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 178 NB

Good

Over: WCL RR

1.0 M N CTH J, Chippewa, WI

Built 2000 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 6,250

STH 178 SB

Good

Over: WCL RR

2.5 M S CTH I, Chippewa, WI

Built 2000 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 6,250

LRD DIVISION AVE

Good

Over: S BR YELLOW RIVER

0.1M S JCT CTH H, Clark, WI

Built 1987 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 118

CTH F

Good

Over: HALLS CREEK

0.3M S JCT USH 12, Clark, WI

Built 1991 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 393

LRD STERLING AVE

Good

Over: MEADOWS CREEK

0.3M N JCT USH 10, Clark, WI

Built 1991 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 39

LRD MERIDIAN AVE

Good

Over: S BR ONEILL CREEK

0.7M N JCT USH 10, Clark, WI

Built 1994 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 138

LRD CENTURY RD

Good

Over: S FK. POPPLE RIVER

2.6M N JCT STH 98, Clark, WI

Built 1997 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 58

LRD CARDINAL AVE

Good

Over: S BR ONEILL CREEK

0.9M N JCT USH 10, Clark, WI

Built 2003 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 37

CTH X

Good

Over: S FK EAU CLAIRE R

AT S FK EAU CLAIRE R, Clark, WI

Built 2005 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 749

CTH K

Good

Over: MIDDLE BR ONEILL CREEK

2.1M N JCT USH 10, Clark, WI

Built 2018 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 440

CTH OO

Good

Over: BLACK RIVER

1.0M E JCT CTH O, Clark, WI

Built 2009 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 422

USH 151 SB

Good

Over: STH 73

2.8M S JCT CTH K, Columbia, WI

Built 1991 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 12,250

LRD DUBORG RD

Good

Over: CRAWFISH RIVER

0.5M S JCT STH 16, Columbia, WI

Built 1998 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 152

LRD BLACK RD

Good

Over: IH 39/90/94

1.3 MI. S OF CTH V, Columbia, WI

Built 2009 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 475

LRD SIME RIDGE RD

Good

Over: UPPER COPPER CREEK

0.6M N JCT STH 171, Crawford, WI

Built 1989 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 56

LRD SOUTH BUCK CRE

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

1.8M E JCT STH 35, Crawford, WI

Built 1991 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 45

USH 61

Good

Over: WISCONSIN RIVER 02

0.7M N JCT STH 133 TO N, Crawford, WI

Built 2000 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 5,400

LRD GRAHAM HOLLOW

Good

Over: E BR RICHLAND CREEK

0.6M E JCT USH 61, Crawford, WI

Built 1996 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 40

LRD NORWAY DR. (DE

Good

Over: BUCK CREEK

0.5M E JCT STH 35, Crawford, WI

Built 1996 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 5

STH 131

Good

Over: CROW HOLLOW CREEK

4.8M N JCT CTH W, Crawford, WI

Built 2002 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 630

LRD BENHARDT RIDGE

Good

Over: MORGAN HOLLOW CREEK

0.2M S JCT CTH E, Crawford, WI

Built 2003 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 106

CTH W

Good

Over: GOBIN HOLLOW CREEK

2.3 MI E JCT USH 61, Crawford, WI

Built 2007 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 208

LRD TILLER ROAD (D

Good

Over: PIGEON RUN CREEK

0.1 MI E JCT CTH H, Crawford, WI

Built 2021 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 25

USH 18 WB-USH 151

Good

Over: LRD FITCHRONA RD

0.9M W JCT CTH PD, Dane, WI

Built 1994 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 20,800

USH 18 EB-USH 151

Good

Over: LRD WHALEN ROAD

0.3M E JCT CTH PB, Dane, WI

Built 1995 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 15,600

LRD NORTH SHORE BA

Good

Over: SPRING CREEK

0.4M E JCT CTH M, Dane, WI

Built 1991 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 20

LRD EDGERTON ROAD

Good

Over: SAUNDERS CREEK

0.1M E JCT ALBION RD, Dane, WI

Built 1996 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 600

LRD RUTLEDGE ST

Good

Over: YAHARA RIVER

0.5M S JCT USH 151, Dane, WI

Built 1997 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 1,776

LRD E MAIN ST

Good

Over: YAHARA RIVER

0.1M S JCT USH 151, Dane, WI

Built 1999 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 1,725

CTH C/REINER ROAD

Good

Over: USH 151 NB

AT USH 151, Dane, WI

Built 2005 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 24,800

USH 12 EB

Good

Over: PHEASANT BR CRK & BIKEPA

AT PHEASANT BR CRK, Dane, WI

Built 2005 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 20,350

USH 12 WB

Good

Over: PHEASANT BR CR & BIKE PA

AT PHEASANT BR CR, Dane, WI

Built 2005 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 20,350

USH 12 EB

Good

Over: LRD DISCOVERY DRIVE

3.1 MI. S OF CTH V, Dane, WI

Built 2005 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 20,350

USH 12 WB

Good

Over: LRD DISCOVERY DRIVE

0.4 MI. N OF USH 14, Dane, WI

Built 2005 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 20,350

LRD RIVER RD

Good

Over: YAHARA RIVER

1.0M S JCT CTH V, Dane, WI

Built 2003 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 2,400

LRD SOUTH STREET

Good

Over: YAHARA RIVER

0.6 M WEST JCT. CTH CV, Dane, WI

Built 2004 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 2,100

USH 18/151 VERONA

Good

Over: PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY

.04 M W JCT USH 12/14, Dane, WI

Built 2014 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 67,100

LRD GAMMON ROAD

Good

Over: BIKE PATH

DANE COUNTY, Dane, WI

Built 2020 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 34,100

LRD WINNEQUAH RD (

Good

Over: PIRATE ISLAND CHANNEL

0.5M N JCT USH 12, Dane, WI

Built 2021 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 250

STH 33-VINE ST

Good

Over: ROCK RIVER

3.4M E JCT STH 26, Dodge, WI

Built 1956 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 7,400

STH 67

Good

Over: WILDCAT CREEK

0.5 MI. N OF CTH R, Dodge, WI

Built 1989 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 3,500

USH 151

Good

Over: CTH W

3.5M N JCT CTH DE, Dodge, WI

Built 1996 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 21,100

CTH P

Good

Over: RUBICON RIVER

0.7M N JCT CTH NN, Dodge, WI

Built 1994 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 2,954

CTH C

Good

Over: UNION PACIFIC RR

0.9M S JCT CTH G, Dodge, WI

Built 2006 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 256

STH 16

Good

Over: STH 26

1.9 MI. N STH 19, Dodge, WI

Built 2012 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 2,900

CTH BUS STH 26/CTH

Good

Over: STH 16

0.8MI. E OF STH 26, Dodge, WI

Built 2012 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 2,400

STH 35

Good

Over: CHASE CREEK

1.7M N JCT CTH T TO W, Douglas, WI

Built 1959 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 880

USH 53 NB

Good

Over: AMNICON RIVER

5.2M N JCT CTH B, Douglas, WI

Built 1980 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 3,850

LRD LACKSON RD

Good

Over: BR MIDDLE RIVER

1.8M S JCT USH 2, Douglas, WI

Built 2006 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 105

LRD 550TH AVE

Good

Over: GILBERT CREEK

1.0M S JCT STH 29, Dunn, WI

Built 1989 Load: 42.1 t ADT: 152

Showing 12,251-12,300 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.