Abstract: Bridges crossing active faults are unavoidable in western mountainous China due to intense tectonic activity and widespread fault zones. Previous earthquakes have shown that bridges crossing surface ruptures suffer much more severe damage than those located only in near-fault areas, such as girder unseating or even complete collapse. This paper systematically reviews the observed seismic damage of fault-crossing bridges. Fault-crossing ground motion input, seismic response analysis, fragility and risk analysis, isolation (energy dissipation) design, and post-earthquake repair strategy are summarized. Explicit dynamic and discrete element analysis show potential for modeling bridge-coseismic deformation interaction. The effects of creeping faults and super-shear rupture should be considered. Adequate damage risk evaluation is required before seismic design and mitigation measures are determined. A seismic design procedure for fault-crossing bridges is summarized. It is recommended to implement ductile seismic design for cross-fault bridges, with performance objectives ranging from graded damage to total bridge collapse.