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 FOREST AVE

Good

Over: W BR FOND DU LAC RIVER

1.3M EAST OF USH 41 0.5, Fond du Lac, WI

Built 1990 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 3,200

LRD BORAH RD

Good

Over: ROGERS BRANCH

1.8M N JCT CTH K, Grant, WI

Built 1984 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 166

LRD SPRUCE ROAD

Good

Over: BLAKE FORK

0.1M S JCT STH 35, Grant, WI

Built 1986 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 103

LRD OLD HWY C RD

Good

Over: STUDENBERG HOLLOW CREEK

0.8M W JCT STH 133, Grant, WI

Built 1999 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 102

LRD W COATES AVE

Good

Over: BR LITTLE SUGAR RIVER

0.1M E JCT STH 69, Green, WI

Built 1992 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 369

CTH A

Good

Over: GRAND RIVER

0.2M S JCT CTH S TO W, Green Lake, WI

Built 1965 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 1,900

USH 151 SBL

Good

Over: LRD BRENNAN RD

4.7M S JCT CTH Y, Iowa, WI

Built 1979 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 5,100

CTH Y

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

0.7M S JCT CTH ZZ, Iowa, WI

Built 1982 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 312

LRD BIG SPRINGS RD

Good

Over: BIG SPRINGS BRANCH

1.2M N JCT CTH Q, Iowa, WI

Built 1984 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 41

LRD ROSY LANE

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

0.2M S JCT CTH Y, Iowa, WI

Built 1986 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 83

LRD W PINEHILL ROA

Good

Over: ROBINSON CREEK

2.6M W JCT STH 27, Jackson, WI

Built 1986 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 46

LRD OCONOMOWOC AVE

Good

Over: ROCK RIVER

0.1M E JCT STH 26, Jefferson, WI

Built 1983 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 1,700

STH NB STH 26

Good

Over: USH 12

1.6M N JCT STH 106, Jefferson, WI

Built 1994 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 3,700

STH 54

Good

Over: RIO CREEK

2.3M E JCT CTH E, Kewaunee, WI

Built 1983 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 2,500

LRD GILBERTSON RD

Good

Over: CANON CREEK

2.3M N JCT CTH F, Lafayette, WI

Built 1983 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 34

LRD HILL DRIVE

Good

Over: WHITESIDE CREEK

2.5M W JCT STH 78, Lafayette, WI

Built 1984 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 116

LRD KNEE DEEP RD

Good

Over: MADDEN BRANCH

1.7M W JCT CTH I, Lafayette, WI

Built 1985 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 80

LRD MAU ROAD

Good

Over: TURTLE CREEK

0.9M S JCT STH 11, Lafayette, WI

Built 1985 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 86

LRD MITCHELL HOLLO

Good

Over: BONNER BRANCH

0.2M W JCT CTH G, Lafayette, WI

Built 1994 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 58

LRD FOX FARM ROAD

Good

Over: N FK SPIRIT RIVER

1.0M S JCT STH 86, Lincoln, WI

Built 1986 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 15

CTH WW EVEREST AV

Good

Over: WISCONSIN RIVER

1.9M W JCT CTH W, Marathon, WI

Built 1967 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 3,900

LRD SANDY CREEK RD

Good

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

1.3M S JCT CTH C, Marathon, WI

Built 1984 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 55

LRD BIG RIB RIVER

Good

Over: MCGINNIS CREEK

0.4M W JCT CTH S, Marathon, WI

Built 1989 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 52

USH 8

Good

Over: MENOMINEE RIVER

2.1M E JCT USH 141 TO N, Marinette, WI

Built 1965 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 2,800

LRD TOWN CORNER LA

Good

Over: N BR PIKE RIVER

3.2M W JCT USH 141, Marinette, WI

Built 1981 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 100

CTH Q

Good

Over: USH 141

AT USH 141, Marinette, WI

Built 2005 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 1,100

IH-94 EB/IH-43 SB

Good

Over: LRD W OKLAHOMA AVE

2.5M S JCT STH 59, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1967 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 68,500

STH 145 SB-W FOND

Good

Over: LRD N 91ST ST

2.0 MI S JCT USH 45, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1966 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 11,050

STH 145 NB-W FOND

Good

Over: LRD N 91ST ST

2.0 MI S JCT USH 45, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1966 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 11,050

IH 90 WB

Good

Over: USH 12-STH 16

2.0M W JCT IH 94 (D), Monroe, WI

Built 1968 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 8,200

LRD SPRING STREET

Good

Over: BR BARABOO RIVER

0.1M E JCT STH 71, Monroe, WI

Built 1984 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 240

STH 47 SB

Good

Over: IH 41

1.2M S JCT CTH JJ, Outagamie, WI

Built 1961 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 10,550

STH 47 NB

Good

Over: IH 41

1.7M N JCT STH 96, Outagamie, WI

Built 1961 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 10,550

LRD STILEN RD

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

0.3M W JCT CTH W, Outagamie, WI

Built 1983 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 128

LRD KRUEGER ROAD

Good

Over: DUCK CREEK

1.1M E JCT CTH PP, Outagamie, WI

Built 1982 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 176

CTH G

Good

Over: LOST CREEK

0.4M E JCT USH 63, Pierce, WI

Built 1959 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 396

LRD 170TH ST

Good

Over: EAU GALLE RIVER

0.1M S JCT CTH B, Pierce, WI

Built 1984 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 52

LRD 620TH ST

Good

Over: ISABELLE CREEK

0.4M S JCT CTH V, Pierce, WI

Built 1987 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 92

USH 10

Good

Over: IH USH 51-IH 39

0.8M E JCT CTH YY, Portage, WI

Built 1968 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 25,755

IH USH 51-IH 39 SB

Good

Over: LITTLE EAU CLAIRE RIVER

4.1M S JCT STH 34 TO S, Portage, WI

Built 1972 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 11,400

LRD OLD WAUSAU RD

Good

Over: HAY MEADOW CREEK

0.7M S JCT USH 51, Portage, WI

Built 1971 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 310

USH 10 EB

Good

Over: CTH B

AT CTH B, Portage, WI

Built 2004 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 6,400

USH 10 WB

Good

Over: CTH B

AT CTH B, Portage, WI

Built 2004 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 7,300

LRD GREEN ACRES LA

Good

Over: W BR PINE RIVER

0.2M W JCT CTH D, Richland, WI

Built 1988 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 680

LRD HONER RD (DEAD

Good

Over: HOOSIER CREEK

0.4M E JCT STH 80, Richland, WI

Built 1991 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 20

STH 59-FULTON ST

Good

Over: SAUNDERS CREEK

0.2M E JCT USH 51, Rock, WI

Built 1968 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 5,900

LRD W. EVANSVILLE-

Good

Over: ALLEN CREEK

1.8M W JCT USH 14, Rock, WI

Built 1981 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 174

CTH H

Good

Over: APPLE RIVER

0.3M W JCT CTH C, St. Croix, WI

Built 1968 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 978

LRD RIVER RD/93RD

Good

Over: APPLE RIVER

0.1M S JCT CTH C, St. Croix, WI

Built 1982 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 279

LRD 140TH ST

Good

Over: KINNICKINNIC RIVER

1.8M S JCT CTH TT, St. Croix, WI

Built 1980 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 176

Showing 6,651-6,700 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.