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 DEER TAIL CREE

Good

Over: DEER TAIL CREEK

1.6M W JCT CTH I-69, Rusk, WI

Built 1990 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 86

LRD TOWN LINE RD

Good

Over: N FK MAIN CREEK

0.5M W JCT CTH B-110, Rusk, WI

Built 1999 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 67

LRD FIRE LANE RD

Good

Over: DEVILS CREEK

0.9M N JCT CTH O-49, Rusk, WI

Built 2001 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 107

CTH S

Good

Over: S FK WILLOW RIVER

0.7M E JCT CTH O TO S, St. Croix, WI

Built 1982 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 150

LRD PIERCE - ST CR

Good

Over: CADY CREEK

1.1M E JCT STH 128, St. Croix, WI

Built 1987 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 65

LRD 160 TH. STREET

Good

Over: KINNICKINNIC RIVER

0.1M S JCT CTH E, St. Croix, WI

Built 1992 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 165

USH 12

Good

Over: BR CARR CREEK

3.5M E JCT USH 63 TO S, St. Croix, WI

Built 1996 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 2,900

LRD RUSTIC RD #4

Good

Over: BEAVER CREEK

1.2M N JCT CTH W, St. Croix, WI

Built 1995 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 65

LRD SANDY CREEK RD

Good

Over: SANDY CREEK

0.7M S OF JCT CTH X, St. Croix, WI

Built 1998 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 170

LRD KINGS CORNER R

Good

Over: OTTER CREEK

1.5M W JCT USH 12, Sauk, WI

Built 1990 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 188

LRD NARROWS VALLEY

Good

Over: NARROWS CR

AT NARROWS CREEK, Sauk, WI

Built 2004 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 192

STH 70

Good

Over: THORNAPPLE RIVER

2.0M E JCT CTH EE, Sawyer, WI

Built 1999 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 960

LRD WILD LIFE RD

Good

Over: W BR SHIOC RIVER

1.7M W JCT STH 47, Shawano, WI

Built 1993 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 100

STH 47

Good

Over: BR HERMAN CREEK

1.0M S JCT STH 156 TO E, Shawano, WI

Built 2007 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 5,300

STH 121

Good

Over: BIG SLOUGH CREEK

1.3M E JCT USH 53 TO N, Trempealeau, WI

Built 2004 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 1,100

LRD E SECOND ST

Good

Over: TAPPEN CREEK

0.3 M E JCT STH 95, Trempealeau, WI

Built 2004 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 286

LRD CHEYENNE RD

Good

Over: CHEYENNE VALLEY CREEK

0.1M S JCT STH 33, Vernon, WI

Built 1997 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 22

LRD SMART HOLLOW R

Good

Over: BR W FK KICKAPOO RIVER

0.5M E JCT CTH S, Vernon, WI

Built 2002 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 42

LRD WEST TAINTER H

Good

Over: TAINTER HOLLOW CREEK

4.7M S JCT STH 27, Vernon, WI

Built 2002 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 47

LRD CEMETERY RD (D

Good

Over: VICTORY CREEK

0.1M N JCT CTH UU, Vernon, WI

Built 2003 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 21

LRD CUT- OFF RD

Good

Over: WARNER CREEK

0.1M S JCT CTH P, Vernon, WI

Built 2005 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 26

LRD SALISBURY RD

Good

Over: TOTOGATIC RIVER

2.8M W JCT CTH G, Washburn, WI

Built 2006 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 104

CTH H - MOHAWK RD

Good

Over: IH 41

2.7 MI W JCT CTH W, Washington, WI

Built 1994 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 1,300

CTH P

Good

Over: ASHIPPUN RIVER

0.5M S JCT CTH CW, Waukesha, WI

Built 1998 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 5,500

STH 67

