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)

Counties (72)

Adams 41 Ashland 84 Barron 319 Bayfield 103 Brown 466 Buffalo 238 Burnett 67 Calumet 62 Chippewa 359 Clark 296 Columbia 183 Crawford 211 Dane 590 Dodge 212 Door 32 Douglas 135 Dunn 245 Eau Claire 236 Florence 20 Fond du Lac 251 Forest 53 Grant 383 Green 244 Green Lake 48 Iowa 209 Iron 48 Jackson 218 Jefferson 182 Juneau 172 Kenosha 109 Kewaunee 93 La Crosse 249 Lafayette 217 Langlade 78 Lincoln 157 Manitowoc 269 Marathon 530 Marinette 135 Marquette 81 Menominee 25 Milwaukee 893 Monroe 374 Oconto 149 Oneida 61 Outagamie 290 Ozaukee 105 Pepin 57 Pierce 248 Polk 73 Portage 182 Price 104 Racine 133 Richland 298 Rock 304 Rusk 151 Sauk 271 Sawyer 97 Shawano 160 Sheboygan 240 St. Croix 298 Taylor 176 Trempealeau 260 Vernon 333 Vilas 29 Walworth 206 Washburn 49 Washington 162 Waukesha 369 Waupaca 169 Waushara 53 Winnebago 263 Wood 239

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.

LRD CASBERG COULEE

Poor

Over: LONG COULEE CREEK

0.2M E JCT CTH V, La Crosse, WI

Built 1984 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 265

LRD IRR (ENSINGER

Poor

Over: BRUNSWEILER RIVER

0.7M E JCT STH 13, Ashland, WI

Built 1920 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 20

LRD N 50TH ST (DEA

Poor

Over: MENOMONEE RIVER

0.2M S JCT STATE ST, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1976 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1

