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 22ND ST WEST

Good

Over: S BR YELLOW RIVER

1.1M S JCT STH 21, Juneau, WI

Built 1983 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 47

LRD 28TH ST WEST

Good

Over: LITTLE YELLOW RIVER

4.5M S JCT STH 21, Juneau, WI

Built 1976 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 47

CTH Q

Good

Over: BR HANSEN CREEK

0.2M N JCT STH 21, Monroe, WI

Built 1979 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 260

CTH G

Good

Over: HUTTON CREEK

0.9M W JCT CTH D, St. Croix, WI

Built 1977 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 844

LRD HORN RD

Good

Over: ELDER CREEK

2.8M N JCT CTH S, Taylor, WI

Built 1993 Load: 43.7 t ADT: 167

USH 2

Good

Over: IRON RIVER

7.5M E JCT STH 27, Bayfield, WI

Built 2018 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 5,510

LRD SCHOOL DRIVE

Good

Over: S. BRANCH SUAMICO RIVER

LOCATION UNKNOWN PLEASE, Brown, WI

Built 2016 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 99

IH 39 SB / IH 90 E

Good

Over: LRD LAKE DRIVE ROAD

1.8M E JCT USH 51 TO S, Dane, WI

Built 2018 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 28,325

IH 39 NB / IH 90 W

Good

Over: CTH B

3.7M W JCT USH 51 TO N, Dane, WI

Built 2018 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 28,325

CTH S

Good

Over: SHAW BROOK

1.0M W JCT CTH SS, Dodge, WI

Built 2016 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 980

LRD MALONEY ROAD

Good

Over: BRANCH OF APPLE CREEK

.6 MILES S OF JUNCTION CT, Outagamie, WI

Built 2022 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 53

STH 66EB

Good

Over: SKELLY CREEK

0.2M E JCT CTH II, Portage, WI

Built 2012 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 3,600

CTH B

Good

Over: BUTTERNUT CREEK

1.4M N JCT CTH E, Price, WI

Built 2017 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 194

STH 11

Good

Over: UNNAMED TRIBUTARY

1.5 M E JCT STH 213, Rock, WI

Built 2022 Load: 44.1 t ADT: 5,317

FR 144

Good

Over: SPRINGSTEAD CREEK

18 MI E OF PARK FALLS WI, Price, WI

Built 2022 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 360

CTH V

Good

Over: YAHARA RIVER

0.3M E JCT CTH CV, Dane, WI

Built 2016 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 6,500

USH 151 NB

Good

Over: LRD PROSPECT AVE

0.2 MI N JCT STH 33, Dodge, WI

Built 2012 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 12,050

STH 57

Good

Over: BAILEYS HARBOR MARSH

2.70 MI N OF CTH Q, Door, WI

Built 2017 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 4,500

CTH O

Good

Over: WILSON CREEK

0.4M N JCT USH 12, Dunn, WI

Built 2009 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 476

LRD DISCH ROAD

Good

Over: HEFTY CREEK

SEC. 4 T.3N. R.7E, Green, WI

Built 2018 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 93

LRD SURVEY ROAD

Good

Over: BR MINERAL POINT CREEK

0.3M S JCT CTH B, Iowa, WI

Built 2020 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 205

IH 43 SB

Good

Over: LRD NEWTON RD

5.8M S JCT USH 151, Manitowoc, WI

Built 2017 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 11,250

LRD WADLEIGH ST

Good

Over: PLOVER RIVER

0.4M W JCT CTH Y, Marathon, WI

Built 2011 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 244

CTH Z

Good

Over: PRAHL CREEK

1.4M W JCT CTH J, Marathon, WI

Built 2012 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 870

IH 43 SB/IH 94 EB

Good

Over: LRD S 6TH ST

0.6 MI S JCT HOWARD AVE, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2012 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 61,000

