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 CASCADE MOUNTA

Fair

Over: IH 39

0.3M W JCT CTH U, Columbia, WI

Built 1963 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 260

IH 39 NB

Fair

Over: CMSTPP RR

2.3M N JCT STH 33 TO E, Columbia, WI

Built 1964 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 10,050

IH 39 SB

Fair

Over: CMSTPP RR

0.2M S JCT STH 16 TO E, Columbia, WI

Built 1964 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 10,050

STH 33

Fair

Over: CNW RR

0.5M E JCT CTH EF, Columbia, WI

Built 1964 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 5,700

STH 73-HUBBELL ST

Fair

Over: MAUNESHA RIVER

0.1M N JCT STH 19 (S), Dane, WI

Built 1957 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 4,400

IH 39 SB/90 EB/94

Fair

Over: LRD CUBA VALLEY RD

1.9M S JCT CTH V, Dane, WI

Built 1960 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 30,050

IH 39 NB IH 90 & 9

Fair

Over: LRD CUBA VALLEY RD

2.4M W JCT STH 19 TO E, Dane, WI

Built 1960 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 30,050

IH 39 SB / IH 90/9

Fair

Over: STH 19

4M S JCT CTH I, Dane, WI

Built 1960 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 30,050

IH 39 SB / IH 90/9

Fair

Over: CMSTPP RR

4.5M S JCT CTH I, Dane, WI

Built 1959 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 34,500

IH 90 EB-IH 94 EB

Fair

Over: USH 151

3.4M E JCT USH 51 TO S, Dane, WI

Built 1961 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 36,000

IH 90 WB-IH 94 WB

Fair

Over: USH 151

2.6M W JCT IH 94 TO E, Dane, WI

Built 1961 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 36,000

IH 90 EB-IH 94 EB

Fair

Over: CMSTPP RR

0.8M E JCT USH 151 TO N, Dane, WI

Built 1960 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 54,500

LRD RIDGE RD

Fair

Over: IH 94

2.1M N JCT CTH BB, Dane, WI

Built 1963 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 500

USH 12/14/18 WB

Fair

Over: USH 14 WB-USH 151 NB

3.7M W JCT CTH BB, Dane, WI

Built 1961 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 62,500

STH 113 SB-PACKERS

Fair

Over: LRD ABERG AVE

4.1M S JCT CTH M, Dane, WI

Built 1967 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 15,625

LRD HUDSON RD

Fair

Over: BLACK EARTH CREEK

0.3M E JCT CTH Y, Dane, WI

Built 1966 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 411

USH 12/14/18/151

Fair

Over: LRD TODD DR

1.9M E JCT USH 18 TO W, Dane, WI

Built 1971 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 129,000

LRD CANAL RD

Fair

Over: MAUNESHA RIVER

1.5M W JCT STH 73, Dane, WI

Built 1982 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 116

LRD HOOPEN RD

Fair

Over: KOSHKONONG CREEK

2.5M E JCT STH 73, Dane, WI

Built 1985 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 121

CTH TT

Fair

Over: KOSHKONONG CREEK

1.3M E JCT CTH N, Dane, WI

Built 1941 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 3,000

STH 16-STH 60

Fair

Over: CMSTPP RR

0.8M E JCT CTH T, Dodge, WI

Built 1970 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 3,200

STH 42 - STH 57

Fair

Over: STURGEON BAY

1.9M N JCT CTH S, Door, WI

Built 1978 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 12,500

STH 79-EAST ST

Fair

Over: TIFFANY CREEK

0.1M N JCT STH 170 TO W, Dunn, WI

Built 1955 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 1,200

STH 64

Fair

Over: HAY RIVER

0.7M E JCT CTH F TO S, Dunn, WI

Built 1936 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 1,700

IH 94 EB

Fair

Over: CHIPPEWA RIVER 04

5.4M E JCT CTH EE TO N, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1965 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 13,850

USH 53 S

Fair

Over: LRD KEYSTONE CROSSING

2.1M S JCT STH 93 TO S, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1966 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 8,150

IH 94 WB

Fair

Over: CHIPPEWA RIVER OVERFLOW

0.9M W JCT STH 37 TO N, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1965 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 13,850

CTH G

Fair

Over: EAU CLAIRE RIVER

4.8M E STH 27, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1971 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 153

STH 93

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

3.8M N JCT CTH I, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1932 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 5,200

LRD RIGGS PARK RD

Fair

Over: TRIBUTE TO SILVER CREEK

OFF DOUGLAS ST 0.1M N OF, Fond du Lac, WI

Built 2004 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 10

USH 8

Fair

Over: WOLF RIVER

6.4M E JCT USH 45 TO N, Forest, WI

Built 1960 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 3,400

STH 80-STH 81-WATE

Fair

Over: ROUNDTREE CREEK

4.9M N JCT STH 81 TO E, Grant, WI

Built 1948 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 6,120

CTH VV

Fair

Over: DEWEY CREEK

1.2 M N JCT STH 133, Grant, WI

Built 1958 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 280

LRD INDIAN CREEK R

Fair

Over: INDIAN CREEK

1.6M W JCT USH 61, Grant, WI

Built 1994 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 80

STH 92

Fair

Over: ROSS CROSSING CREEK

1.2M E JCT STH 69 TO N, Green, WI

Built 1959 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 3,200

LRD MILL CREEK RD

Fair

Over: MINERAL POINT BRANCH

0.9M E JCT CTH Q, Iowa, WI

Built 1983 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 130

USH 2 WB

Fair

Over: MONTREAL RIVER

MICHIGAN STATE LINE, Iron, WI

Built 1961 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 2,600

IH 94 WB

Fair

Over: STH 95

9.9M W JCT USH 12 TO E, Jackson, WI

Built 1966 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 12,700

IH 94 EB

Fair

Over: LRD CHARCOAL RD

5.1M E JCT STH 95 TO E, Jackson, WI

Built 1966 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 12,450

STH 54 EB

Fair

Over: IH 94

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

Built 1968 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 7,100

CTH K

Fair

Over: MORRISON CREEK

4.1M N JCT STH 54, Jackson, WI

Built 1978 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 1,100

LRD LINCOLN ROAD

Fair

Over: TREMPEALEAU RIVER

0.2M S JCT STH 95, Jackson, WI

Built 1978 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 47

STH 19

Fair

Over: CRAWFISH RIVER

0.2M E JCT CTH G, Jefferson, WI

Built 1976 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 3,600

LRD SKI-SLIDE RD

Fair

Over: ASHIPPUN RIVER

0.5M S JCT CTH CW, Jefferson, WI

Built 1988 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 400

CTH N

Fair

Over: BARK RIVER

0.8M N JCT CTH M, Jefferson, WI

Built 1939 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 3,500

STH 58

Fair

Over: IH 90-IH 94

1.0M N JCT STH 82 TO E, Juneau, WI

Built 1964 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 7,400

CTH AB

Fair

Over: RED RIVER

2.2M N JCT CTH S, Kewaunee, WI

Built 1961 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 305

LRD RENDEZVOUS RD

Fair

Over: SCHOOL CREEK

0.2M N JCT STH 54, Kewaunee, WI

Built 1984 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 145

STH 162

Fair

Over: DUTCH CREEK

1.5M N JCT STH 33 TO E, La Crosse, WI

Built 1952 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 1,600

IH 90 WB

Fair

Over: STH 162

9.4M W JCT STH 27 TO N, La Crosse, WI

Built 1968 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 13,650

Showing 1,951-2,000 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.