LRD PEDESTRIAN (WO

Poor

Over: MILWAUKEE RIVER

0.5M E JCT USH 45, Washington, WI

Built 1891 Load: 0.0 t

LRD ACCESS RD

Poor

Over: MENASHA CHANNEL

ACCESS TO PARKING LOT BY, Winnebago, WI

Built 1960 Load: 1.6 t ADT: 20

LRD MARKET RD

Poor

Over: BEAR CREEK

1.2M N JCT STH 76, Outagamie, WI

Built 1958 Load: 1.6 t ADT: 1,175

All Bridges in Wisconsin

STH 35

Good

Over: MISSISSIPPI RIVER TRIB

2.5M N JCT STH 54 TO W, Buffalo, WI

Built 2019 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 5,400

USH 10

Good

Over: HOLMES CREEK

1.1 M W JCT CTH A, Buffalo, WI

Built 2022 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 1,800

LRD YELLOW LAKE RO

Good

Over: YELLOW RIVER

0.6 MILES N OF JUNCTION W, Burnett, WI

Built 2022 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 350

CTH OO

Good

Over: HALLIE MARSH OUTLET

0.8 M E CTH P, Chippewa, WI

Built 2009 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 1,125

CTH K

Good

Over: LITTLE DRYWOOD CREEK

0.7 M N 100TH AVENUE, Chippewa, WI

Built 2018 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 125

CTH U

Good

Over: PRENTICE CREEK

1.0M N JCT STH 78, Columbia, WI

Built 2009 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 147

USH 51 NB

Good

Over: LRD BEAR TREE PARKWAY

2.9 MI. S OF CTH V TO W, Dane, WI

Built 2013 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 8,700

USH 51 SB

Good

Over: LRD BEAR TREE PARKWAY

3.4 MI. S OF CTH V TO W, Dane, WI

Built 2013 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 8,700

IH 94 WB

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

3.5M W JCT STH 73 TO N, Dane, WI

Built 2020 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 21,200

USH 14-STH 78

Good

Over: BLACK EARTH CREEK

2.1M E JCT STH 78 TO N, Dane, WI

Built 2018 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 8,400

CTH D

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

0.1M W USH 53, Eau Claire, WI

Built 2020 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 1,200

CTH V

Good

Over: BRIDGE CREEK

0.2 MI WEST OF STH 27, Eau Claire, WI

Built 2021 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 640

STH 23 WB

Good

Over: SHEBOYGAN RIVER

0.3M W JCT CTH W TO S, Fond du Lac, WI

Built 2020 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 3,600

LRD OLDEN RD

Good

Over: W BRANCH FOND DU LAC RIV

1.4M E JCT CTH M, Fond du Lac, WI

Built 2018 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 280

DRUMLIN ROAD

Good

Over: WEST BRANCH OF MILWAUKEE

1.2 MI NORTH OF STH 67, Fond du Lac, WI

Built 2021 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 201

CTH T

Good

Over: BIG GREEN RIVER

0.2M E JCT CTH K, Grant, WI

Built 2018 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 240

LRD ELMER RD

Good

Over: LIBERTY CREEK

1.4M E JCT CTH E, Green, WI

Built 2009 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 154

CTH K

Good

Over: SPRING CREEK

1.0 M W OF JCT CTH OK, Green, WI

Built 2014 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 130

CTH H

Good

Over: KNIGHT HOLLOW CREEK

AT INTERSECTION OF CTH HH, Iowa, WI

Built 2009 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 640

LRD BLUE RIVER RD

Good

Over: BLUE RIVER

1.0M E JCT CTH I, Iowa, WI

Built 2019 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 40

CTH HH

Good

Over: WHITE HOLLOW CREEK

1.3M S JCT CTH H, Iowa, WI

Built 2020 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 180

CTH E

Good

Over: ALDER CREEK

2.3 MI E STH 122, Iron, WI

Built 2009 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 214

LRD POPKO CIRCLE W

Good

Over: TRUDE LAKE

3 MILES SOUTH OF CTH FF, Iron, WI

Built 2014 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 471

USH 12-STH27

Good

Over: BR. HALLS CREEK

4.6M E OF JCT STH 95, Jackson, WI

Built 2010 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 3,500

LRD HOARD RD

Good

Over: STH 26

0.5MI. N OF USH 12, Jefferson, WI

Built 2011 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 600

CTH V

Good

Over: LONG COULEE CREEK

1.5M N JCT CTH D, La Crosse, WI

Built 2020 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 4,700

LRD AMES ROAD

Good

Over: AMES BRANCH OF THE PECAT

0.7M S JCT CTH K, Lafayette, WI

Built 2022 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 88

CTH C

Good

Over: PRATT CREEK

3.1M W JCT CTH H, Langlade, WI

Built 2012 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 820

CTH C

Good

Over: MCCLOUD CREEK

4.2M W JCT CTH H, Langlade, WI

Built 2012 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 823

CTH Y

Good

Over: RICE RIVER

1.8M N JCT USH 8, Lincoln, WI

Built 2012 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 1,628

LRD COOPERSTOWN RD

Good

Over: BR DEVILS RIVER

2.7M W JCT CTH T, Manitowoc, WI

Built 2019 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 265

CTH Q

Good

Over: LITTLE MANITOWOC RIVER

1.4 MI SOUTH OF THE JUNCT, Manitowoc, WI

Built 2022 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 3,000

CTH Q

Good

Over: LITTLE MANITOWOC RIVER

0.9M N JCT STH 42, Manitowoc, WI

Built 2021 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 3,000

CTH M

Good

Over: FENWOOD CREEK

0.3M S JCT CTH N, Marathon, WI

Built 2017 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 300

CTH Q

Good

Over: MOLE BROOK

0.2M S JCT CTH N, Marathon, WI

Built 2019 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 610

CTH G

Good

Over: BR TRAPPE RIVER

1.2M E JCT CTH Q, Marathon, WI

Built 2020 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 140

STH 119 EB-AIRPORT

Good

Over: CMSTPP RR

1.0 MI E JCT IH 94, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2012 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 10,400

IH 94 EB

Good

Over: STH 181/ 84TH ST.

0.9 MI E JCT IH 41, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2016 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 80,000

LRD CLEVELAND AVEN

Good

Over: IH 41/894/USH 45

0.6 MI E JCT STH 100, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2013 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 6,100

LRD COUNTY LINE RD

Good

Over: IH 43-STH 32-N-S FREEWAY

2.0 MI E JCT STH 57, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2023 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 1,900

LRD SOUTH 60TH STR

Good

Over: IH-41/IH-43/IH-894

0.2 MI N JCT CTH Y, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2022 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 22,000

IH 94 EB

Good

Over: USH 12

4.0M E JCT CTH E TO E, Monroe, WI

Built 2016 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 12,400

LRD MILWAUKEE ST

Good

Over: FARMERS VALLEY CREEK

0.1M S JCT STH 16, Monroe, WI

Built 2019 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 200

CTH N

Good

Over: BR LITTLE LEMONWEIR RIVE

1.9M S JCT CTH A, Monroe, WI

Built 2018 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 100

LRD OAKLAND RD

Good

Over: RULLANDS COULEE CREEK

0.7M N JCT CTH P, Monroe, WI

Built 2021 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 26

CTH AA

Good

Over: S BR OCONTO RIVER

2.8MILES WEST OF STH32, Oconto, WI

Built 2018 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 300

LRD HIGHLAND AVE

Good

Over: IH 43-STH 32-STH 57

4.1M E JCT STH 181, Ozaukee, WI

Built 2022 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 3,100

CTH U

Good

Over: BR PLUM CREEK

1.9M S JCT CTH S, Pierce, WI

Built 2012 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 431

CTH A

Good

Over: S FK JUMP RIVER

0.2M S JCT USH 8, Price, WI

Built 2021 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 1,814

STH 80

Good

Over: PINE RIVER

0.1M N JCT CTH D TO W, Richland, WI

Built 2018 Load: 35.3 t ADT: 1,900

Showing 8,951-9,000 of 14,446 bridges

Related

All states → | National rankings → | Understanding conditions → | Retired SD term explained →
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.

Understanding Bridge Conditions

How FHWA rates bridge condition on a 0-9 scale.

Check Your Daily Bridges

How to look up bridge condition data for bridges on your route.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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.