CTH V

Good

Over: LITTLE JUMP RIVER

3.0M W JCT CTH H-38, Rusk, WI

Built 2018 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 340

CTH W

Good

Over: E BR ROCK RIVER

0.4M S JCT STH 33, Washington, WI

Built 2009 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 2,900

IH 43 SB

Good

Over: CN RR

0.4 MI S JCT STH 83, Waukesha, WI

Built 2014 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 26,900

LRD WASHBURN STREE

Good

Over: SAWYER CREEK

0.6M N JCT WITZEL AVENUE, Winnebago, WI

Built 2009 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 8,200

LRD N KOELLER ST

Good

Over: SAWYER CREEK

0.6M S JCT WITZEL AVE, Winnebago, WI

Built 2009 Load: 44.4 t ADT: 9,851

LRD VAN LANEN RD

Good

Over: WEQUIOCK CREEK

0.04 MILES WEST OF STH 57, Brown, WI

Built 2019 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 1,200

LRD SEGERSTROM ROA

Good

Over: ROSSMAN CREEK

.4M EAST JCT CTH HH, Buffalo, WI

Built 2015 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 165

LRD DRAMMEN VALLEY

Good

Over: KITTLESON VALLEY CREEK

0.2 MI. S. JCT. CTH A, Dane, WI

Built 2022 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 60

CTH M

Good

Over: TAMARACK RIVER

0.9M E JCT STH 35, Douglas, WI

Built 2012 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 314

CTH II

Good

Over: OTTER CREEK

1.9M N JCT CTH Q, Iowa, WI

Built 2022 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 185

LRD EMERSON RD

Good

Over: MUD CREEK

0.2M S JCT STH 21, Monroe, WI

Built 2021 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 1,500

CTH G

Good

Over: CAVE CREEK

0.6M E JCT CTH BB, Pierce, WI

Built 2020 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 327

LRD COVERED BRIDGE

Good

Over: HORSE CREEK

0.1M S JCT CTH A, Richland, WI

Built 2019 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 95

IH 39 SB / IH 90 E

Good

Over: USH 14

0.9M E OF STH 26, Rock, WI

Built 2021 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 29,500

CTH P

Good

Over: TIMBER COULEE CREEK

1.6M N JCT STH 27, Vernon, WI

Built 2021 Load: 44.7 t ADT: 190

STH 32 SB

Good

Over: ASHWAUBENON CREEK

1.0 MI S OF STH 172, Brown, WI

Built 2017 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 9,350

STH 32 NB

Good

Over: ASHWAUBENON CREEK

1.0 MI S OF STH 172, Brown, WI

Built 2017 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 9,350

LRD VINCENT ROAD

Good

Over: BEAVER DAM CREEK

0.2M S OF MEMORIAL DR, Brown, WI

Built 2019 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 2,100

STH 29 WB

Good

Over: CTH J

1.65 MI E OF CTH FF, Brown, WI

Built 2011 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 16,900

STH 29 EB

Good

Over: CTH J

TBD, Brown, WI

Built 2011 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 16,900

LRD LACY RD

Good

Over: USH 14

2.1MI. S OF JCT USH 12, Dane, WI

Built 2012 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 2,000

IH I-39 NB / I-90

Good

Over: LRD FEMRITE DRIVE

T. OF BLOOMING GROVE, Dane, WI

Built 2021 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 48,700

LRD BADGER ROAD EB

Good

Over: BRANCH MARTIN BRANCH

2.1M W JCT CTH K, Grant, WI

Built 2014 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 100

LRD PETRIFYING SPR

Good

Over: PIKE RIVER

AT PIKE RIVER, Kenosha, WI

Built 2014 Load: 45.0 t ADT: 385

ENTRANCE ROAD

Good

Over: TREMPEALEAU RIVER

SEC 12 T18N R10W, Trempealeau, WI

Built 1994 Load: 45.4 t ADT: 120

Showing 12,851-12,900 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.