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 29

Fair

Over: POPPLE RIVER

0.9M E JCT CTH DD, Clark, WI

Built 1996 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 11,900

IH 90 EB-IH 94 EB

Fair

Over: WISCONSIN RIVER 10

2.9M E JCT STH 78 TO N, Columbia, WI

Built 1961 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 28,400

IH 90 WB-IH 94 WB

Fair

Over: WISCONSIN RIVER 11

2.9M W JCT CTH CS TO N, Columbia, WI

Built 1961 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 28,400

CTH J

Fair

Over: BR ROWAN CREEK

0.2M N JCT CTH CS TO E, Columbia, WI

Built 1959 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 819

STH 33

Fair

Over: IH 39

2.0M E JCT IH 90 TO E, Columbia, WI

Built 1962 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 8,000

STH 33

Fair

Over: WISCONSIN RIVER

1.1M E JCT STH 78 TO N, Columbia, WI

Built 1968 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 8,500

STH 82

Fair

Over: HENDERSON SLOUGH

1.8M E IOWA STATE LINE, Crawford, WI

Built 1956 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 2,700

STH 82

Fair

Over: STEVENS SLOUGH

1.1M E IOWA STATE LINE, Crawford, WI

Built 1956 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 2,700

USH 61-STH 131

Fair

Over: KICKAPOO RIVER

2.2M N JCT STH 131 TO S, Crawford, WI

Built 1955 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 2,600

STH 60

Fair

Over: WISCONSIN RIVER TRIB

0.6M E JCT USH 18 TO E, Crawford, WI

Built 1967 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 2,000

CTH B

Fair

Over: TAINTER CREEK

1.8M N JCT CTH C, Crawford, WI

Built 1982 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 262

USH 51 NB-STOUGHTO

Fair

Over: LRD COTTAGE GROVE RD

2.6M N JCT USH 12 TO E, Dane, WI

Built 1949 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 22,300

LRD W VERONA AVE

Fair

Over: BR BADGER MILL CREEK

1.7 M E OF CTH G 0.4 M E, Dane, WI

Built 1955 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 7,700

USH 51

Fair

Over: BR YAHARA RIVER

2.5M N JCT CTH MN, Dane, WI

Built 1956 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 48,700

IH 39 NB / IH 90/9

Fair

Over: STH 19

1M N JCT USH 51, Dane, WI

Built 1960 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 30,050

USH 14

Fair

Over: NINE SPRINGS CREEK

1.0M E JCT USH 12 TO E, Dane, WI

Built 1969 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 32,300

USH 51

Fair

Over: BR YAHARA RIVER

0.5M N JCT USH 12 TO E, Dane, WI

Built 1967 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 41,800

USH 151 NB

Fair

Over: STH 19-WINDSOR ST

4.6M N JCT IH 90 TO W, Dane, WI

Built 1969 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 20,550

USH 151 NB

Fair

Over: CTH N BRISTOL ST

1.5M N JCT STH 19 TO E, Dane, WI

Built 1970 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 17,900

USH 151 SB

Fair

Over: CTH N/BRISTOL ST

2.5M S JCT CTH VV TO S, Dane, WI

Built 1970 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 17,900

LRD YAHARA RD

Fair

Over: YAHARA RIVER

1.3M S JCT CTH DM, Dane, WI

Built 1969 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 10,521

CTH MM - RIMROCK R

Fair

Over: USH 12/18-W BELTLINE

0.5M S JCT JOHN NOLEN, Dane, WI

Built 1988 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 17,600

LRD WHITE CROSSING

Fair

Over: SUGAR RIVER

0.4M S JCT CTH PD, Dane, WI

Built 1988 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 171

CTH MS / UNIVERSIT

Fair

Over: LRD OLD MIDDLETON RD

1.5M E JCT CTH Q, Dane, WI

Built 1934 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 29,600

CTH R

Fair

Over: ROCK RIVER

4.5M N JCT CTH ME, Dodge, WI

Built 1938 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 2,300

