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 KENNEDY ROAD

Good

Over: BIG HOLLOW DRAINAGE

AT BIG HOLLOW CREEK, Sauk, WI

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,480

USH 14

Good

Over: BIG HOLLOW DRAINAGE

4.8 MI E OF STH 130, Sauk, WI

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,400

STH 27

Good

Over: NAIL CREEK

5.9M N JCT CTH J TO E, Sawyer, WI

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,500

CTH M

Good

Over: S FK FLAMBEAU RIVER

7.9M S JCT CTH B, Sawyer, WI

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 447

CTH T

Good

Over: SMITH CREEK

0.2 M E OF STH 27, Sawyer, WI

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 801

CTH OO

Good

Over: S BR EMBARRASS RIVER

1.7M N JCT STH 29, Shawano, WI

Built 1966 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 390

STH 55

Good

Over: BLACK CREEK

1.2M N STH 156, Shawano, WI

Built 2006 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,800

STH 156

Good

Over: BLACK CREEK

1.2M E JCT CTH C, Shawano, WI

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,700

STH 22

Good

Over: SHAWANO LAKE TRIBUTARY

1.5 MILES EAST OF CTH BE, Shawano, WI

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,300

CTH PP

Good

Over: IH 43

2.8M E JCT STH 32, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1967 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,500

LRD PENNSYLVANIA A

Good

Over: SHEBOYGAN RIVER

0.3M E JCT STH 42, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1973 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,300

STH 28

Good

Over: WEEDEN CREEK

1.3M E JCT CTH EE, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,800

STH 144

Good

Over: SILVER CREEK

0.3M E JCT CTH I, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,900

STH 28/STH 144

Good

Over: MINK CREEK

0.5M N JCT CTH XX, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,500

STH 23 WB

Good

Over: SHEBOYGAN RIVER

1.4M W JCT STH 32, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1989 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 12,350

CTH RR

Good

Over: BR ONION RIVER

0.1M E JCT CTH KW, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 940

STH 67

Good

Over: MULLET RIVER

0.3M N JCT CTH PP, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,300

STH 28

Good

Over: BATAVIA CREEK

0.3M N JCT CTH SS TO E, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,600

LRD N CRANBERRY RO

Good

Over: MINK CREEK

0.3M N JCT CTH D, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 113

LRD BEACH PARK LN

Good

Over: BLACK RIVER

0.1M E JCT CTH V, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 293

CTH GW

Good

Over: HAND CREEK

0.9M N JCT CTH G, Sheboygan, WI

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 207

CTH DE

Good

Over: SILVER CREEK

0.5M S JCT STH 144, Sheboygan, WI

Built 2015 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 423

CTH S SWIFT ST

Good

Over: MULLET RIVER

0.2M S JCT CTH A, Sheboygan, WI

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 430

LRD SUNSET DR

Good

Over: BLACK RIVER

0.4M S JCT CTH O, Taylor, WI

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 68

STH 64-MAIN ST

Good

Over: BABBITS CREEK

0.4M E JCT CTH B, Taylor, WI

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,300

STH 64-MAIN ST

Good

Over: PARADISE CREEK

4.5M E JCT CTH H TO N, Taylor, WI

Built 1991 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,200

STH 64

Good

Over: BR BLACK RIVER

0.9M E JCT CTH E TO N, Taylor, WI

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,700

CTH DD

Good

Over: PINE CREEK

0.8M S JCT CTH A TO EAST, Taylor, WI

Built 2004 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 666

STH 73

Good

Over: BR HAY CREEK

0.4M N JCT CTH S, Taylor, WI

Built 2006 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,000

LRD SMOCK AVE

Good

Over: E BR LITTLE BLACK R

0.5M N CTH M, Taylor, WI

Built 2005 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 83

CTH O

Good

Over: CORRECTION CREEK

0.3M W JCT STH 13, Taylor, WI

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,895

CTH M

Good

Over: LEMKE CREEK

3.5M E JCT CTH C, Taylor, WI

Built 2009 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 455

LRD KLINGER LANE (

Good

Over: E BR LITTLE BLACK RIVER

0.9M N JCT STH 64, Taylor, WI

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

LRD 8 1/2 AVE

Good

Over: N. FORK EAU CLAIRE RIVER

0.5M N PINEWOOD DR, Taylor, WI

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 71

LRD ORIOLE DR

Good

Over: BIG EAU PLAINE RIVER

0.5M S CTH A, Taylor, WI

Built 2010 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 75

LRD SUNSET DR

Good

Over: PINE CR

1.1 M N JCT CTH A, Taylor, WI

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 92

LRD PINE AVE

Good

Over: BR BLACK RIVER

2.1 M W JCT STH 13, Taylor, WI

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 100

LRD PINE AVE

Good

Over: PINE CR

0.7 M E JCT CTH E, Taylor, WI

Built 2011 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 84

CTH S

Good

Over: S BR YELLOW RIVER

1.3M E JCT CTH H, Taylor, WI

Built 2012 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 84

CTH A

Good

Over: N FK EAU CLAIRE

5.0M S JCT STH 73, Taylor, WI

Built 2013 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 235

STH 13

Good

Over: CORRECTION CREEK

0.1 MI N OF JCT CTH O, Taylor, WI

Built 2013 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 7,700

LRD PUTNAM DR

Good

Over: TRAPPERS CREEK

0.45M N JCT CTH A, Taylor, WI

Built 2022 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 29

STH 54

Good

Over: GRANT CREEK

3.2M E JCT USH 53 TO S, Trempealeau, WI

Built 1977 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,400

CTH D

Good

Over: BR FRENCH CREEK

0.1M S JCT CTH T TO W, Trempealeau, WI

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 683

STH 95

Good

Over: TAPPEN CREEK

0.9M E JCT USH 53 TO S, Trempealeau, WI

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,000

STH 93

Good

Over: ADAMS CREEK

0.3M N JCT USH 10, Trempealeau, WI

Built 1994 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,000

CTH E

Good

Over: BR ELK CREEK

0.1M N JCT CTH OO, Trempealeau, WI

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 385

LRD KNUDTSON VALLE

Good

Over: CHIMNEY ROCK CREEK

0.1M E JCT STH 93, Trempealeau, WI

Built 1998 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 80

CTH XX

Good

Over: BR. TREMPELEAU R.

1.2M W JCT. STH 93, Trempealeau, WI

Built 2003 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 174

LRD WHALEN ROAD

Good

Over: SALSWEDEL COULEE CREEK

2.0M W CTH D, Trempealeau, WI

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 41

Showing 7,801-7,850 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.