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

LRD STAR RD

Good

Over: BR E FK BLACK RIVER

3.7M E JCT CTH W, Clark, WI

Built 1989 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 50

CTH B

Good

Over: FIVE MILE CREEK

3.8M S JCT USH 10, Clark, WI

Built 1992 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 208

CTH D

Good

Over: BR POPPLE RIVER

1.3M N JCT CTH N, Clark, WI

Built 1994 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 408

LRD SAND RD

Good

Over: CUNNINGHAM CREEK

0.7M W JCT CTH K, Clark, WI

Built 1998 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 58

LRD CLOVERDALE RD

Good

Over: S FK EAU CLAIRE RIVER

3.6M E JCT CTH M, Clark, WI

Built 2002 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 79

LRD CENTER ROAD

Good

Over: NORTH FORK POPPLE RIVER

3.3M E JCT CTH E, Clark, WI

Built 2003 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 106

STH 73

Good

Over: TOMAS CREEK

2.1M N JCT CTH Z, Clark, WI

Built 2002 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,200

LRD STERLING AVE

Good

Over: ROCKY RUN CREEK

0.5M N JCT CTH G, Clark, WI

Built 2004 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 47

LRD GORMAN AVE

Good

Over: BR S FK EAU CLAIRE RIVER

1.8M S JCT CTH N, Clark, WI

Built 2006 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 104

IH 39 NB

Good

Over: USH 51 SB

1.8M N JCT STH 16 TO E, Columbia, WI

Built 1990 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 7,750

STH 78 SB

Good

Over: IH 90/94

3.0M S JCT STH 33 TO E, Columbia, WI

Built 1993 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 10,000

STH 113

Good

Over: CNW RR

2.0M N JCT STH 60, Columbia, WI

Built 1995 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,700

STH 33

Good

Over: FOX RIVER

1.9M E JCT STH 22, Columbia, WI

Built 1995 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 5,100

CTH D MAIN ST

Good

Over: N BR CRAWFISH RIVER

1.1M E JCT STH 16, Columbia, WI

Built 2003 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,900

LRD BOYDTOWN HOLLO

Good

Over: BOYDTOWN CREEK

1.8M N JCT STH 60, Crawford, WI

Built 1991 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 45

LRD ZINTZ RD.

Good

Over: HALLS BRANCH CREEK

0.2M S JCT CTH S, Crawford, WI

Built 1987 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 22

LRD CLUN LANE (DEA

Good

Over: BR RICHLAND CREEK

0.1M N GRAHAM HOLLOW RD, Crawford, WI

Built 1991 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 100

USH 18-STH 35

Good

Over: WISCONSIN RIVER 01

0.5M E JCT STH 60 TO E, Crawford, WI

Built 1989 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 5,000

LRD STEVENSON RD

Good

Over: CASWELL HOLLOW CREEK

0.1M N JCT STH 171, Crawford, WI

Built 1994 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 136

LRD LITTLE HANEY R

Good

Over: BR KICKAPOO RIVER

1.6M W JCT STH 131, Crawford, WI

Built 1994 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 55

LRD DUHA RIDGE RD

Good

Over: PINE CREEK

2.9M E JCT STH 27, Crawford, WI

Built 1999 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 97

CTH E

Good

Over: CITRON CREEK

0.8M N JCT STH 179, Crawford, WI

Built 2000 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 611

LRD ORCHARD VIEW R

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

0.1M S JCT CTH X, Crawford, WI

Built 2001 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 37

CTH S

Good

Over: BR HALLS BR

2.1M W JCT STH 131, Crawford, WI

Built 2002 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 470

LRD RUSH CREEK RD

Good

Over: BR RUSH CREEK

1.9M N JCT CTH B, Crawford, WI

Built 2002 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 68

LRD CLIFFWOOD DRIV

Good

Over: BN-SANTA FE RAILROAD

0.4M E JCT CTH K, Crawford, WI

Built 2003 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 954

USH 18/STH 60

Good

Over: BNSF RR

1.9 MI E OF JCT NB STH 27, Crawford, WI

Built 2011 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 4,500

LRD CLEAR CR ROAD

Good

Over: CLEAR CREEK

1.4M N. OF STH 60, Crawford, WI

Built 2010 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 102

USH 151 SB

Good

Over: CTH VV

2.3M S JCT CTH V, Dane, WI

Built 1991 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 12,350

STH 30 EB

Good

Over: USH 51-STOUGHTON RD

1.2M E JCT USH 151, Dane, WI

Built 1996 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 8,500

LRD TOWN HALL ROAD

Good

Over: USH 18-USH 151

3.5M N JCT STH 92, Dane, WI

Built 1991 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 260

USH 51 NB

Good

Over: LRD SIGGELKOW RD

0.9M N JCT CTH MN, Dane, WI

Built 1992 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 13,200

LRD PRIMROSE CENTE

Good

Over: PRIMROSE BRANCH

0.9M N JCT CTH A, Dane, WI

Built 1992 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 39

LRD BLUE MOUNDS TR

Good

Over: ELVERS CREEK

0.1M E JCT CTH F, Dane, WI

Built 1992 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 84

USH 18 WB-USH 151

Good

Over: LRD E.B. ENTRANCE RAMP

2.5M W JCT CTH PB, Dane, WI

Built 1995 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 15,600

CTH G

Good

Over: BR SUGAR RIVER

1.6M E JCT CTH J, Dane, WI

Built 1997 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,141

USH 12 EB

Good

Over: ROXBURY CREEK

0.4M E JCT STH 188, Dane, WI

Built 2004 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 8,200

USH 12 EB

Good

Over: USH PARMENTER STREET

1.1 MI. E OF CTH K, Dane, WI

Built 2005 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 15,700

LRD SMITH RD

Good

Over: CANADIAN PACIFIC RR

0.8M S. JCT CTH DM, Dane, WI

Built 2004 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,007

USH 51 SB EXIT RAM

Good

Over: CTH BB & RAILROAD

1.5M S JCT STH 30, Dane, WI

Built 2015 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 23,100

LRD SEMINOLE HIGHW

Good

Over: USH 12/14/18/151

0.5 MI. E USH 18/151, Dane, WI

Built 2013 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 13,700

LRD UPHOFF ROAD

Good

Over: KOSHKONONG CREEK

0.9 MI SOUTH OF JUNCTION, Dane, WI

Built 2022 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 100

CTH KP

Good

Over: WENDT CREEK

AT WENDT CREEK, Dane, WI

Built 2014 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 270

IH 39 NB / IH 90 W

Good

Over: LRD EAST CHURCH ROAD

2.8 MI N OF JCT WITH USH, Dane, WI

Built 2017 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 28,900

IH 39 NB / IH 90 W

Good

Over: LRD SIGGELKOW RD

3.5MI. W OF CTH N TO E, Dane, WI

Built 2020 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 30,200

IH I-39 NB / I-90

Good

Over: USH 12/18 WB

T. OF BLOOMING GROVE, Dane, WI

Built 2021 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 60,400

USH 14

Good

Over: BLACK EARTH CREEK

0.2M E JCT STH 78 TO S, Dane, WI

Built 2018 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 6,900

CTH AB

Good

Over: USH 12/USH 18

2.0 MI N JCT CTH MN, Dane, WI

Built 2023 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 7,705

STH 67-CHURCH ST

Good

Over: IH 41

0.9M N JCT STH 175 TO N, Dodge, WI

Built 2006 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 5,100

CTH FW

Good

Over: CNW RR

1.2M N JCT CTH CC, Dodge, WI

Built 1995 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 276

Showing 9,101-9,150 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.