State profile · Near median Poor share

Wisconsin bridge safety

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, condition ratings, load ratings, and Poor-condition shares for every public highway bridge in Wisconsin.

14,446
Public bridges
51.0%
Good condition
6.5%
Poor condition

Wisconsin holds 14,446 public highway bridges (#19 of 52 by inventory) with a 6.52% Poor share (#23 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 6.5% of the state's inventory, against an average of 7.5% across the 54 states and territories with Poor-rated bridges on file, which places it 30 of 54 ordered from the lowest Poor share upward. A bridge is rated Poor when its weakest applicable component scores 4 or below on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, so the category is a maintenance and funding signal rather than a closure order or a live crossing-safety verdict.

Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026

Total Bridges

14,446

Public highway bridges in Wisconsin

Good Condition

51.0%

7,368 bridges rated 7-9

1.0pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

6.5%

942 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-1.0pp vs national avg 7.5%

Wisconsin vs national bridge condition

Wisconsin - Good condition share 51.0%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

Wisconsin - Poor-condition share 21.7%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

Wisconsin in the national condition pattern

Each point is a state or territory in the FHWA NBI; the highlighted point is this profile.

Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Wisconsin has 14,446 bridges and a 6.5% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #30 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold. Scatter plot of 54 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 0k20k40k60k Public bridges in inventory (thousands) Poor-condition share (%) WI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.52%AL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.35%AK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.89%AZ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.15%AR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.43%CA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 25.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.91%CO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.82%CT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.72%DE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.26%DC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.95%FL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.79%GA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.59%GU, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.77%HI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.53%ID, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.9%IL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.35%IN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.22%IA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 19.16%KS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.26%KY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.37%LA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 12.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.48%ME, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.41%MD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.56%MA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.88%MI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 11.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.27%MN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.44%MS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.03%MO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.95%MT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.81%NE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.9%NV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.14%NH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.51%NJ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 6.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.01%NM, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.51%NY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 17.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.43%NC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.76%ND, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 10.98%OH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.74%OK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 22.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.7%OR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.61%PA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.58%PR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 13.92%RI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.2%SC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.17%SD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 16.36%TN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 20.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.41%TX, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 56.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.23%UT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.91%VT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.9%VI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 29.17%VA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.39%WA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.45%WV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 7.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 18.64%WY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.51%
Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Wisconsin has 14,446 bridges and a 6.5% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #30 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold.

Wisconsin vs all states by public bridge inventory

Where this state's FHWA NBI public-highway bridge count sits among every state and territory on PlainBridges

14,446 19th of 54 higher than 35 of 54 states

States and territories, banded by public bridge inventory size

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory · 2024

Read the rank neighborhood for Wisconsin

The highlighted point is Wisconsin: 14,446 bridges and 6.52% in Poor condition, rank #30 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below Wisconsin on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • South Carolina: 9,490 bridges · 6.17% Poor
  • Wyoming: 3,136 bridges · 6.51% Poor
  • Wisconsin: 14,446 bridges · 6.52% Poor
  • Hawaii: 1,195 bridges · 6.53% Poor
  • North Carolina: 19,210 bridges · 6.76% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in Wisconsin

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 14,446 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains Wisconsin’s inventory

State agency holds 37.0% of the 14,446 public highway bridges filed under Wisconsin in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When Wisconsin’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 8.5% of the 14,446 bridges with a recorded original year in Wisconsin. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

Wisconsin51%42.5%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - Wisconsin (FHWA NBI)

Wisconsin vs nearby ranks

Adjacent states by Poor-condition share (lower share = better)

States are ranked by the share of bridges whose lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below. This describes recorded condition; it does not measure funding effectiveness or live crossing safety. States here sit immediately above and below Wisconsin on the same metric.