Good

Over: STH 16/STH 67 NB

2.8 MI N JCT CTH B, Waukesha, WI

Built 1992 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 20,100

LRD WISCONSIN AVE

Good

Over: OCONOMOWOC RIVER

0.5M E JCT CTH P, Waukesha, WI

Built 1990 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 1,600

LRD MILL ROAD

Good

Over: FOX RIVER

0.8M E JCT CTH Y, Waukesha, WI

Built 1999 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 480

LRD NORTH LAKE ROA

Good

Over: LAC LA BELLE LAKE

0.4M N JCT STH 16, Waukesha, WI

Built 1949 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 5,700

LRD RAILROAD GRADE

Good

Over: WALLA WALLA CREEK

0.8M W JCT CTH U, Waupaca, WI

Built 1990 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 552

LRD RAILROAD GRADE

Good

Over: MOSQUITO CREEK

0.3M W JCT USH 10, Waupaca, WI

Built 1990 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 5

STH 22

Good

Over: WAUTOMA POND

0.3M N JCT STH 73, Waushara, WI

Built 1998 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 3,300

STH 21

Good

Over: MANSKE DITCH #1

1.1M E JCT STH 49, Waushara, WI

Built 1998 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 5,000

LRD COUNTY LINE RO

Good

Over: BR CRANBERRY CREEK

5.4M W JCT CTH G, Wood, WI

Built 2007 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 20

LRD BATTERMAN RD

Good

Over: BR CRANBERRY CREEK

5.7M W JCT CTH G, Wood, WI

Built 2007 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 20

LRD WASHINGTON AVE

Good

Over: MILL CREEK

0.7M N JCT USH 10, Wood, WI

Built 2007 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 980

LRD 1ST AVE

Good

Over: CAT CREEK

0.1M W JCT STH 80, Wood, WI

Built 2007 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 570

LRD BATTERMAN RD

Good

Over: CRANBERRY CREEK

3.7M W JCT CTH G, Wood, WI

Built 2008 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 41

CTH COUNTY RUSTIC

Good

Over: PEA CREEK

1.5M W CTH H, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1994 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 51

LRD SANDY ROCK RD

Good

Over: BLUE MOUNDS CREEK

1.5M E JCT CTH F, Iowa, WI

Built 1988 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 104

LRD 2ND AVE SOUTH

Good

Over: BEAR CREEK

3.0M S JCT STH 21, Juneau, WI

Built 1976 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 41

LRD 170TH AVE

Good

Over: HUTTON CREEK

0.4M E JCT CTH O, St. Croix, WI

Built 1977 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 152

CTH T

Good

Over: BR RUSH RIVER

1.6M N JCT CTH M, St. Croix, WI

Built 1978 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 1,688

LRD DELL ROAD

Good

Over: BR WEISTER CREEK

1.8M N JCT CTH P, Vernon, WI

Built 1981 Load: 47.0 t ADT: 94

USH 8

Good

Over: SCOTT CREEK

2.1M E JCT CTH YY, Lincoln, WI

Built 2022 Load: 47.3 t ADT: 2,400

STH 20

Good

Over: HONEY CREEK

1.5 MI E JCT IH 43, Walworth, WI

Built 2010 Load: 47.3 t ADT: 5,300

SOUTH A STREET

Good

Over: TARR CREEK

So. A St. over Tarr Creek, Monroe, WI

Built 1996 Load: 47.3 t ADT: 2,000

IRR BIA RTE 9

Good

Over: KESHENA POWER CANAL

2 KM NORTH OF KESHENA, Menominee, WI

Built 1996 Load: 47.4 t ADT: 300

STACEY DAM ROAD

Good

Over: LITTLE WEST BRANCH CREEK

11.6KM EAST OF NEOPIT, Menominee, WI

Built 2007 Load: 47.4 t ADT: 50

STH 48

Good

Over: DRAINAGE WAY

0.1 MI E JCT 16 1/2 ST., Barron, WI

Built 2018 Load: 47.6 t ADT: 4,900

USH 12-USH 18

Good

Over: MUD CREEK

0.3M E JCT STH 73 TO S, Dane, WI

Built 1988 Load: 47.6 t ADT: 10,000

Showing 13,151-13,200 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.