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

CTH V

Fair

Over: BEARGRASS CREEK

0.6M N CTH JJ, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1925 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 256

CTH M

Fair

Over: BLACK CREEK

1.4M W CTH H, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1963 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 256

CTH G

Fair

Over: BRIDGE CREEK

0.1M N USH 12, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1959 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 1,640

CTH H

Fair

Over: SCHOOLHOUSE CREEK

0.1M N USH 12, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1929 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 790

LRD ELMORE DR

Fair

Over: W BR MILWAUKEE RIVER

1.1M E JCT CTH W, Fond du Lac, WI

Built 1923 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 180

LRD FREMONT RD

Fair

Over: W BR FOND DU LAC RIVER

1.0M E JCT STH 26, Fond du Lac, WI

Built 1958 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 205

LRD SCOTT ST

Fair

Over: DE NEVEU CREEK

1.4M E JCT USH 45, Fond du Lac, WI

Built 1965 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 3,100

LRD PINE GROVE RD

Fair

Over: GREGORY BRANCH

0.1M E JCT USH 61, Grant, WI

Built 1939 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 53

LRD MUSKELLUNGE RD

Fair

Over: RATTLESNAKE CREEK

1.4M E JCT STH 133, Grant, WI

Built 1969 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 102

LRD DOUGHERTY CREE

Fair

Over: DOUGHERTY CREEK

1.8M S JCT CTH H, Green, WI

Built 1935 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 105

LRD W PUDDLE DOCK

Fair

Over: BR DOUGHERTY CREEK

1.5M N JCT CTH C, Green, WI

Built 1935 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 105

LRD ROTHEN-BUEHLER

Fair

Over: BR SKINNER CREEK

0.1M W JCT CTH J, Green, WI

Built 1933 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 52

LRD MT HOPE RD

Fair

Over: OK CREEK

1.7M S JCT STH 11, Green, WI

Built 1930 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 117

LRD ROCKVALE RD

Fair

Over: ROCK RIVER

0.7M E JCT CTH F, Jefferson, WI

Built 1971 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 293

LRD CADY ST

Fair

Over: ROCK RIVER

0.2M E JCT STH 26 BUSINES, Jefferson, WI

Built 1938 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 4,200

LRD SMITH RD

Fair

Over: S FK BARABOO RIVER

0.6M S JCT STH 33, Juneau, WI

Built 1970 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 144

LRD DISPOSAL PLANT

Fair

Over: BR GARVIN CREEK

0.1M S JCT CTH O, Juneau, WI

Built 1935 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 11

LRD JOHNSON COULEE

Fair

Over: BURNS CREEK

0.1M W JCT STH 162, La Crosse, WI

Built 1980 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 20

LRD GANT RD

Fair

Over: YELLOWSTONE RIVER

1.1M N JCT CTH F, Lafayette, WI

Built 1930 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 47

LRD SUNNY DALE RD

Fair

Over: BR MOUNDS BRANCH

0.9M S JCT CTH G, Lafayette, WI

Built 1955 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 47

LRD LANDON RD

Fair

Over: BONNER BRANCH

0.7M N JCT CTH G, Lafayette, WI

Built 1948 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 58

LRD S DUBLIN RD

Fair

Over: COPPER CREEK

1.6M S JCT CTH K, Lafayette, WI

Built 1959 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 58

LRD RICHARDSON LAN

Fair

Over: GALENA RIVER

2.4M S JCT CTH W, Lafayette, WI

Built 1917 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 10

CTH H

Fair

Over: BLUE MOUNDS BRANCH

0.2M E JCT STH 78, Lafayette, WI

Built 1922 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 352

LRD CRIST LANE (DE

Fair

Over: BR PECATONICA RIVER

0.1M W JCT STH 23, Lafayette, WI

Built 1952 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 10

LRD OLD HWY Q RD

Fair

Over: YELLOWSTONE RIVER

0.1M N JCT CTH N, Lafayette, WI

Built 1971 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 176

LRD STAMPER RD

Fair

Over: EVERGREEN CREEK

2.6M S JCT STH 64, Langlade, WI

Built 1930 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 221

LRD 3RD AVE

Fair

Over: BIG HAY MEADOW CREEK

1.1M E JCT STH 17, Lincoln, WI

Built 1936 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 15

LRD WILLOW AVE (DE

Fair

Over: BALDWIN CREEK

3.2M N JCT CTH F, Lincoln, WI

Built 1930 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 7

LRD REIFS MILLS RD

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

0.2M E JCT CTH W, Manitowoc, WI

Built 1910 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 23

LRD CEMETARY RD

Fair

Over: PORKY CREEK

0.1M N JCT STH 29, Marathon, WI

Built 1967 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 30

LRD TOWN LINE RD

Fair

Over: LITTLE PESHTIGO RIVER

0.8M N JCT CTH B, Marinette, WI

Built 1961 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 90

LRD CARMEL AVE

Fair

Over: SOPER CREEK

0.3M W JCT STH 27, Monroe, WI

Built 1970 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 47

LRD ELLSWORTH ROAD

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

3.0M N JCT STH 21, Monroe, WI

Built 1922 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 205

LRD IOWA RD

Fair

Over: BR COUNCIL CREEK

0.1M S JCT STH 131, Monroe, WI

Built 1935 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 94

LRD MARIPOSA AVE

Fair

Over: LITTLE LA CROSSE RIVER

0.1M E JCT STH 27, Monroe, WI

Built 1917 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 29

LRD BUTTS AVE

Fair

Over: LEMONWEIR CREEK

0.6M W JCT USH 12, Monroe, WI

Built 1930 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 2,700

LRD HAWK RD

Fair

Over: SILVER CREEK

0.4M N JCT CTH A, Monroe, WI

Built 1926 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 58

LRD NOVEL AVE (DEA

Fair

Over: BR BARABOO RIVER

0.1M E JCT CTH W, Monroe, WI

Built 1954 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 10

LRD JAGIELLO RD

Fair

Over: KELLY BROOK

0.8M N JCT CTH A, Oconto, WI

Built 1969 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 100

LRD OLD SEYMOUR RD

Fair

Over: ONEIDA CREEK

0.9M E JCT CTH H, Outagamie, WI

Built 1969 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 205

LRD MAYFLOWER DR

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

1.0M N JCT CTH O, Outagamie, WI

Built 1967 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 47

LRD S ISLAND ST

Fair

Over: POWER CANAL

1.1M S JCT STH 96, Outagamie, WI

Built 1967 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 1,057

LRD BUBOLTZ RD

Fair

Over: BR BEAR CREEK

0.2M N JCT CTH WW, Outagamie, WI

Built 1930 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 47

LRD DEWEY DR

Fair

Over: HAY MEADOW CREEK

2.6M E JCT CTH X, Portage, WI

Built 1922 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 218

LRD SEVEN MILE RD

Fair

Over: ROOT RIVER CANAL

0.4M E JCT CTH U, Racine, WI

Built 1965 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 881

LRD FIVE MILE RD

Fair

Over: ROOT RIVER CANAL

1.1M E JCT CTH U, Racine, WI

Built 1965 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 440

LRD CHURCH RD

Fair

Over: ELK CREEK

0.1M S JCT CTH U, Richland, WI

Built 1966 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 94

LRD STATE LINE RD

Fair

Over: DRY CREEK

0.8M S JCT CTH P, Rock, WI

Built 1973 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 41

LRD FERN RD

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY TO LITTLE JUMP

0.5M N JCT STH 194, Rusk, WI

Built 1959 Load: 21.1 t ADT: 86

Showing 651-700 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.