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 EAU PLEINE ST

Good

Over: CARLSON CREEK

1.4M JCT CTH F, Marathon, WI

Built 1997 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 31

STH 29 EB

Good

Over: PET BROOK

0.6M E JCT CTH H, Marathon, WI

Built 1999 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 8,700

LRD HUCKELBERRY RO

Good

Over: BR DILL CREEK

0.7M E JCT STH 13, Marathon, WI

Built 2000 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 391

STH 153

Good

Over: TRIB TO FREEMAN CR

0.6M E JCT CTH S, Marathon, WI

Built 2001 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 3,600

STH 52

Good

Over: EAU CLAIRE RIVER

0.1M E JCT CTH Y TO N, Marathon, WI

Built 2002 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 1,700

LRD 16TH RD

Good

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

1.3M S JCT STH 153, Marathon, WI

Built 2002 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 60

USH 51

Good

Over: USH 51

AT 51, Marathon, WI

Built 2010 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 8,900

LRD CAMP FIVE RD

Good

Over: PESHTIGO RIVER

5.2M N JCT CTH C, Marinette, WI

Built 1990 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 125

USH 141

Good

Over: PESHTIGO RIVER

5.2M N JCT CTH P, Marinette, WI

Built 1992 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 8,900

LRD OGDEN STREET

Good

Over: S CHANNEL MENOMINEE R

1.5M S JCT USH 41, Marinette, WI

Built 1993 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 5,700

LRD POPLAR RIDGE L

Good

Over: TROUT CREEK

0.2M N JCT CTH B, Marinette, WI

Built 1998 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 201

USH 141

Good

Over: S BR BEAVER CREEK

1.5M N JCT STH 64 TO E, Marinette, WI

Built 1999 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 10,500

CTH Y

Good

Over: USH 41

AT CTH Y, Marinette, WI

Built 2009 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 3,200

IH USH51-IH39 NB

Good

Over: LRD FAWN AVE

1.9M N JCT STH 23 TO E, Marquette, WI

Built 1986 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 12,800

CTH M

Good

Over: IH USH 51-IH 39

1.9M E JCT CTH J, Marquette, WI

Built 1987 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 1,900

IH USH51-IH 39 SB

Good

Over: LRD DOVER COURT

1.6M S JCT CTH Z, Marquette, WI

Built 1987 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 9,000

CTH CH

Good

Over: CAVES CR

1.4 M N JCT CTH M, Marquette, WI

Built 2002 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 1,000

IH 43 SB/94 EB

Good

Over: STH 59 (NATIONAL AVE)

0.9 MI S JCT IH 794, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1968 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 78,000

IH RAMP IH 41/USH

Good

Over: STH 145/124TH ST

1.8 MI S JCT STH 74, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2001 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 10,400

IH 794

Good

Over: LRD S LINCOLN MEMORIAL D

2.8 MI E JCT IH 94, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1977 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 35,800

IH 794

Good

Over: LRD S LINCOLN MEMORIAL D

3.0 MI E JCT IH 94, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1977 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 35,800

IH 43 NB N-S FREEW

Good

Over: LRD W SILVER SPRING DR

2.1 MI N JCT STH 190, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1992 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 46,350

IH 43 SB N-S FREEW

Good

Over: LRD W SILVER SPRING DR

4.1 MI S JCT STH 100, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1992 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 46,350

LRD EAST BOLIVAR A

Good

Over: STH 794

0.7 M E WHITNALL AVE, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1995 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 1,300

LRD WEST BRADLEY R

Good

Over: BR MENOMONEE RIVER

0.2M E JCT STH 145, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1992 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 7,231

STH 100 NB/RYAN RD

Good

Over: C & NW RAIL ROAD

1.6 MILE E. JCT STH 32, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2005 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 14,200

LRD 92ND ST

Good

Over: TESS CORNER CREEK

.06M S OF W. COLLEGE AVE, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1994 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 1,900

LRD WISCONSIN AVE

Good

Over: IH43

0.5M N JCT I-94, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2006 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 10,200

IH RAMP HIGHLAND A

Good

Over: IH RAMP IH 43 NB - STH 1

HIGHLAND ENT TO I 43 NB, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2006 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 7,500

IH-43 SB

Good

Over: STH 145

0.8 MI S JCT NORTH AVE, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2005 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 72,700

LRD OAK CREEK PARK

Good

Over: OAK CREEK

CITY OF MILWAUKEE, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2007 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 2,132

IH RAMP IH 794 EB

Good

Over: LRD N VAN BUREN ST

1.1 MI E JCT IH 43, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2016 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 9,000

IH RAMP IH 43 NB/I

Good

Over: LRD CANAL ST/CPRR/MENOMO

0.5 MI N JCT STH 59, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2011 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 11,100

IH RAMP IH 43 NB -

Good

Over: IH 794

1.8M N STH59, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2008 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 5,500

IH N-E RAMP IH 43

Good

Over: LRD W ST PAUL AVE

N TO E RAMP, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2008 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 11,400

IH-794 EB

Good

Over: LRD JAMES LOVELL ST

0.35 MI E OF IH-94/16TH S, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2006 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 47,200

IH-794 EB

Good

Over: LRD 3RD ST

0.35 MI E OF IH-94/16TH S, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2006 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 47,200

IH 794 EB

Good

Over: IH 2ND ST/RAMP TO IH 43

0.40 MI E JCT IH 43, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2006 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 47,200

IH 794 EB

Good

Over: MILWAUKEE RIVER

0.42 MI E JCT IH 43, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2006 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 40,150

IH RAMP IH 94 WB

Good

Over: LRD RAMP IH 794 EB - ST

0.45 MI E JCT IH 43, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2006 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 15,900

IH 794 WB

Good

Over: LRD 6TH ST

1.3M W OF STH32, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2008 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 22,100

IH 794 WB

Good

Over: MILWAUKEE RIVER

1.4M W OF STH32, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2007 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 33,850

IH 794 WB

Good

Over: IH E-N ENTRANCE RAMP

1.5W OF STH32, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2008 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 7,100

IH RAMP IH 794 WB

Good

Over: LRD RAMP794E TO JAMES LO

1.7M W OF STH32, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2008 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 11,200

STH 131

Good

Over: KICKAPOO RIVER

2.6M N JCT STH 33, Monroe, WI

Built 1978 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 2,000

STH 131

Good

Over: KICKAPOO RIVER

1.2M N JCT CTH T, Monroe, WI

Built 1978 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 2,000

STH 71

Good

Over: FARMERS VALLEY CREEK

2.9M E JCT STH 16 TO E, Monroe, WI

Built 1991 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 1,600

STH 16

Good

Over: SOUTH FORK LEMONWEIR RIV

0.4M E JCT CTH M, Monroe, WI

Built 1993 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 2,300

STH 21

Good

Over: HANSEN CREEK

0.1M E JCT CTH Q, Monroe, WI

Built 1997 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 4,000

STH 21

Good

Over: LA CROSSE RIVER

0.3M E JCT CTH Q, Monroe, WI

Built 1997 Load: 40.5 t ADT: 4,000

Showing 11,901-11,950 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.