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 OLD STH 60

Good

Over: TUCKER HOLLOW CREEK

0.2M W JCT STH 60, Crawford, WI

Built 1994 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 44

LRD BOYDTOWN HOLLO

Good

Over: BR WISCONSIN RIVER

1.3M N JCT STH 60, Crawford, WI

Built 1994 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 44

CTH H

Good

Over: PIGEON RUN CREEK

1.2M N JCT STH 171, Crawford, WI

Built 1994 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 219

LRD DRAKE RD

Good

Over: SHAW HOLLOW CREEK

0.1M E JCT CTH W, Crawford, WI

Built 1996 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 174

LRD FREEMAN RD

Good

Over: JOHNSTON VALLEY CREEK

1.7M S JCT CTH C, Crawford, WI

Built 2002 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 106

LRD SHAW HOLLOW RD

Good

Over: SHAW HOLLOW CREEK

2.2M E JCT CTH W, Crawford, WI

Built 2002 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 21

LRD PANSY LANE (DE

Good

Over: TROUT CREEK

0.6M E JCT USH 61, Crawford, WI

Built 2002 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 20

LRD BUSH HOLLOW RD

Good

Over: BR CROW HOLLOW CREEK

1.8M N JCT STH 60, Crawford, WI

Built 2003 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 307

LRD DEVITT DRIVE (

Good

Over: TROUT CREEK

0.1M S OF JCT TROUT CR RD, Crawford, WI

Built 2004 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 100

CTH B

Good

Over: KICKAPOO RIVER

0.3M W JCT STH 131, Crawford, WI

Built 2006 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 367

CTH S

Good

Over: HALLS BRANCH CREEK

2.8 M E JCT STH 27, Crawford, WI

Built 2016 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 235

IH 39 SB/IH 90 EB

Good

Over: STH 30 WB

0.3M E JCT IH 94 TO E, Dane, WI

Built 1997 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 54,500

IH 39 NB/90 WB

Good

Over: IH RAMP IH 94 WB TO IH 9

4.2M W JCT USH 12 TO E, Dane, WI

Built 1997 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 48,700

IH 90 WB

Good

Over: STH 30 EB

4.0M W JCT USH 12 TO E, Dane, WI

Built 1997 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 29,200

IH 90 EB

Good

Over: STH 30 EB

0.5M E JCT IH 94 TO E, Dane, WI

Built 1997 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 38,100

LRD WALTER RD

Good

Over: BR SUGAR RIVER

0.3M W JCT CTH PB, Dane, WI

Built 1995 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 82

USH 18 EB-USH 151

Good

Over: STH 69

0.3M E JCT STH 69 TO S, Dane, WI

Built 1994 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 13,350

LRD LOCUST DRIVE

Good

Over: USH 18-USH 151

1.6M N JCT STH 69, Dane, WI

Built 1994 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 2,422

STH 69

Good

Over: SUGAR RIVER

0.1M N JCT CTH PB TO N, Dane, WI

Built 1998 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 2,400

USH 12 WB

Good

Over: LRD PARMENTER STREET

2.0 MI. W OF USH 14, Dane, WI

Built 2005 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 15,700

USH 12WB - ON RAMP

Good

Over: USH 12WB OFF RAMP

0.1 M NORTH OF USH 14, Dane, WI

Built 2005 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 3,000

STH 113 SB-NORTHPO

Good

Over: YAHARA RIVER

0.2M S JCT CTH M, Dane, WI

Built 2004 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 9,050

LRD BELD STREET

Good

Over: WINGRA CR

WINGRA CREEK, Dane, WI

Built 2003 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 1,750

LRD SPRING VALLEY

Good

Over: BR HALFWAY PRAIRIE CR

0.4M W.JCT CTH KP, Dane, WI

Built 2004 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 263

LRD MILWAUKEE ST

Good

Over: STARKWEATHER CREEK

0.4M S JCT USH 151, Dane, WI

Built 2008 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 10,100

USH 151-E WASHINGT

Good

Over: YAHARA RIVER

5.4M N JCT USH 12 TO E, Dane, WI

Built 2006 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 33,600

LRD LEIN DR

Good

Over: BR KOSHKONONG CREEK

1.6M E JCT STH 73, Dane, WI

Built 2005 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 105

LRD BOHN ROAD

Good

Over: BOHN CREEK

0.1M W. JCT CTH JG, Dane, WI

Built 1996 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 215

LRD MADISON STREET

Good

Over: SIX MILE CREEK

200 FT W. OF DIVISION ST., Dane, WI

Built 2010 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 2,439

CTH DM

Good

Over: IH 39/90/94

0.8 MI W OF JCT WITH CTH, Dane, WI

Built 2017 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 530

IH 39 SB / IH 90 E

Good

Over: BRANCH SAUNDERS CREEK

2.6M E JCT USH 51 TO N, Dane, WI

Built 2018 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 28,100

USH 18 WB / USH 15

Good

Over: CTH PD / MCKEE ROAD

2 MI S JCT USH 12, Dane, WI

Built 2019 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 20,800

LRD LOW RD

Good

Over: BEAVER DAM RIVER

1.5M E JCT CTH J, Dodge, WI

Built 1989 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 782

CTH R

Good

Over: WILDCAT CREEK

0.2M N JCT CTH E, Dodge, WI

Built 1997 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 896

CTH EM

Good

Over: CNW RR

0.3M N JCT CTH MM, Dodge, WI

Built 1993 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 422

STH 49

Good

Over: IH 41

AT JCT STH 49-CTH KK, Dodge, WI

Built 1994 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 4,600

CTH E

Good

Over: USH 151

0.7 MI. N STH 33, Dodge, WI

Built 1995 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 2,100

CTH Y

Good

Over: GILL CREEK

0.4M N JCT CTH TW, Dodge, WI

Built 2000 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 1,800

STH 28

Good

Over: BR E BR ROCK RIVER

1.6M E JCT STH 175 TO N, Dodge, WI

Built 2003 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 2,900

STH 57 NB

Good

Over: AHNAPEE R

0.9 MI E OF SCHOOL RD, Door, WI

Built 2005 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 5,750

STH 57 NB

Good

Over: RENARD CR

0.80 MI N OF CTH D, Door, WI

Built 2008 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 5,400

STH 57 SB

Good

Over: RENARD CR

0.8 MI N OF CTH D, Door, WI

Built 2008 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 5,400

CTH L

Good

Over: AMNICON RIVER

2.8M S JCT CTH B, Douglas, WI

Built 1988 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 301

USH 2-USH 53-E 2ND

Good

Over: LRD SERVICE ROAD

1.7M E JCT USH 53 TO N, Douglas, WI

Built 1989 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 20,400

CTH B

Good

Over: BRULE RIVER

0.1M W JCT STH 27, Douglas, WI

Built 1998 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 1,021

USH 53 S

Good

Over: WIS. CENTRAL RR

3.4M S JCT CTH L, Douglas, WI

Built 1998 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 3,200

CTH Z

Good

Over: BLUFF CREEK

2.4M W JCT CTH E, Douglas, WI

Built 2004 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 1,116

CTH C

Good

Over: BLUFF CREEK

2.0M W JCT CTH K, Douglas, WI

Built 2003 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 617

LRD LOOP ROAD

Good

Over: FISH CREEK

1.2M E JCT STH 13, Douglas, WI

Built 2005 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 105

LRD LACKSON RD

Good

Over: MIDDLE RIVER

1.6M S JCT USH 2, Douglas, WI

Built 2006 Load: 38.9 t ADT: 105

Showing 11,051-11,100 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.