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 187

Fair

Over: SHIOC RIVER

1.1M N JCT STH 54, Outagamie, WI

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,400

CTH F

Fair

Over: WOLF RIVER

0.3M W JCT STH 187, Outagamie, WI

Built 1980 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 697

CTH BB

Fair

Over: W BR MUD CREEK

0.2M W JCT USH 41, Outagamie, WI

Built 1979 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 19,089

CTH EE

Fair

Over: DUCK CREEK

0.3M W JCT CTH E, Outagamie, WI

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,435

CTH G

Fair

Over: BLACK CREEK

0.7M W JCT STH 55, Outagamie, WI

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,582

LRD RANCH RD

Fair

Over: BR DUCK CREEK

1.3M E JCT CTH H, Outagamie, WI

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 699

CTH JJ

Fair

Over: BR APPLE CREEK

0.2M E JCT STH 55, Outagamie, WI

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,255

LRD GLORY LANE

Fair

Over: FRENCH ROAD DITCH

JUST W OF FRENCH RD., Outagamie, WI

Built 2001 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1

LRD FISH CREEK RD

Fair

Over: DUCK CREEK OVERFLOW

0.1M W JCT CTH E, Outagamie, WI

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 168

IH USH 10-IH 41

Fair

Over: N BR MUD CREEK

0.5 M N JCT STH 125, Outagamie, WI

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 77,100

CTH CE

Fair

Over: KANKAPOT CREEK

0.4M E JCT STH 55, Outagamie, WI

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 8,300

LRD PROVIDENCE RD

Fair

Over: APPLE CREEK

0.3M N JCT USH 41, Outagamie, WI

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,286

LRD SPRINGFIELD DR

Fair

Over: TRIB. OF GARNERS CREEK

0.1M E OF STONEY BROOK, Outagamie, WI

Built 2000 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1

LRD SANCTUARY WAY

Fair

Over: TRIBUTARY OF MUD CREEK

300 FEET SOUTH OF CAPITOL, Outagamie, WI

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 400

CTH M NASH ST

Fair

Over: BLACK OTTER CREEK

0.1M S JCT USH 15, Outagamie, WI

Built 1892 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,151

STH 32-GRAND AVE

Fair

Over: SAUK CREEK

0.5M N JCT STH 33, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1915 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 10,200

CTH B

Fair

Over: IH 43

0.1 MI N JCT CTH LL, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 380

IH 43 SB-STH 32 SB

Fair

Over: CTH LL

4.4 MI S JCT CTH D, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 13,300

IH 43-STH 32

Fair

Over: SUCKER CREEK

4.6M N JCT STH 32 TO S, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1974 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 26,300

LRD GREEN BAY RD

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

0.8M S JCT CTH T, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,800

CTH C PIONEER RD

Fair

Over: ULAO CREEK

0.4M W JCT CTH W, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1988 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,900

CTH T

Fair

Over: MILWAUKEE RIVER

0.9M W JCT CTH W, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 6,000

CTH N

Fair

Over: ARKANSAW CREEK

0.2M S JCT USH 10, Pepin, WI

Built 1981 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 862

LRD BOYD SPRING RD

Fair

Over: PLUM CREEK

1.6M N JCT CTH N, Pepin, WI

Built 1984 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 58

CTH CC

Fair

Over: BR LOST CREEK

2.0M N JCT STH 35, Pepin, WI

Built 1990 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 488

STH 35

Fair

Over: BR ISABELLE CREEK

1.3M N JCT CTH D, Pierce, WI

Built 1955 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,500

USH 63

Fair

Over: MISS R WIS CHANNEL

1.4M N MINN STATE LINE, Pierce, WI

Built 1960 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 9,600

CTH KK

Fair

Over: BR LITTLE TRIMBELLE CRK

0.9M E JCT CTH K, Pierce, WI

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 397

STH 72

Fair

Over: BR EAU GALLE RIVER

1.5M E JCT CTH PP, Pierce, WI

Built 1982 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 810

USH 10

Fair

Over: BR SPRING CREEK

0.8M E JCT CTH J TO N, Pierce, WI

Built 1983 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,800

USH 10

Fair

Over: BR RUSH RIVER

2.4M E JCT CTH D, Pierce, WI

Built 1986 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,500

STH 35

Fair

Over: BR DRY RUN COULEE CRK

2.9M N JCT CTH QQ TO N, Pierce, WI

Built 1987 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 2,600

STH 35

Fair

Over: BR ISABELLE CREEK

2.0M N JCT CTH D, Pierce, WI

Built 1992 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,600

CTH O

Fair

Over: BR TRIMBELLE RIVER

0.9M N JCT USH 10, Pierce, WI

Built 1996 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 957

CTH F

Fair

Over: BULL BROOK

1.5M S JCT CTH J, Polk, WI

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,519

IH USH 51-IH 39

Fair

Over: BR WISCONSIN RIVER

0.7M N JCT STH 54 TO E, Portage, WI

Built 1969 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,100

CTH W

Fair

Over: IH USH 51-IH 39

1.7M W JCT CTH JJ, Portage, WI

Built 1979 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 1,800

CTH C

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

2.5M E JCT CTH II, Portage, WI

Built 1971 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 900

CTH UU ELM ROAD

Fair

Over: DITCH NO 7

0.3M N JCT CTH D, Portage, WI

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 170

CTH UU ELM ROAD

Fair

Over: DITCH NO 10

2.1M N JCT CTH D, Portage, WI

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 170

CTH UU ELM ROAD

Fair

Over: DITCH NO 5

2.9M N JCT CTH D, Portage, WI

Built 1985 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 173

LRD HH / CHURCH ST

Fair

Over: PLOVER RIVER

0.1M W JCT USH B51, Portage, WI

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 5,285

CTH M

Fair

Over: TRIB MILL CREEK

1.43 MI W. JCT CTY HH, Portage, WI

Built 2008 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 516

STH 13

Fair

Over: SMITH CREEK

1.5M N JCT STH 182, Price, WI

Built 1964 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,100

STH 13

Fair

Over: SMITH CREEK

1.7M N JCT STH 182, Price, WI

Built 1964 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 3,100

STH 38

Fair

Over: HOODS CREEK

1.4 MI N JCT STH 31, Racine, WI

Built 1953 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,700

LRD HANSON RD

Fair

Over: GOOSE LAKE BRANCH CANAL

0.7M E JCT CTH S, Racine, WI

Built 1997 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 170

STH 20 EB

Fair

Over: CNW RR

3.9M E JCT IH 94 TO W, Racine, WI

Built 1978 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 14,500

STH 142

Fair

Over: HOOSIER CREEK

0.7 MI E JCT STH 83, Racine, WI

Built 1999 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,600

LRD BRIDGE ST

Fair

Over: WIS. CENTRAL RR

0.1 M E JCT STH 183, Racine, WI

Built 2002 Load: 32.4 t ADT: 4,700

Showing 3,301-3,350 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.