rare pin-connected Pratt through truss swing bridge in New Orleans is being restored.

Dumaine Street Bridge A 1951 steel stringer bridge with concrete fascia that is being restored.

Huey P. Long Bridge – Information on a massive project to widen this historic cantilever through truss bridge.

Maine
Maine Department of Transportation Historic bridge site.

Maryland
Chesapeake Bay Bridge Built in the 1950s

Bridges in Black and White Historical photos of historic bridges in Maryland.

Massachusetts

Historic Bridge Inventory – From MassDOT.

Michigan

VJM Metal Craftsman A clearinghouse of news, information, articles, research, and workshops focused on the restoration and history of metal truss bridges. VJM Metal Craftsman is run by Vern Mesler, a leading metal truss bridge restoration expert. A strong focus is placed on the restoration of metal truss bridges with attention paid to in-kind restoration by retaining original materials or replicating deteriorated parts of a truss bridge, as well as the use of hot metal riveting in restoration.

Bach Steel – This fabricator is highly experienced and specializes in the restoration of historic metal bridges across the country. They are noted particularly for not only the quality of the work, but the low cost at which they can complete the work.

Michigan’s Historic Bridges Michigan Department of Transportation’s official website presents a listing of the state’s historic bridges, dates built, and their locations.

HistoricBridges.org Michigan Listings HistoricBridges.org has the the most extensive coverage of old and historic bridges in Michigan.

Michigan Covered BridgesPhotos and information about Michigan covered bridges.

The Ambassador Bridge, between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario Site dedicated to the history and community of the Ambassador Bridge.

Mackinac Bridge Facts and photos of this bridge built in early 1950s.

Minnesota
I-35W Bridge – Historical information about the infamous bridge that collapsed in 2007.

Stillwater Bridge Connects Stillwater, Minnesota and Houlton, Wisconsin and is to be converted into a unique pedestrian bridge.

Mississippi
Greenville Bridge Project This historic cantilever truss bridge is replaced by the longest cable stayed span in the U.S.

Mississippi Bridges Photos of bridges located in Natchez, Vicksburg and Greenville.

Missouri
Union Covered Bridge State Historic Site The only surviving example of the Burr-arch truss system in Missouri, built in 1871 to span the Elk Fork of the Salt River.

Historic Bridges of the United States Lots of photos and information about bridges in Missouri.

Historic Bridge Inventory Provided by MoDOT.

102 River Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Bear Creek Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Blackwater Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Blanchette Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Branson Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Brownville Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Bull Creek Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Crawford Meramec River Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

C. R. I. & P. Bridge over Route 65 (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

C. R. I. & P. Bridge over Route 52 (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Daniel Boone Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Deer Creek Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Doxie Creek Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Eminence Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Franklin Meramec River Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Patton Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Gasconade River Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Glasgow Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Hermann Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Horse Creek Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Hughes Creek Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Hurricane Deck Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

I-64 Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Jacks Fork Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Lamine River Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

McCutcheon Street Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

McDaniel Memorial Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Meramec River Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Mitchell Creek Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

New Franklin Viaduct (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Niangua River Arm Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Niangua River Bridge, Route K (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

North River Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Paseo Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Platte River Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Pomme de Terre River Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Sac River Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Saline Creek Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Salt Fork Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Sandy Creek Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Shoal Creek Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Sni-A-Bar Creek Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

St. Francois River Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Tarkio Creek Bridge 59 (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Tarkio Creek Bridge 136 (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Turley Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Tuscumbia Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Union Pacific Railroad Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Van Buren Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Wakenda Creek Bridge (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Weston Viaduct (Historic Bridge Recordation, PDF File)

Montana
Tenth Street Bridge Built over the Missouri River and completed in 1920.

Nebraska
Nebraska: Historic Bridges of Nebraska Information about historic bridges in Nebraska.

Nebraska Historic Sites – Includes listings for bridges.

Nevada
Virginia Street Bridge – A historic concrete arch bridge in Nevada.

New Hampshire
Covered Bridges Information and photos.

New Jersey
Historic Bridge Survey – From NJDOT, the Historic Bridge Inventory.

New Mexico

New York
Aldrich Change Bridge Recently restored bridge built in 1858. Detailed history.

Brooklyn Bridge Completed in 1883.

Bridges over Niagra Falls History and photos.

Fiboro Bridges Manhattan East River Bridges provide 24-hour bike and pedestrian access.

Lake Champlain Bridge: Official Recordation – Official NYSDOT website with numerous resources and information.

Lake Champlain Bridge: Historic Resource Guide – Official Recordation Document, a guide to archival materials on the bridge.

Lake Champlain Bridge: Video Documentary – Official Recordation Document

Lake Champlain Bridge: HAER Documentation – Official Recordation Document including text and drawings.

Lake Champlain Bridge: Bridge Story – Official Recordation Document

Lake Champlain Bridge: Oral Histories – Official Recordation Document

Lake Champlain Bridge: Historical 1929 Video – Official Recordation Document

Lake Champlain Bridge: Spanning the Decades Book – Official Recordation Document

New York State Covered Bridge Society Society formed in 1966 to bring bridge enthusiasts together to help preserve the old historic covered spans in New York.

Peace Bridge Opened in 1927 to commemorate 100 years of peace between the U.S. and Canada.

Tappan Zee Bridge Opened in 1955, the three-mile-long Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge crosses the Tappan Zee Section of the Hudson River.