SC

South Carolina

6.17% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$9,490

WY

Wyoming

6.51% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$3,136
Selected

WI

Wisconsin

6.52% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$14,446

HI

Hawaii

6.53% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$1,195

NC

North Carolina

6.76% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$19,210

Bridges Needing Most Attention in Wisconsin

Six lowest-condition bridges in Wisconsin, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

All Bridges in Wisconsin

LRD POPPLE RIVER R

Fair

Over: S. FK. POPPLE RIVER

1.7M W JCT CTH Q, Clark, WI

Built 1929 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 58

LRD W SPENCER RD

Fair

Over: YELLOW RIVER

1.7M W JCT STH 98, Clark, WI

Built 1923 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 58

LRD TWENTY SIX RD

Fair

Over: YELLOW RIVER

1.1M E JCT CTH Y, Clark, WI

Built 1975 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 58

LRD TREE RD

Fair

Over: N BR ONEILL CREEK

0.6M E JCT CTH K, Clark, WI

Built 1977 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 58

LRD GRANTON RD

Fair

Over: S BR ONEILL CREEK

0.6M W JCT CTH K, Clark, WI

Built 1976 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 58

LRD MAPLE RD

Fair

Over: BR E FK BLACK RIVER

3.6M E JCT CTH W, Clark, WI

Built 1974 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 58

CTH DG

Fair

Over: N BR CRAWFISH RIVER

1.0M N JCT CTH D, Columbia, WI

Built 1958 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 139

CTH A

Fair

Over: N BR CRAWFISH RIVER

0.7M N JCT STH 16, Columbia, WI

Built 1928 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 630

LRD WILKENSON RD

Fair

Over: DUNLAP CREEK

1.8M E JCT STH 78, Dane, WI

Built 1927 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 47

LRD PERCH RD

Fair

Over: WILDCAT CREEK

0.5M W JCT CTH R, Dodge, WI

Built 1974 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 58

LRD 860TH ST

Fair

Over: LOWER PINE CREEK

0.3M N JCT CTH V, Dunn, WI

Built 1913 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 109

LRD 970TH ST

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

0.2M N JCT STH 64, Dunn, WI

Built 1978 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 107

CTH V

Fair

Over: BEARGRASS CREEK

1.1M W USH 12, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1925 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 256