USH 2

Fair

Over: POPLAR RIVER

0.2M E JCT CTH D, Douglas, WI

Built 1971 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 6,800

LRD SAM ANDERSON R

Fair

Over: AMNICON RIVER

0.3M W JCT CTH E, Douglas, WI

Built 1981 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 107

LRD NEY RD

Fair

Over: IH 94

1.2M N JCT USH 12, Dunn, WI

Built 1958 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 5,400

IH 94

Fair

Over: BR MUDDY CREEK

3.3M E JCT CTH B TO N, Dunn, WI

Built 1958 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 36,700

STH 29

Fair

Over: BR GILBERT CREEK

2.2M E JCT CTH N, Dunn, WI

Built 1968 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 3,300

IH 94 WB

Fair

Over: CHIPPEWA RIVER 05

0.3M W JCT STH 37 TO N, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1965 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 13,850

LRD LOWES CREEK RD

Fair

Over: LOWES CREEK

1.3M S CTH HH, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1985 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 205

CTH TC

Fair

Over: W BR ROCK RIVER

0.9M E JCT STH 26, Fond du Lac, WI

Built 1963 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 1,700

LRD TOWN LINE RD

Fair

Over: IH 41

1.0M N JCT CTH OO, Fond du Lac, WI

Built 1973 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 200

CTH HH

Fair

Over: S BR MANITOWOC RIVER

3.4M E JCT USH 151, Fond du Lac, WI

Built 1929 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 708

STH 81

Fair

Over: BEETOWN BRANCH

5.8M E JCT CTH Y, Grant, WI

Built 1954 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 840

CTH C

Fair

Over: DUTCH HOLLOW CREEK

5.4M E JCT USH 18, Grant, WI

Built 1962 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 243

STH 69

Fair

Over: BR LITTLE SUGAR RIVER

0.1M N JCT CTH F, Green, WI

Built 1960 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 6,900

STH 69

Fair

Over: BR W BR LITTLE SUGAR R

1.9M E JCT CTH NN, Green, WI

Built 1960 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 6,000

CTH C

Fair

Over: SUGAR RIVER OVERFLOW

0.4M E JCT CTH X, Green, WI

Built 1963 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 450

CTH S

Fair

Over: JUDA BRANCH

0.2M N JCT CTH KS TO E, Green, WI

Built 1968 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 1,600

STH 77-SILVER ST

Fair

Over: MONTREAL RIVER

0.2M E JCT USH 51, Iron, WI

Built 1965 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 5,300

IH 94 EB

Fair

Over: CTH F

8.0M E JCT STH 95 TO E, Jackson, WI

Built 1966 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 12,450

IH 94 WB

Fair

Over: CTH F

2.1M W JCT USH 12 TO E, Jackson, WI

Built 1966 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 12,450

USH 12 WB-STH 27 N

Fair

Over: IH 94

1.0M W JCT STH 54 (F), Jackson, WI

Built 1966 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 4,250

USH 12 EB-STH 27 S

Fair

Over: IH 94

2.4M E JCT CTH E (F), Jackson, WI

Built 1966 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 4,250

IH 94 EB

Fair

Over: S FK BUFFALO RIVER

3.3M E JCT USH 10 TO E, Jackson, WI

Built 1966 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 12,350

IH 94 WB

Fair

Over: S FK BUFFALO RIVER

7.3M W JCT STH 121 TO E, Jackson, WI

Built 1966 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 12,350

IH 94 EB

Fair

Over: LRD WINNEBAGO AVE

1.1M E JCT USH 12 TO E, Jackson, WI

Built 1968 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 13,300

IH 94 EB

Fair

Over: GLENN CREEK

10.6M E JCT STH 54 TO E, Jackson, WI

Built 1968 Load: 25.9 t ADT: 11,350

Showing 1,601-1,650 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.