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

USH 141 NB

Good

Over: CEDAR SWAMP CREEK

AT CEDAR SWAMP CREEK, Marinette, WI

Built 2005 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 5,100

IH USH51-IH39NB

Good

Over: CHAFFEE CREEK

1.6M N JCT CTH Z, Marquette, WI

Built 1987 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 6,650

CTH J

Good

Over: MONTELLO RIVER

0.3M S JCT CTH B TO N, Marquette, WI

Built 1990 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 770

LRD 14TH AVE

Good

Over: MECAN RIVER

1.5M S JCT CTH JJ, Marquette, WI

Built 1999 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 60

CTH N

Good

Over: MECAN RIVER

2.0M N JCT CTH J TO E, Marquette, WI

Built 1999 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 550

LRD 11TH RD

Good

Over: MONTELLO RIVER

0.8M N JCT CTH B, Marquette, WI

Built 1999 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 310

LRD EMBER LANE

Good

Over: MONTELLO RIVER

0.6M E JCT CTH B, Marquette, WI

Built 1998 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 55

CTH C

Good

Over: MECAN RIVER

1.3M S JCT STH 23, Marquette, WI

Built 2000 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 520

LRD 15TH DR

Good

Over: MECAN RIVER

0.3M S JCT CTH Y, Marquette, WI

Built 2004 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 50

CTH J

Good

Over: MECAN RIVER

0.6 M E JCT CTH N TO NORT, Marquette, WI

Built 2004 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 1,560

STH 23

Good

Over: MECAN RIVER

0.8M E JCT CTH N, Marquette, WI

Built 2020 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 3,000

LRD W COLLEGE AVE

Good

Over: BR. ROOT RIVER

1.2M W JCT CTHU, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1999 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 1,600

IH RAMP MINERAL S

Good

Over: STH 59/NATIONAL AVE

1.5 MI N JCT STH 38, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1968 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 4,600

IH 41/45 NB

Good

Over: STH 145 (124 TH STREET)

0.9M N JCT CTHPP, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2000 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 44,850

IH 41/USH 45/STH 1

Good

Over: STH 145 (124 TH STREET)

1.8 MI S JCT STH 74, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2000 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 44,850

CTH E SILVER SPRI

Good

Over: MILWAUKEE RIVER

0.6M E JCT STH 57, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1991 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 15,600

LRD S 13TH ST

Good

Over: OAK CREEK

0.1M S JCT STH 100, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1995 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 9,800

LRD 66TH STREET

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

0.1M S JCT STH 100, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2006 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 852

IH 43 NB

Good

Over: STH 145

1.0 MI N JCT IH 94, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2006 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 72,000

LRD W DEAN RD

Good

Over: INDIAN CR

0.1 M E. JCT. CTH W, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2004 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 1,100

LRD N REGENT RD

Good

Over: INDIAN CR

0.4M E. JCT. CTH W, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2004 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 1,100

LRD NORTH POINT DR

Good

Over: INDIAN CR

0.6M S. JCT. STH 32, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2004 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 2,110

IH RAMP WATERTOWN

Good

Over: IH 41/USH 45

0.4 MI N JCT USH 18, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2014 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 12,800

STH 119 WB - AIRPO

Good

Over: IH 41/IH 94

1.4 MI W JCT STH 38, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2009 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 10,200

IH RAMP IH 41/USH

Good

Over: HANK AARON STATE TRAIL

0.1 MI S JCT IH 94, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2017 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 6,700

IH 94 WB

Good

Over: S BRANCH UNDERWOOD CREEK

1.0 MI W JCT STH 100, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2017 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 58,500

CTH MM

Good

Over: TESS CORNERS CREEK

7400 ST MARTINS ROAD/CTH, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2017 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 2,500

IH W-S RAMP IH 94

Good

Over: IH RAMP IH 94 EB - IH 4

2.3 MI E JCT USH 41, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2006 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 20,500

STH 71-S RAILROAD

Good

Over: BARABOO RIVER

0.3M E JCT CTH P TO S, Monroe, WI

Built 1975 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 2,900

STH 71

Good

Over: BARABOO RIVER

0.9M E JCT CTH W TO N, Monroe, WI

Built 1975 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 2,100

LRD RAILROAD ST

Good

Over: MORRIS CREEK

0.1M E JCT STH 71, Monroe, WI

Built 1978 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 117

STH 27-STH 71

Good

Over: W BEAVER CREEK

2.4M N JCT CTH B, Monroe, WI

Built 1989 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 4,600

LRD HILLDALE AVE

Good

Over: COUNCIL CREEK

0.1M E JCT STH 131, Monroe, WI

Built 1997 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 38

CTH A

Good

Over: BR LITTLE LEMONWEIR RI

0.1M E JCT CTH W, Monroe, WI

Built 1998 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 542

STH 33

Good

Over: TRIBUTARY TO BRUSH CREEK

7.8M E JCT CTH D, Monroe, WI

Built 2001 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 1,800

LRD OAKDALE AVE

Good

Over: EAST BR COON CREEK

TOWN OF PORTLAND, Monroe, WI

Built 2001 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 69

CTH W

Good

Over: LITTLE LEMONWIER RIVER

0.4M S JCT CTH A, Monroe, WI

Built 2005 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 262

LRD APOLLO ROAD

Good

Over: CLEAR CREEK

3.8M E JCT CTH S, Monroe, WI

Built 2005 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 42

LRD DALY CREEK RD

Good

Over: DALY CREEK

1.3M S JCT CTH G, Oconto, WI

Built 1994 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 80

LRD TECHMEIER LANE

Good

Over: N BR LITTLE RIVER

0.4M E JCT USH 141, Oconto, WI

Built 1994 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 20

LRD GEANO BEACH RO

Good

Over: USH 41

2.0M E JCT SANDELWOOD RD, Oconto, WI

Built 2002 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 300

LRD OLD HWY 41

Good

Over: PENSAUKEE RIVER

0.3M N JCT CTH SS, Oconto, WI

Built 1998 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 311

CTH E

Good

Over: N BR PENSAUKEE RIVER

1.7M E JCT CTH C, Oconto, WI

Built 2000 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 700

USH 141 NB

Good

Over: LITTLE RIVER

0.1M N JCT CTH M TO W, Oconto, WI

Built 2004 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 5,400

USH 141 SB

Good

Over: LITTLE RIVER

AT LITTLE RIVER, Oconto, WI

Built 2005 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 5,400

LRD SUNSHINE RD

Good

Over: KELLY BROOK

0.5M N JCT CTH A, Oconto, WI

Built 2018 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 160

STH 76

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

0.3M N JCT CTH MM, Outagamie, WI

Built 1980 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 1,800

STH 47

Good

Over: BLACK CREEK

0.3M N JCT STH 54, Outagamie, WI

Built 1992 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 8,300

LRD MEADE ST

Good

Over: IH 41

0.8M N JCT CTH OO, Outagamie, WI

Built 1996 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 7,400

STH 55-MAIN ST

Good

Over: BLACK CREEK

0.8M N JCT CTH G, Outagamie, WI

Built 2001 Load: 37.3 t ADT: 4,200

Showing 10,451-10,500 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.