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

LRD JERICHO RD

Poor

Over: JONES BRANCH

2.0M E JCT CTH G, Lafayette, WI

Built 1930 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 82

LRD KINGSLEY RD

Poor

Over: WOLF CREEK

1.5M S JCT STH 11, Lafayette, WI

Built 1930 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 88

LRD E BRENNAN LANE

Poor

Over: BRENNAN CREEK

0.2M E JCT STH 78, Lafayette, WI

Built 1930 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 5

LRD KOSZAREK RD

Poor

Over: BR SPRING BROOK

0.4M N JCT CTH G, Langlade, WI

Built 1967 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 329

CTH Q

Poor

Over: LITTLE MANITOWOC RIVER

1.2M N JCT STH 42, Manitowoc, WI

Built 1958 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 3,000

CTH Q

Poor

Over: BR W TWIN RIVER

1.4M N JCT STH 310, Manitowoc, WI

Built 1964 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,100

LRD 18TH ST

Poor

Over: BR BIG RIB RIVER

1.1M N JCT CTH U, Marathon, WI

Built 1929 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 75

LRD JUNCTION RD

Poor

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK

2.1M E JCT STH 52, Marathon, WI

Built 1920 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 86

LRD MCMILLAN RD

Poor

Over: SQUAW CREEK

0.8M E JCT CTH T, Marathon, WI

Built 1956 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 120

CTH G

Poor

Over: BR MILL CREEK

2.5M E JCT CTH E, Monroe, WI

Built 1963 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 185

CTH N

Poor

Over: LITTLE LEMONWEIR RIVER

1.4M S JCT CTH A, Monroe, WI

Built 1940 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 250

LRD 30TH ST

Poor

Over: WILLOW RIVER

1.9M S JCT CTH A, Polk, WI

Built 1960 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 802

LRD CAMPUS DR

Poor

Over: BRUSH CREEK

0.1M N JCT USH 14, Richland, WI

Built 1966 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 117

LRD SENTINAL ASH R

Poor

Over: BECKY CREEK

0.2M W JCT CTH H-52, Rusk, WI

Built 1955 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 43

CTH K

Poor

Over: BR WILLOW RIVER

1.3M W JCT CTH T, St. Croix, WI

Built 1935 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,300

LRD TOWN HALL RD

Poor

Over: DELL CREEK

1.2M N JCT CTH H, Sauk, WI

Built 1965 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 83

LRD GASSER RD

Poor

Over: SKILLET CREEK

0.1M W JCT USH 12, Sauk, WI

Built 1955 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 213

LRD DIAMOND HILL R

Poor

Over: SEELEY CREEK

0.2M N JCT CTH PF, Sauk, WI

Built 1930 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 125

LRD STONES POCKET

Poor

Over: OTTER CREEK

0.4M N JCT CTH C, Sauk, WI

Built 1917 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 133

LRD LANDSTAD RD

Poor

Over: E BR SHIOC RIVER

0.9M E JCT STH 47, Shawano, WI

Built 1918 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 152

LRD NORWAY VALLEY

Poor

Over: TAMARACK RIVER

2.3M N JCT STH 93, Trempealeau, WI

Built 1928 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 94

LRD SOPPA RD

Poor

Over: TURTON CREEK

0.1M N JCT CTH T, Trempealeau, WI

Built 1962 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 47

LRD WEBER RD

Poor

Over: BR HORNBY HOLLOW CREEK

0.7M S JCT CTH NN, Vernon, WI

Built 1935 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 47

LRD WEST BEND RD

Poor

Over: BR E BR ROCK RIVER

1.0M S JCT CTH D, Washington, WI

Built 1927 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 47

LRD GEBHARDT RD

Poor

Over: DOUSMAN DITCH

2.9M E JCT CTH Y, Waukesha, WI

Built 1966 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 5,100

FR108

Poor

Over: N. FK. YELLOW RIVER

2.3 M. S. JCT CTH D, Taylor, WI

Built 1980 Load: 23.0 t ADT: 50

CTH GG

Poor

Over: MCCARTHY CREEK

6.0M N JCT STH 77, Ashland, WI

Built 1948 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 567

CTH C

Poor

Over: SUAMICO RIVER

1.0M S JCT CTH B, Brown, WI

Built 1948 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 890

CTH K

Poor

Over: S FK POPPLE RIVER

1.0M W JCT CTH Q, Clark, WI

Built 1979 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 394

LRD CAPITOL VIEW R

Poor

Over: PHEASANT BRANCH CREEK

0.2M N JCT AIRPORT RD, Dane, WI

Built 1966 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 117

CTH D

Poor

Over: RED CEDAR RIVER

2.8M S JCT STH 25, Dunn, WI

Built 1975 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,501

CTH H

Poor

Over: WOLF RIVER

1.8M N CTH MM, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1975 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 370

STH 130-STH 133

Poor

Over: WISCONSIN RIVER 05

2.3M N JCT CTH C, Iowa, WI

Built 1942 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,900

STH 54

Poor

Over: MILL CREEK

0.7M E JCT CTH V TO N, Jackson, WI

Built 1959 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 640

LRD NICHOLS RD

Poor

Over: TROUT RUN CREEK

0.2M S JCT STH 54, Jackson, WI

Built 1923 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 102

CTH O

Poor

Over: CLEAR CREEK

3.1M E JCT CTH S, Jackson, WI

Built 1928 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 350

LRD TURNER RD

Poor

Over: BARK RIVER

0.2M W JCT CTH F, Jefferson, WI

Built 1982 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 82

CTH M

Poor

Over: LA CROSSE RIVER

0.4M N JCT STH 16, La Crosse, WI

Built 1955 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 1,800

CTH F

Poor

Over: STEINER BRANCH

2.0M N JCT CTH G TO E, Lafayette, WI

Built 1936 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 505

CTH F

Poor

Over: YELLOWSTONE RIVER

2.3M N JCT CTH G TO E, Lafayette, WI

Built 1936 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 505

CTH VV

Poor

Over: LITTLE WOLF RIVER

0.4M E JCT STH 49, Marathon, WI

Built 1962 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 358

CTH M

Poor

Over: BIG EAU PLEINE RIVER

0.3M N JCT STH 153, Marathon, WI

Built 1975 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 635

CTH Z

Poor

Over: POE CREEK

1.4M E JCT STH 131, Monroe, WI

Built 1937 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 239

CTH J

Poor

Over: LITTLE RIVER

2.1M W JCT CTH WW, Oconto, WI

Built 1976 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 251

CTH KK

Poor

Over: KANKAPOT CREEK

1.7M E JCT STH 55, Outagamie, WI

Built 1948 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 3,997

USH 51-CENTER AVE

Poor

Over: CNW RR

11.3M N JCT STH 81, Rock, WI

Built 1982 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 14,600

CTH A

Poor

Over: THORNAPPLE RIVER

1.8M W JCT STH 27--5, Rusk, WI

Built 1967 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 781

CTH W

Poor

Over: SKILLET CREEK

1.7M W JCT USH 12, Sauk, WI

Built 1939 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 738

CTH M

Poor

Over: S BR EMBARRASS RIVER

0.7M W JCT CTH G TO N, Shawano, WI

Built 1939 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 603

CTH M

Poor

Over: MULLET RIVER

0.1M S JCT CTH PP, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1954 Load: 24.3 t ADT: 152

Showing 14,001-14,050 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.