Historic Bridges

Technical Assistance

FHWA assists in the preservation of historic bridges and encourages States to incorporate the concepts of context sensitive design in the rehabilitation and reuse of historic bridges. Programs for historic bridge preservation include:

• National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program provides funding to assist the States in their efforts to preserve, rehabilitate, or restore the Nation's historic covered bridges. Applications for the FY 2009 program were accepted until March 2, 2009, and awards will be announced in the summer. The criteria, associated selection considerations, and process for submission are at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nhcbp/090112.cfm.
  • In 2004, FHWA published a manual on covered bridge maintenance. Contact MaryAnn Naber or Sheila Duwadi to receive a free copy of the Covered Bridge Manual.
  • Historic Covered Bridges National Best Practices Conference, 2003
• Transportation Enhancements Program — The Transportation Enhancement Program provides funding and information that can help expand transportation choices, including rehabilitation of historic transportation facilities, scenic route improvements and other investments that increase recreation opportunity and access for communities.
• Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program — This Program includes a historic bridge provision that requires each State to complete historic bridge inventories and make attempts to market historic bridges slated for demolition. View information on the Interpretation of Title 23, Section 144(o) Reasonable Costs Associated With the Demolition of Historic Bridges.

Back to top State Bridge Programs Many State DOTs have developed historic bridge programs. These programs aim to preserve the historic and cultural value of long-standing bridges where possible and expedite the consideration of historic bridges in project development and environmental review. For example, Indiana's Historic Bridge Program helps planners prioritize a list of bridges for preservation, while providing bridge owners incentives for this preservation. To uncover more information about States' historic bridge programs, visit the State Streamlining Practices Database or the following links. Indiana Department of Transportation Historic Bridges Ohio Department of Transportation Historic Bridges Historic Bridge Maintenance and Preservation Guidance Arkansas Historic Bridge Program PennDOT Stone Arch Bridge Viewer California Historic Bridge Inventory Vermont Historic Bridge Program Maryland Historic Bridge Inventory, Context, and Book

This historic wrought iron bridge is known as a camel back bridge for its heavy concrete structure and smooth arches. This bridge has been preserved by moving it to a new location to serve as a footbridge (Baraboo, WI).

Additional Bridge Resources

• Recycled Railroad Bridges for Trails
• Historic Bridge and Metal Restoration Videos from Lansing Community College website
• LCC/NCPTT Workshop Preservation of Historic Iron and Steel Bridges and Other Historic Structures
• Historic Bridges Community of Practice includes case studies, references and a forum for participants to identify emerging issues, trends, procedures, research, and data needs associated with the identification, evaluation, and management of our nation's historic bridges. Portions of this new CoP are currently available to the public, while other features will be opening to additional members summer '09.
• A Context for Common Historic Bridge Types — NCHRP 25-25, Task 15, October 2005
• Guidelines for Historic Bridge Rehabilitation and Replacement, originally developed under the NCHRP and recently adopted as an AASHTO publication, presents the state of the practice and decision making guidance for historic bridge rehabilitation.
• AASHTO Center for Environmental Excellence includes information, resources, and best practices for a variety of historic preservation and cultural resource areas, including historic bridges) includes guidance, reports, best practices.
• Best Practices for the Rehabilitation and Moving of Historic Metal Truss Bridges available from the Virginia Transportation Research Council.
• Historic Bridges: A Heritage at Risk: A report on a workshop on the Preservation and Management of Historic Bridges held in Washington, DC, in December, 2003 is available at http://www.srifoundation.org at Library.
• Moving Henszey's Bridge, a case study describing the relocation and restoration of an 1869 wrought iron bowstring truss bridge in Pennsylvania.

For questions or feedback on this subject matter content, please contact MaryAnn Naber. For general questions or web problems, please send feedback to the web administrator.