Skewed bridges due to the specific dynamic characteristics have shown vulnerability in recent strong earthquakes. In this study, an active control strategy is employed to optimize the seismic performance of a typical model of such structures. As the control algorithm, the pole placement method has been used, of which the key factor is selection of desired poles to achieve desired dynamic responses. A performance index (PI) was defined as a function of displacement and rotation of a bridge deck. The desired poles for the algorithm were extracted by optimizing this index. A previously presented and approved simplified model of a skewed bridge with the three degrees of freedom was selected as a typical model, and the methodology was applied on this model. The optimization of PI was carried out by a series of time-history analysis. Ten far-field ground-motion records presented in FEMA-P695 were used for this purpose. The PI was calculated for a range of damping ratio and frequency of the system, and the desired poles were selected for the optimum values of PI. The results show that the control of the model using the selected pole by this method could effectively reduce the displacement and rotation of the bridge model.