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

CTH M

Fair

Over: IH 90 EB-IH 94 EB

0.7M N JCT USH 12 (MP 60., Juneau, WI

Built 1964 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 470

CTH M

Fair

Over: IH 90-94 WB

0.8M N JCT USH 12 (MP 60., Juneau, WI

Built 1964 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 470

CTH M

Fair

Over: RUSSIAN COULEE CREEK

1.1M E JCT CTH YY, La Crosse, WI

Built 1952 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 2,100

CTH F

Fair

Over: OTTER CREEK

3.7M N JCT STH 23, Lafayette, WI

Built 1963 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 870

CTH J

Fair

Over: EAU CLAIRE RIVER

0.3M N JCT STH 29, Marathon, WI

Built 1955 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,441

CTH N

Fair

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK

0.5M W JCT CTH SS, Marathon, WI

Built 1959 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 4,000

CTH Z

Fair

Over: BIG SANDY CREEK

1.2M E JCT CTH J, Marathon, WI

Built 1962 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,250

CTH D

Fair

Over: IH USH 51-IH 39

2.9M N JCT CTH CX, Marquette, WI

Built 1966 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,200

IH 41 SB/894 EB/US

Fair

Over: CTH NN/ W OKLAHOMA AVE

2.1M E JCT STH 59 TO E, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1963 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 68,500

LRD BUCHANAN ST

Fair

Over: IH 41

0.7M N JCT CTH OO, Outagamie, WI

Built 1961 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,300

USH 8

Fair

Over: ST CROIX RIVER 07

MINNESOTA STATE LINE, Polk, WI

Built 1955 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 12,700

STH 13-LAKE ST

Fair

Over: ELK RIVER

0.8M N JCT CTH W, Price, WI

Built 1971 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 6,400

CTH D

Fair

Over: W BR PINE RIVER

2.9M E JCT CTH A, Richland, WI

Built 1951 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 196

CTH F

Fair

Over: BEEBE HOLLOW CREEK

0.6M N JCT CTH U, Richland, WI

Built 1959 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 120

CTH G

Fair

Over: CAMP CREEK

0.1M S JCT STH 56, Richland, WI

Built 1962 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 239

CTH F

Fair

Over: KNAPP CREEK

0.4M S JCT CTH S, Richland, WI

Built 1963 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 120

CTH Q

Fair

Over: WILLOW RIVER

0.6M E JCT USH 63, St. Croix, WI

Built 1915 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 226

LRD N BRANCH RD

Fair

Over: N BR EMBARRASS RIVER

0.2M W JCT CTH D, Shawano, WI

Built 1987 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 100

CTH J

Fair

Over: OTTER CREEK

0.4M E JCT STH 57, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1920 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 2,700

CTH P

Fair

Over: KICKAPOO RIVER

1.2M W JCT STH 131, Vernon, WI

Built 1955 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 108

CTH S

Fair

Over: W FK KICKAPOO RIVER

2.1M N JCT STH 56, Vernon, WI

Built 1957 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 260

STH 56

Fair

Over: DRY RUN

AT STH56 & OTTER ST INT, Vernon, WI

Built 1932 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,100

LRD ESOFEA DR

Fair

Over: N FK BAD AXE RIVER

0.8M N JCT CTH B, Vernon, WI

Built 1941 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 58

CTH G

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

0.8M N JCT STH 60, Washington, WI

Built 1956 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,500

IH 94 WB

Fair

Over: LRD BROOKFIELD RD

5.1 MI W JCT STH 100, Waukesha, WI

Built 1962 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 66,500

CTH C

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

2.5M E JCT CTH NN, Barron, WI

Built 1948 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 1,199

LRD 10 1/2 AVE

Fair

Over: TURTLE CREEK

2.1M W JCT CTH P, Barron, WI

Built 1963 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 94

LRD 7TH AVE

Fair

Over: HAY RIVER

0.9M W JCT CTH F, Barron, WI

Built 1977 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 47

CTH U

Fair

Over: E BR UPPER PINE CREEK

0.6M N JCT CTH A, Barron, WI

Built 1966 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 741

LRD WEBER RD

Fair

Over: EAST RIVER

1.3M S JCT STH 57, Brown, WI

Built 1964 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 94

LRD MARIBEL RD

Fair

Over: NESHOTA RIVER

0.8M N JCT CTH KB, Brown, WI

Built 1971 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 94

LRD EBERSOLD RD (D

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

0.6M N JCT STH 37, Buffalo, WI

Built 1975 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 10

LRD 40TH STREET

Fair

Over: BRANCH ELK CREEK

0.7 M N OF 82ND AVE, Chippewa, WI

Built 2000 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 45

LRD 220TH STREET

Fair

Over: PAINT CREEK

0.2 M N 40TH AVENUE, Chippewa, WI

Built 1968 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 200

LRD HEINTOWN RD

Fair

Over: WEDGES CREEK

1.5M W JCT CTH G, Clark, WI

Built 1930 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 58

LRD PRAY AVE

Fair

Over: S BR ONEILL CREEK

1.6M N JCT USH 10, Clark, WI

Built 1958 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 92

LRD SANDHILL AVE

Fair

Over: S BR ONEILL CREEK

1.4M N JCT USH 10, Clark, WI

Built 1959 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 116

LRD SAND CREEK RD

Fair

Over: SAND CREEK

0.1M E JCT STH 131, Crawford, WI

Built 1930 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 352

LRD JERRETT LANE (

Fair

Over: CROW HOLLOW CREEK

0.1M S CTH S, Crawford, WI

Built 1960 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 20

LRD BAILEY DRIVE (

Fair

Over: PLUM RUN

1.0M S JCT CTH X, Crawford, WI

Built 1961 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 10

LRD W RIDGE RD

Fair

Over: KOSHKONONG CREEK

1.1M W JCT CTH BB, Dane, WI

Built 1972 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 176

LRD E DYRESON RD

Fair

Over: YAHARA RIVER

0.6M W JCT CTH AB, Dane, WI

Built 1897 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 450

LRD 890TH ST.

Fair

Over: HAY CREEK

0.3M S JCT STH 64, Dunn, WI

Built 1923 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 96

LRD ND

Fair

Over: BR EAU CLAIRE RIVER

2.7M E STH 27, Eau Claire, WI

Built 1925 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 256

LRD BRANDON ST (CT

Fair

Over: S BR ROCK RIVER

0.3M N JCT STH 49, Fond du Lac, WI

Built 1955 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 3,100

LRD COON HOLLOW RD

Fair

Over: PLATTE RIVER

4.2M N JCT CTH A, Grant, WI

Built 1970 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 53

LRD GOULD HILL RD

Fair

Over: ERICKSON CREEK

1.2M E JCT STH 78, Green, WI

Built 1949 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 105

LRD FELDT RD

Fair

Over: BR BURGY CREEK

2.6M S JCT CTH F, Green, WI

Built 1939 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 105

LRD SMOCK VALLEY R

Fair

Over: SKINNER CREEK

1.3M E JCT CTH M, Green, WI

Built 1960 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 129

LRD TOWN CENTER RD

Fair

Over: SPRING CREEK

0.8M W JCT CTH G, Green, WI

Built 1954 Load: 17.8 t ADT: 117

Showing 251-300 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.