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 BRIDGE RD

Fair

Over: YAHARA RIVER

0.3M N JCT USH 12, Dane, WI

Built 1967 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 13,174

CTH O

Fair

Over: ASHIPPUN RIVER

3.4M N JCT CTH P, Dodge, WI

Built 1973 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 2,100

LRD CENTER DR

Fair

Over: KUMMEL CREEK

0.4M N JCT CTH H, Dodge, WI

Built 1969 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 94

LRD DOYLE RD

Fair

Over: BR E BR ROCK RIVER

1.9M S JCT STH 175, Dodge, WI

Built 1974 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 47

LRD E MALLARD RD

Fair

Over: OTTER CREEK

0.2M E USH 53, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1979 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 307

CTH CC

Fair

Over: BR ROSS CROSSING CREEK

0.4M N JCT CTH W, Green, WI

Built 1957 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 1,600

LRD FRIENDSHIP RD

Fair

Over: YELLOW RIVER OVERFLOW

0.1M S JCT STH 21, Juneau, WI

Built 1930 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 13

CTH I

Fair

Over: BR MADDEN BRANCH

0.8M S JCT STH 81, Lafayette, WI

Built 1976 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 282

CTH O

Fair

Over: WOOD BRANCH

0.9M S JCT CTH Z, Lafayette, WI

Built 1966 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 176

LRD APPLE BRANCH R

Fair

Over: APPLE BRANCH

2.2M E JCT STH 81, Lafayette, WI

Built 1964 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 23

LRD ROLLER COASTER

Fair

Over: PECATONICA RIVER

1.7M W JCT STH 81, Lafayette, WI

Built 1980 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 88

CTH F

Fair

Over: MCCLINTOCK CREEK

0.1M W JCT CTH N TO S, Lafayette, WI

Built 1936 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 352

CTH C

Fair

Over: MEADOW CREEK

0.3M E. JCT USH 51, Lincoln, WI

Built 1969 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 262

CTH X

Fair

Over: PINE RIVER

1.0M N JCT STH 64, Lincoln, WI

Built 1973 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 420

LRD COUNTY LINE RD

Fair

Over: MEEME RIVER

1.2M E JCT STH 42, Manitowoc, WI

Built 1963 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 205

LRD BUFFALO RIDGE

Fair

Over: TRAPPE RIVER

1.9M E JCT CTH WW, Marathon, WI

Built 1960 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 45

LRD TRAPPE RIVER R

Fair

Over: TRAPPE RIVER

1.3M W JCT CTH J, Marathon, WI

Built 1963 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 85

LRD DRAPER RD

Fair

Over: W BR BIG EAU PLEINE RIVE

2.0M E JCT STH 13, Marathon, WI

Built 1962 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 90

LRD GIERL RD

Fair

Over: EAU PLEINE RIVER

0.4M N JCT STH 29, Marathon, WI

Built 1965 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 30

LRD SOUTH RD

Fair

Over: BR BIG RIB RIVER

0.9M E JCT CTH B, Marathon, WI

Built 1938 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 22

LRD SODA CREEK RD

Fair

Over: SODA CREEK

0.2M W JCT CTH S, Marathon, WI

Built 1973 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 90

LRD BLUEBERRY RD

Fair

Over: HAMAN CREEK

1.2M W JCT STH 97, Marathon, WI

Built 1974 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 45

LRD STAADT RD

Fair

Over: NOISY CREEK

0.4M N JCT STH 153, Marathon, WI

Built 1973 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 58

LRD EAU PLEINE ST

Fair

Over: DENNY CREEK

1.6M E JCT CTH M, Marathon, WI

Built 1973 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 45

LRD FOLZ RD

Fair

Over: WILD CREEK

0.9M S JCT CTH C, Marathon, WI

Built 1975 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 50

CTH Q

Fair

Over: LITTLE SANDY CREEK

0.7M S JCT CTH Z, Marathon, WI

Built 1972 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 600

LRD SMEESTER SCHOO

Fair

Over: N BR PIKE RIVER

0.4M W JCT USH 141, Marinette, WI

Built 1974 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 100

CTH K

Fair

Over: OCONTO RIVER

1.0M S JCT STH 22, Oconto, WI

Built 1975 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 363

CTH M

Fair

Over: KELLY BROOK

0.9M W JCT CTH K, Oconto, WI

Built 1976 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 680

LRD PRAIRIE RAPIDS

Fair

Over: TOMAHAWK RIVER

1.4M W JCT USH 51, Oneida, WI

Built 1976 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 801

LRD KRULL RD

Fair

Over: BR TOAD CREEK

1.1M S JCT CTH F, Outagamie, WI

Built 1920 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 94

LRD 490TH AVE

Fair

Over: ISABELLE CREEK

0.3M E JCT CTH C, Pierce, WI

Built 1917 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 87

LRD WASHINGTON ST

Fair

Over: TOMORROW RIVER

0.1M E JCT CTH A, Portage, WI

Built 1938 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 99

LRD DOOLITTLE RD (

Fair

Over: WILLOW CREEK

0.1M E JCT STH 58, Richland, WI

Built 1970 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 20

LRD TIGHE RD

Fair

Over: LITTLE TURTLE CREEK

2.9M E JCT STH 140, Rock, WI

Built 1976 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 105

CTH H

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

2.7M W JCT STH 40--47, Rusk, WI

Built 1969 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 206

LRD 220TH ST

Fair

Over: WILLOW RIVER

1.5M S JCT CTH H, St. Croix, WI

Built 1970 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 160

LRD RUSTIC RD #4

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

0.5M W JCT CTH W, St. Croix, WI

Built 1960 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 60

LRD 10TH AVE

Fair

Over: FRENCH CREEK

1.1M W JCT CTH B, St. Croix, WI

Built 1962 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 110

LRD MILL RD

Fair

Over: HONEY CREEK

0.2M N JCT CTH B, Sauk, WI

Built 1959 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 314

LRD IRR (RIGHT-OF-

Fair

Over: COURDERAY RIVER

0.6M W JCT STH 27, Sawyer, WI

Built 1961 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 58

CTH KW

Fair

Over: ONION RIVER

0.1M S JCT CTH G TO E, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1959 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 205

LRD NEW JERSEY AVE

Fair

Over: SHEBOYGAN RIVER

0.3M W JCT STH 42, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1978 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 6,100

LRD BISEK RIDGE RD

Fair

Over: PLUM CREEK

1.2M S JCT CTH Q, Trempealeau, WI

Built 1981 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 117

LRD CHRISTOPHERSON

Fair

Over: TOMTER COULEE CREEK

0.2M E JCT USH 53, Trempealeau, WI

Built 1926 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 800

CTH N

Fair

Over: BR S FK BAD AXE RIVER

1.6M N JCT STH 82, Vernon, WI

Built 1955 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 108

CTH W

Fair

Over: BR SEYMOUR CREEK

0.3M E JCT CTH WW, Vernon, WI

Built 1963 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 227

LRD WING HOLLOW RO

Fair

Over: BR COON CREEK

3.4M N JCT CTH O, Vernon, WI

Built 1963 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 23

LRD SUNSET TRAIL R

Fair

Over: SLOUGH

1.0M W JCT CTH M, Winnebago, WI

Built 1967 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 100

CTH IRR (CTH M)

Fair

Over: WOLF RIVER

0.2M W JCT STH 55, Menominee, WI

Built 1979 Load: 27.5 t ADT: 117

Showing 2,151-2,200 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.