LRD TEXAS RD

Fair

Over: KUENSTER CREEK

1.0M N JCT STH 133, Grant, WI

Built 1925 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 102

LRD BLUFF ST

Fair

Over: BR MISSISSIPPI RIVER

0.1M W JCT STH 81, Grant, WI

Built 1962 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 940

LRD PUDDLEDOCK RD

Fair

Over: DOUGHERTY CREEK

1.5M N JCT STH 81, Green, WI

Built 1952 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 105

LRD WASHINGTON RD

Fair

Over: W BR LITTLE SUGAR RIVER

0.3M N JCT CTH C, Green, WI

Built 1935 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 79

LRD PURINTUN RD

Fair

Over: BR LITTLE SUGAR RIVER

0.6M N JCT CTH F, Green, WI

Built 1939 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 158

CTH EE

Fair

Over: SUGAR RIVER

0.4M W JCT CTH E, Green, WI

Built 1967 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 750

LRD MT HOPE RD

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

2.1M S JCT STH 11, Green, WI

Built 1961 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 117

LRD MEADOW BROOK R

Fair

Over: DOUGHERTY CREEK

1.6M E JCT CTH A, Green, WI

Built 1940 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 105

LRD MT HOPE RD

Fair

Over: HARKER CREEK

1.3M S JCT CTH Q, Iowa, WI

Built 1930 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 78

CTH Q

Fair

Over: FLINT CREEK

0.2M S JCT CTH M, Iowa, WI

Built 1975 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 500

LRD TURNELL RD (DE

Fair

Over: W BR BLUE MOUNDS CREEK

0.1M E JCT CTH K, Iowa, WI

Built 1963 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 40

LRD S CEMETERY RD

Fair

Over: MORRISON CREEK

2.8M N JCT STH 54, Jackson, WI

Built 1967 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 47

LRD NORTH RD

Fair

Over: BR BLACK RIVER

0.8M S JCT CTH D, Jackson, WI

Built 1935 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 35

LRD OLD HWY 54

Fair

Over: PINE GROVE CREEK

0.1M E JCT STH 54, Jackson, WI

Built 1930 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 94

LRD KUNZ RD

Fair

Over: BR ROCK RIVER

0.1M N JCT STH 106, Jefferson, WI

Built 1937 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 107

LRD 23RD ST

Fair

Over: S BR YELLOW RIVER

1.9M W JCT STH 80, Juneau, WI

Built 1919 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 86

LRD PETROWITZ RD

Fair

Over: ONE MILE CREEK

0.3M S JCT CTH G, Juneau, WI

Built 1928 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 120

LRD COUNTY LINE RD

Fair

Over: EAST BRANCH

0.1M E JCT STH 173, Juneau, WI

Built 1950 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 23

LRD OLD STH 16

Fair

Over: NESHONIC CREEK

0.1M N JCT STH 108, La Crosse, WI

Built 1926 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 94

LRD COTTAGE INN RD

Fair

Over: COTTAGE INN BRANCH

1.0M S JCT CTH C, Lafayette, WI

Built 1940 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 58

LRD OLLIE BELL RD

Fair

Over: GALENA RIVER

1.3M E JCT CTH J, Lafayette, WI

Built 1969 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 88

LRD GOWAN RD

Fair

Over: SPRING BROOK

0.3M N JCT CTH Y, Langlade, WI

Built 1966 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 246

LRD WEGNER RD (DEA

Fair

Over: N FK COPPER RIVER

2.4M N JCT CTH M, Lincoln, WI

Built 1972 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 50

LRD TOMKINS RD

Fair

Over: BR MANITOWOC RIVER

0.8M S JCT USH 151, Manitowoc, WI

Built 1929 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 94

LRD HECKER RD

Fair

Over: SILVER CREEK

1.0M S JCT USH 151, Manitowoc, WI

Built 1967 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 293

LRD W BEAR LAKE RD

Fair

Over: SPRING BROOK

1.8M E JCT CTH Y, Marathon, WI

Built 1967 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 50

LRD NEHRBASS RD

Fair

Over: BR BLACK CREEK

0.3M S JCT CTH A, Marathon, WI

Built 1946 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 42

LRD ROSEDALE AVE

Fair

Over: W BR BIG EAU PLEINE RIVE

1.9M N JCT STH 29, Marathon, WI

Built 1936 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 90

LRD MERIDIAN RD

Fair

Over: BLACK CREEK

1.8M N JCT CTH U, Marathon, WI

Built 1940 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 126

LRD CHOKECHERRY RD

Fair

Over: DILL CREEK

1.7M E JCT STH 13, Marathon, WI

Built 1955 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 92

LRD MAREK RD

Fair

Over: MISCAUNO CREEK

0.5M S JCT CTH Z, Marinette, WI

Built 1950 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 80

LRD FRANKLIN ST

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

0.1M W JCT STH 21, Monroe, WI

Built 1927 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 3,525

LRD FAIRWAY RD

Fair

Over: BIG CREEK

1.0M N JCT CTH B, Monroe, WI

Built 1970 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 47

LRD LOGAN RD

Fair

Over: N BR OCONTO RIVER

1.6M E JCT STH 32, Oconto, WI

Built 1974 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 100

LRD RIVER BEND RD

Fair

Over: PELICAN RIVER

0.5M N JCT CTH G, Oneida, WI

Built 1965 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 177

LRD DEERVIEW RD

Fair

Over: TOAD CREEK

1.1M W JCT STH 47, Outagamie, WI

Built 1950 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 392

LRD WEGE RD

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

1.4M W JCT CTH A, Outagamie, WI

Built 1968 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 205

Showing 451-500 of 14,446 bridges

Data sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI), latest released cycle. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI). Poor condition is an inspection-record category, not a closure or unsafe-to-cross designation. Consult the bridge owner for current status.

What to do with this

Use Wisconsin's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in Wisconsin and open the highest-Poor shares first. County list
  • See where this state sits among peers on Poor-condition share. State rankings
  • Compare this state with another jurisdiction on the same measures. State compare

NBI condition ratings are inventory snapshots, not live crossing-safety verdicts.

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Wisconsin Good/Fair/Poor shares and county rollups on this page are computed from the same NBI extract as the national boards; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024 NBI release. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.