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

IH 43 SB

Fair

Over: CNW RR

1.7M S JCT STH 96, Manitowoc, WI

Built 1979 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 9,800

STH 97

Fair

Over: LITTLE EAU PLEINE RIVER

0.1M N JCT CTH T, Marathon, WI

Built 1966 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 7,600

CTH C

Fair

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

1.1M W JCT CTH X, Marathon, WI

Built 1969 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 493

CTH X

Fair

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

1.7M N JCT CTH C, Marathon, WI

Built 1969 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 873

CTH O

Fair

Over: LITTLE RIB RIVER

1.9M N JCT CTH U, Marathon, WI

Built 1970 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,250

LRD PARK ST

Fair

Over: MONTELLO RIVER

0.1M N JCT STH 23, Marquette, WI

Built 1987 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,800

IH 94 WB-E-W FREEW

Fair

Over: LRD S 70TH ST

1.5M W STH 175, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1963 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 80,000

CTH T (BELOIT ROAD

Fair

Over: IH 41/IH 894/USH 45

0.5 MI E JCT STH 100, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1962 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 21,600

IH RAMP IH 94 EB/

Fair

Over: LRD W BECHER ST

0.4 MI S JCT LAPHAM BLVD, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1968 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 8,800

LRD N HALYARD ST

Fair

Over: IH 43-N-S FREEWAY

AT JCT IH 43 & NORTH AVE, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1965 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 4,200

STH 100 SB-S 108TH

Fair

Over: IH 43 NB

0.2M S JCT CTH Y (D), Milwaukee, WI

Built 1965 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 12,900

STH 100 NB-S 108TH

Fair

Over: IH 43 NB

0.1M N JCT USH 45 (D), Milwaukee, WI

Built 1965 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 12,900

CTH PP W GOOD HOP

Fair

Over: MILWAUKEE RIVER

0.7M W JCT IH 43, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1967 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 15,150

CTH PP W GOOD HOP

Fair

Over: MILWAUKEE RIVER

0.6M E JCT STH 57, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1967 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 15,150

CTH PP W GOOD HOP

Fair

Over: MILWAUKEE RIVER

0.6M W JCT IH 43, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1967 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 15,150

LRD WATERTOWN PLAN

Fair

Over: UNDERWOOD CREEK / CMSTPP

0.1 MI W JCT STH 100, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1972 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 5,550

CTH PP

Fair

Over: IH 90-IH 94

0.2M N JCT USH 12, Monroe, WI

Built 1963 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 6,500

CTH OO

Fair

Over: IH 94

0.3M E JCT USH 12, Monroe, WI

Built 1968 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 280

LRD E CHAIN LAKE R

Fair

Over: MCCASLIN BROOK

0.8M S JCT STH 32, Oconto, WI

Built 1928 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 175

IH 41 SB

Fair

Over: LRD MALONEY RD

2.4M S JCT CTH JJ, Outagamie, WI

Built 1961 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 29,200

IH 41 NB

Fair

Over: LRD MALONEY RD

0.2M N JCT STH 55 TO N, Outagamie, WI

Built 1961 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 29,200

CTH J

Fair

Over: IH 41

0.7M S JCT CTH JJ, Outagamie, WI

Built 1961 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 7,900

LRD ARROWHEAD RD (

Fair

Over: IH 43/STH 32/STH 57

0.1M E JCT CTH W, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1967 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,146

CTH D

Fair

Over: IH 43-STH 32

0.1M E JCT CTH LL, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1974 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 5,500

CTH Z

Fair

Over: ARKANSAW CREEK

0.7M W JCT CTH G, Pepin, WI

Built 1933 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 233

USH 63

Fair

Over: LOST CREEK

0.3M N JCT CTH DD, Pierce, WI

Built 1960 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 3,100

USH 63

Fair

Over: BR RUSH RIVER

2.9M N JCT CTH N, Pierce, WI

Built 1960 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 3,200

CTH O

Fair

Over: TRIMBELLE RIVER

3.1M S JCT USH 10, Pierce, WI

Built 1979 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 251

IH USH51 - IH39 NB

Fair

Over: DUCK CREEK

2.0M N JCT CTH W, Portage, WI

Built 1962 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 14,600

IH USH51-IH39 (NB)

Fair

Over: DITCH NO. 8

4.5M N JCT CTH W, Portage, WI

Built 1962 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 14,600

IH USH51-IH39(NB)

Fair

Over: BUENA VISTA CREEK

5.5M N JCT CTH W, Portage, WI

Built 1962 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 14,600

LRD N 2ND ST

Fair

Over: IH USH 51-IH 39

2.0M N JCT USH 10 TO W, Portage, WI

Built 1969 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,600

LRD WILSHIRE BLVD

Fair

Over: IH USH 51-IH 39

0.5M N JCT STH 66, Portage, WI

Built 1969 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 700

LRD W FOREST LANE

Fair

Over: N FK JUMP RIVER

0.1M E JCT CTH N, Price, WI

Built 1977 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 90

STH 36/STH 83 SB

Fair

Over: FOX RIVER

2.2 MI S JCT STH 20, Racine, WI

Built 1967 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 6,800

CTH Q

Fair

Over: FOX HOLLOW CREEK

0.5M E JCT CTH E, Richland, WI

Built 1957 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 320

STH 56

Fair

Over: FANCY CREEK

0.1M E JCT CTH H, Richland, WI

Built 1963 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,200

LRD E MEMORIAL DR

Fair

Over: USH 51-N PARKER DR

0.8M W JCT STH 26, Rock, WI

Built 1970 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 16,400

CTH E

Fair

Over: WILLOW RIVER

0.2M E JCT CTH A, St. Croix, WI

Built 1959 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,015

CTH JJ

Fair

Over: KINNICKINNIC RIVER

0.3M S JCT CTH J, St. Croix, WI

Built 1961 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 513

STH 128-OAK ST

Fair

Over: TIFFANY CREEK

2.3M N JCT CTH DD, St. Croix, WI

Built 1925 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,200

CTH A

Fair

Over: IH 90-IH 94

0.2M S JCT CTH T, Sauk, WI

Built 1960 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,300

LRD MAPLE AVE

Fair

Over: RED RIVER

0.9M N JCT STH 29, Shawano, WI

Built 1959 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 220

CTH M LIEG AVE

Fair

Over: WOLF RIVER

0.4M E JCT CTH MM, Shawano, WI

Built 1954 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,957

CTH J

Fair

Over: DENT CREEK

0.6M S JCT STH 29, Shawano, WI

Built 1930 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 530

CTH F

Fair

Over: PENSAUKEE RIVER

0.9M N JCT STH 29, Shawano, WI

Built 1924 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 410

CTH K

Fair

Over: SCHOOL CREEK

2.7M N JCT CTH T, Shawano, WI

Built 1967 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,100

CTH OO

Fair

Over: S BR EMBARASS RIVER

0.1M N JCT STH 29, Shawano, WI

Built 1966 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 390

CTH D

Fair

Over: N BR EMBARRASS RIVER

0.3M N JCT STH 29, Shawano, WI

Built 1941 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 930

CTH M

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

0.7M W JCT CTH U, Shawano, WI

Built 1930 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 650

Showing 801-850 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.