North Carolina
Moore’s Creek Bridge Moore’s Creek National Battlefield commemorates the decisive February 27, 1776 victory by 1,000 Patriots over 1,600 Loyalists at the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge in the Revolutionary War.

Mile High Swinging Bridge Built to give visitors easy access to the breath-taking view from Grandfather Mountain’s Linville Peak.

North Dakota

Valley City Bridges – Includes information on present and former historic bridges.

Bridges of North Dakota – A traveling exhibit of bridges.

Ohio
Zoarville Station Bridge of Camp Tuscazoar The Zoarville Station Bridge at Camp Tuscazoar is “the only Fink through truss bridge known to exist in the United States.”

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Bridges web site, with photos and information about wood, concrete and steel bridges of Oklahoma.

OKDOT Historic Bridge Information – Narratives, photos and discussions of Oklahoma bridges.

Oregon
Historic Bridges of Oregon Oregon Department of Transportation site.

Historic Bridge Field Guide – This large PDF file is a detailed and informative guide to Oregon’s historic bridges.

Lake Oswego Public Library Historic Photos Historic bridge photos in and around Oswego, Oregon.

The Bridges of Portland Photos and information.

Pennsylvania
Association for Bridge Construction and Design, Pittsburgh Chapter dedicated to bridge preservation.

Bradford County Truss Bridges Information about historic truss bridges in this county, prepared as the result of Section 106 Mitigation.

Pennsylvania Covered Bridges A Guide to Pennsylvania covered bridges.

Disappearing Bridges An archive of this former website dedicated to raising awareness of the demolition of historic truss bridges in Pennsylvania.

Bridges and Tunnels of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh – Comprehensive listing of Pittsburgh Bridges.

Mercer County Truss Bridges Archived page (some images do not load) of this website about truss bridges in Mercer County. Prepared as the result of Section 106 Mitigation.

Tacony-Palmyra Bridge Between Northeast Philadelphia and Burlington County.

Rhode Island
Claiborne Pell Bridge and Mt. Hope Bridge Formerly the Newport Bridge, Pell Bridge was built in 1934. The main river section once lifted almost 200 feet, to make way for passing ships, but was disabled in 1990.

South Carolina
Campbell’s Covered Bridge The only remaining covered bridge in the state, near Gowenville, built in 1909.

South Dakota
Van Metre Bridge Located over Bad River.

Meridian Bridge A landmark vertical lift bridge being restored and converted for pedestrian use. News article on the project available here.

Tennessee
Department of Transportation Provides general information about historic bridges in Tennessee.

Texas
(Please visit our separate list of Texas bridges.)

Texas Bridges Documented By HAER A list of links to all the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documentations for bridges in Texas.

Denton County Historic Bridges Information about efforts to preserve and relocate bridges in Denton County.

Denton County Historic Bridges Information about historic bridges in Denton County.

San Saba Historic Bridge Tour – Prepared by TxDOT, this is a tour of historic bridges in San Saba County and the surrounding area.

The Bats at Congress Avenue Bridge Bat Conservation International (BCI)’s information on the bat colony under Congress Ave. bridge in Austin, TX.

Texas Architecture, Texas Bridges An architectural perspective from TexasEscapes.com. Many bridges listed here.

Possum Kingdom Stone Arch Bridge Information about the longest stone arch bridge in Texas.

Utah
Rainbow Bridge National Monument Site about a natural bridge.

Vermont
University of Vermont Historic Preservation Program Course description for “Historic Bridges,” a part of the Historic Preservation Summer Institute.

The Vermont Covered Bridge Society and the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges Information about Vermont bridges and other bridges located in New England.

University of Vermont, Burlington, Covered Bridges Site Includes announcements.

Virginia
Historic Bridges of Virginia From VAHighways.com, a historic bridges site.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel 17-mile link on U.S. Rt. 13 between Virginia Beach/Norfolk and Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

Washington
Murray Morgan Bridge A non-profit organization whose goal is to stimulate public interest in restoring the Murray Morgan Bridge between downtown Tacoma and the tide flats was successful and now this bridge will be rehabilitated. This is the project website.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Digital Archives – A collection of photos relating to the construction of the current bridge as well as the previous ill-fated suspension bridge.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse – Famous video of the collapse of the first bridge.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge One of the largest suspension bridges in the world. The present bridge replaced “Galloping Gertie,” an architectural failure nicknamed for the way it swayed in the wind. The ill-fated span collapsed 4 months and 7 days after it opened in 1940.

West Virginia
New River Gorge (National River) Bridge U.S. Rout 19 in Fayette County.

Wisconsin

Lake Park Foot Bridge – Information and history about this threatened concrete arch footbridge in Lake Park in Milwaukee.

Lake Park Foot Bridge – A detailed Cultural Heritage Assessment Study and Report prepared by the City of Milwaukee regarding this threatened concrete arch footbridge in Lake Park.

Steel Bridge Songfest – This event held by the group that helped save the historic Michigan Street Bridge, a through truss bascule bridge, is held annually to celebrate and raise awareness about this landmark historic bridge.

Stillwater Bridge Connects Stillwater, Minnesota and Houlton, Wisconsin and is to be converted into a unique pedestrian bridge.

Wyoming

Railroad Bridges Mountain biking trail crosses railroad bridges (scroll down to see photos).