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 WISZ RD

Fair

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

1.1M E JCT CTH X, Marathon, WI

Built 1938 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 20

LRD LE ROY ST.

Fair

Over: FENWOOD CREEK

0.1M W JCT CTH M, Marathon, WI

Built 1980 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 100

LRD DEGNER ST

Fair

Over: BLACK CREEK

0.2M E JCT STH 97, Marathon, WI

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 673

LRD BURMA RD

Fair

Over: FREEMAN CREEK

0.3M E JCT STH 107, Marathon, WI

Built 1940 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 80

LRD EVERGREEN RD

Fair

Over: BR LITTLE RIB RIVER

2.4M W JCT CTH K, Marathon, WI

Built 2022 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 50

CTH NN

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

1.0M E JCT STH 107, Marathon, WI

Built 1969 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,606

LRD MOLE BROOK RD

Fair

Over: MOLE BROOK

0.5M W JCT CTH Q, Marathon, WI

Built 1930 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 45

LRD BALDWIN CREEK

Fair

Over: BALDWIN CREEK

2.5M N JCT STH 97, Marathon, WI

Built 1937 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 42

LRD MITCHELL LANE

Fair

Over: BR LITTLE RIB RIVER

0.7M S JCT CTH FF, Marathon, WI

Built 1943 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 60

LRD DRAPER RD

Fair

Over: E BR BIG EAU PLEINE RIV

1.2M E JCT CTH F, Marathon, WI

Built 1963 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 90

CTH P

Fair

Over: BR BIG EAU PLEINE RIVER

0.4M E JCT CTH E TO S, Marathon, WI

Built 1980 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 416

LRD THIRTEEN LANE

Fair

Over: BR MCGINNIS CREEK

1.1M N JCT CTH F, Marathon, WI

Built 1977 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 22

LRD MAPLE BEACH RD

Fair

Over: MIDDLE INLET CREEK

0.6M S JCT CTH X, Marinette, WI

Built 1965 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 150

LRD 15TH RD

Fair

Over: S BR BEAVER CREEK

0.6M S JCT CTH P, Marinette, WI

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 75

LRD CEDAR ST

Fair

Over: WAUSAUKEE RIVER

0.6M E JCT USH 141, Marinette, WI

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,005

LRD EAGLE RD

Fair

Over: EAGLE CREEK

6.7M W JCT CTH A, Marinette, WI

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 100

LRD BEILAK RD (DEA

Fair

Over: WAUSAUKEE RIVER

0.7M W JCT CTH C, Marinette, WI

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 40

LRD CAMP 5 RD (DEA

Fair

Over: MIDDLE INLET CREEK

2.5M N JCT CTH X, Marinette, WI

Built 1963 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 50

LRD BARLOW LAKE RD

Fair

Over: N BR PEMEBONWON RIVER

2.3M W JCT USH 8, Marinette, WI

Built 1969 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 25

LRD COTTAGE LANE

Fair

Over: BR MENOMINEE RIVER

0.4M N JCT STH 180, Marinette, WI

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 175

LRD WAYSIDE ROAD (

Fair

Over: MIDDLE INLET CREEK

1.0M S JCT CTH X, Marinette, WI

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 20

LRD CREEK RD

Fair

Over: UPPER MIDDLE INLET CREEK

1.6M N JCT CTH X, Marinette, WI

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 201

LRD GROUSE DR

Fair

Over: NEENAH CREEK

0.8M N JCT CTH X, Marquette, WI

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 80

LRD 3RD AVE

Fair

Over: WIDOW GREEN CREEK

1.6M N JCT STH 23, Marquette, WI

Built 1980 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 110

CTH B

Fair

Over: WESTFIELD CREEK

1.0M N JCT CTH E TO E, Marquette, WI

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 560

CTH E

Fair

Over: MECAN RIVER

0.3M W JCT STH 22, Marquette, WI

Built 1964 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 520

CTH B

Fair

Over: MONTELLO RIVER

0.6M N JCT CTH E, Marquette, WI

Built 1981 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 180

LRD SOUTHWAY

Fair

Over: DALE CREEK

0.1M W JCT STH 36, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 7,200

LRD W COLD SPRING

Fair

Over: HONEY CREEK

0.9M E JCT STH "24", Milwaukee, WI

Built 1970 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,200

LRD W BOLIVAR AVE

Fair

Over: BR KINNICKINNIC RIVER

0.3M E JCT STH 241, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,700

LRD S 6TH ST

Fair

Over: BR KINNICKINNIC RIVER

0.25 MILES SOUTH OF LAYTO, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,500

LRD DENVER AVE

Fair

Over: BR LIT MENOMONEE RIVER

0.3M W JCT STH 181, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,155

LRD W GREENTREE RD

Fair

Over: BR LITTLE MENOMONEE R

0.1M E JCT STH 181, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,200

LRD W ACACIA ST

Fair

Over: BR LITTLE MENOMONEE R

0.1M E JCT STH 181, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1968 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 2,394

LRD S 5TH ST

Fair

Over: BR KINNICKINNIC RIVER

0.4M W JCT STH 38, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,224

LRD MILWAUKEE AVE

Fair

Over: OAK CREEK

0.5M W JCT STH 32, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1960 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 4,200

LRD N 115TH ST

Fair

Over: UNDERWOOD CREEK

0.5M N JCT USH 18, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1976 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 5,100

LRD W HOWARD AVE

Fair

Over: BR KINNICKINNIC RIVER

0.1 M EAST OF JCT STH 241, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1957 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 12,100

LRD W VILLARD AVE

Fair

Over: LINCOLN CREEK

0.7M E JCT STH 181, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1956 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 10,793

LRD LILY AVE (DEAD

Fair

Over: BR KICKAPOO RIVER

0.1M W JCT STH 71, Monroe, WI

Built 1931 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 25

LRD HERITAGE AVE

Fair

Over: LEMONWEIR CREEK

0.3M W JCT CTH M, Monroe, WI

Built 1932 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 47

LRD JANUS AVE

Fair

Over: FARMERS VALLEY CREEK

1.0M S JCT STH 71, Monroe, WI

Built 1959 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 47

LRD OTTOMAN AVE

Fair

Over: SEYMOUR CREEK

0.2M W JCT CTH W, Monroe, WI

Built 1929 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 94

LRD MONITOR RD

Fair

Over: BARABOO RIVER

0.1M S JCT CTH P, Monroe, WI

Built 1940 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 47

LRD OUTFIELD RD (D

Fair

Over: BR SEYMOUR CREEK

1.0M W JCT CTH W, Monroe, WI

Built 1935 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 20

CTH Y

Fair

Over: FISH CREEK

2.3M N JCT CTH J TO E, Monroe, WI

Built 1930 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 98

LRD FESTIVAL AVE (

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

0.1M E JCT CTH B, Monroe, WI

Built 1929 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 20

CTH W

Fair

Over: BARABOO RIVER

0.5M N JCT STH 71, Monroe, WI

Built 1963 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 300

CTH Z

Fair

Over: POE CREEK

2.4M E JCT STH 131, Monroe, WI

Built 1937 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 272

CTH A

Fair

Over: BR LITTLE RIVER

1.1M E JCT CTH J, Oconto, WI

Built 1950 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,200

Showing 1,351-1,400 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.