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

IH 43 SB

Fair

Over: LRD E MASON ST

3.2M S JCT STH 54 TO E, Brown, WI

Built 1981 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 18,350

IH 43 NB

Fair

Over: LRD E MASON ST

5.6M N JCT USH 141 TO N, Brown, WI

Built 1981 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 18,350

STH 54 WB-STH 57 S

Fair

Over: LRD UNIVERSITY AVE

3.6M W JCT STH 57 TO N, Brown, WI

Built 1979 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 18,900

STH 29 WB

Fair

Over: STH 32

1.6M W JCT CTH U, Brown, WI

Built 1988 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 7,950

LRD COOPERSTOWN RD

Fair

Over: IH 43

2.5M E JCT CTH NN, Brown, WI

Built 1979 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 2,700

IH 43 SB

Fair

Over: LRD TOWN HALL RD

4.7M S JCT CTH MM TO W, Brown, WI

Built 1980 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 11,200

STH 32

Fair

Over: BR LITTLE SUAMICO RIVER

0.2M N JCT CTH B, Brown, WI

Built 1986 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 7,900

LRD BRIDGE RD

Fair

Over: SUAMICO RIVER

1.5M S JCT CTH B, Brown, WI

Built 1928 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 88

STH 29 - WALNUT ST

Fair

Over: FOX RIVER

3.2M E JCT USH 41 TO N, Brown, WI

Built 1986 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 11,100

LRD MOON VALLEY DR

Fair

Over: BAIRD CREEK

1.3M S JCT STH 54, Brown, WI

Built 1983 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 466

CTH C SHAWANO AV

Fair

Over: BR TROUT CREEK

1.1M N JCT HILLCREST HEIG, Brown, WI

Built 1987 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 4,700

STH 32

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

2.1M W JCT STH 54, Brown, WI

Built 1987 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 26,394

STH 35

Fair

Over: MISSISSIPPI RIVER TRIB

2.2M N JCT CTH N, Buffalo, WI

Built 1958 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 3,400

LRD WHISTLER ROAD

Fair

Over: YELLOW RIVER

0.8M N JCT CTH X, Burnett, WI

Built 1986 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 40

LRD GASLYN RD

Fair

Over: YELLOW RIVER

0.3M E JCT CTH X, Burnett, WI

Built 1988 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 159

LRD GLENDENNING RD

Fair

Over: YELLOW RIVER

1.1M W JCT STH 35, Burnett, WI

Built 1985 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 145

STH 35

Fair

Over: YELLOW RIVER

5.7M N JCT CTH C, Burnett, WI

Built 2000 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 2,900

USH 53 S

Fair

Over: CTH S

2.7M S JCT CTH B TO E, Chippewa, WI

Built 1971 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 8,800

USH 53 N

Fair

Over: CTH S

2.8M N JCT STH 29 TO E, Chippewa, WI

Built 1971 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 9,500

USH 53 SB

Fair

Over: DUNCAN CREEK

4.2M S JCT STH 40 TO N, Chippewa, WI

Built 1971 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 15,800

USH 53 N

Fair

Over: DUNCAN CREEK

4.0M N JCT CTH B TO E, Chippewa, WI

Built 1971 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 7,900

STH 124

Fair

Over: ONEIL CREEK

1.0M N JCT CTH B, Chippewa, WI

Built 1979 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 3,200

CTH T

Fair

Over: BR ELK CREEK

0.9 M N 80TH AVENUE, Chippewa, WI

Built 1988 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 420

LRD 210TH STREET

Fair

Over: S FK PAINT CREEK

0.7 M N 30TH AVENUE, Chippewa, WI

Built 1989 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 155

CTH G

Fair

Over: OTTER CREEK

0.1 M N G & S INT, Chippewa, WI

Built 1990 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 330

CTH Q

Fair

Over: DUNCAN CREEK

0.1 M N CTH C, Chippewa, WI

Built 1992 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 780

CTH M

Fair

Over: ELK CREEK

50 FT E 26TH STREET, Chippewa, WI

Built 1991 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 320

CTH H/ BROADWAY ST

Fair

Over: WOLF RIVER

0.2 M N STH 29, Chippewa, WI

Built 1993 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 5,625

STH 27

Fair

Over: STH 29

0.5M N JCT CTH MM, Chippewa, WI

Built 1992 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 4,300

CTH M

Fair

Over: HOLCOMBE FLOWAGE

0.7 M E CTH CC, Chippewa, WI

Built 2000 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 1,420

CTH W

Fair

Over: BUCK CREEK

0.5 M E STH 27, Chippewa, WI

Built 2003 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 220

CTH P

Fair

Over: S FK POPPLE RIVER

1.5M N JCT CTH N, Clark, WI

Built 1976 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 301

LRD GRAND AVE

Fair

Over: ONEILL CREEK

0.2M N JCT USH 10, Clark, WI

Built 1987 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 1,552

CTH N

Fair

Over: N BR EAU CLAIRE RIVER

2.3M W JCT CTH M, Clark, WI

Built 1987 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 366

STH 33-E COOK ST

Fair

Over: FOX RIVER CANAL

1.1M E JCT USH 51, Columbia, WI

Built 1951 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 4,900

STH 13

Fair

Over: LRD WAUBEEK RD

0.9M N JCT STH 23 TO E, Columbia, WI

Built 1956 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 4,900

LRD SANDERSON RD

Fair

Over: BR ROWAN CREEK

1.5M S JCT CTH CS, Columbia, WI

Built 1959 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 9

IH 39 SB

Fair

Over: USH 51 SB

0.3M S JCT USH 51, Columbia, WI

Built 1991 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 15,500

LRD OLD HWY 73 RD

Fair

Over: USH 151

1.0 M N JCT STH 16, Columbia, WI

Built 1976 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 390

LRD TRITZ RD

Fair

Over: BARABOO RIVER

1.0M N JCT STH 33, Columbia, WI

Built 1986 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 26

STH 60

Fair

Over: GRAN GRAE CREEK

4.8M E JCT USH 18 TO E, Crawford, WI

Built 1977 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 2,000

LRD RUSH CREEK RD

Fair

Over: RUSH CREEK

2.0M N JCT STH 35, Crawford, WI

Built 1988 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 91

LRD RHEIN HOLLOW R

Fair

Over: LITTLE KICKAPOO CREEK

2.6M N JCT STH 60, Crawford, WI

Built 1994 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 83

LRD RUSH CREEK RD

Fair

Over: BR RUSH CREEK

2.5M N JCT CTH B, Crawford, WI

Built 1994 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 22

USH 12/18 EB-W BEL

Fair

Over: CTH MC (JOHN NOLEN DR.)

1.3M E JCT USH 151 TO N, Dane, WI

Built 1952 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 60,000

USH 151 SB

Fair

Over: MAUNESHA RIVER

3.4M S JCT CTH V (S), Dane, WI

Built 1959 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 12,800

IH 39 NB / IH 90 W

Fair

Over: USH 51

3.4M W JCT USH 151 TO N, Dane, WI

Built 1960 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 34,500

LRD BADGER RD

Fair

Over: WSOR

0.2M E JCT USH 151, Dane, WI

Built 1979 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 7,150

USH 12/18 EB-S BEL

Fair

Over: CTH BB MONONA DR

2.3M E JCT CTH MC, Dane, WI

Built 1988 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 58,500

USH 12 WB-USH 18 W

Fair

Over: USH 51

1.5 MI. W IH 39/90, Dane, WI

Built 1988 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 58,500

Showing 3,701-3,750 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.