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 A

Fair

Over: LITTLE LEMONWEIR RIVER

0.9M W JCT CTH H, Juneau, WI

Built 1987 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 618

STH 80-E BRIDGE ST

Fair

Over: LEMONWEIR RIVER

0.2M N JCT USH 12 TO W, Juneau, WI

Built 1995 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 3,300

USH 12-STH 16

Fair

Over: LITTLE LEMONWEIR RIVER

2.5M E JCT CTH C, Juneau, WI

Built 1931 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 2,500

CTH JB

Fair

Over: FOX RIVER

0.8M W JCT CTH W, Kenosha, WI

Built 1969 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 2,300

LRD PETRIFYING SPR

Fair

Over: PIKE RIVER

0.1M N JCT CTH JR, Kenosha, WI

Built 1986 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 346

CTH C

Fair

Over: FOX RIVER

0.2M W JCT CTH B, Kenosha, WI

Built 1936 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 6,800

CTH F

Fair

Over: FOX RIVER

0.2M W JCT CTH B, Kenosha, WI

Built 1929 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 3,900

LRD PHEASANT RD

Fair

Over: RIO CREEK

1.1M E JCT CTH P, Kewaunee, WI

Built 1983 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 215

LRD NORTH COUNTY L

Fair

Over: SCHOOL CREEK

0.1M S JCT STH 54, Kewaunee, WI

Built 1989 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 113

LRD KROK RD

Fair

Over: E TWIN RIVER

1.3M W JCT CTH B, Kewaunee, WI

Built 1989 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 255

CTH J

Fair

Over: EAST TWIN RIVER

0.8M W JCT CTH B TO S, Kewaunee, WI

Built 1993 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 599

CTH P

Fair

Over: SILVER CREEK

1.3M N JCT CTH S, Kewaunee, WI

Built 1996 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 443

LRD RIVER RD

Fair

Over: KEWAUNEE RIVER

0.9M E JCT CTH AB, Kewaunee, WI

Built 2003 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 91

IH 90 EB

Fair

Over: FISH CREEK

4.2M E JCT STH 162 TO N, La Crosse, WI

Built 1968 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 12,150

STH 16

Fair

Over: BNSF RR

1.3M E JCT STH 35, La Crosse, WI

Built 1981 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 31,700

STH 35

Fair

Over: MORMON CREEK

0.6M N JCT CTH K, La Crosse, WI

Built 1991 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 8,900

CTH C

Fair

Over: NESHONIC CREEK

2.6M N JCT CTH C, La Crosse, WI

Built 1992 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 580

LRD OLD TOWN HALL

Fair

Over: MORMON CREEK

0.7M E JCT STH 35, La Crosse, WI

Built 1991 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 2,345

IH 90 EB

Fair

Over: LRD THEATER RD

0.6M E JCT I90/STH157, La Crosse, WI

Built 1996 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 18,450

USH 14/61-STH 16

Fair

Over: LRD CROSS & 2ND ST -MISS

0.1M W JCT USH 53 TO N, La Crosse, WI

Built 1940 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 6,400

STH 78-STH 81

Fair

Over: PECATONICA RIVER

0.2M N JCT STH 81 TO W, Lafayette, WI

Built 2001 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 3,000

STH 64

Fair

Over: W BR EAU CLAIRE RIVER

10.2M E JCT CTH X TO S, Langlade, WI

Built 1965 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 2,000

LRD SPRING ROAD

Fair

Over: W BR EAU CLAIRE RIVER

2.4M W JCT CTH H, Langlade, WI

Built 1986 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 146

LRD NORTH DORR ST

Fair

Over: SPRING BROOK

0.3M N JCT CTH Y, Langlade, WI

Built 1991 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 872

LRD 10TH AVE

Fair

Over: SPRING BROOK

CITY OF ANTIGO, Langlade, WI

Built 1996 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 4,786

USH 51 SB

Fair

Over: STH 64

3.9M S JCT CTH C, Lincoln, WI

Built 1975 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 7,350

USH 51 NB

Fair

Over: LRD KINGS RD

1.3M N JCT STH 86, Lincoln, WI

Built 2000 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 5,150

LRD NIBLER ROAD

Fair

Over: USH 51 SB

AT JCT WITH USH 51, Lincoln, WI

Built 1983 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 75

USH 51 SB

Fair

Over: USH 8

8.7M S JCT CTH K, Lincoln, WI

Built 1983 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 5,950

LRD FORK RD

Fair

Over: COPPER RIVER

1.3M N JCT CTH M, Lincoln, WI

Built 1979 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 59

LRD TOWN HALL RD

Fair

Over: PRAIRIE RIVER

0.3M N JCT STH 17, Lincoln, WI

Built 1983 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 181

LRD TOWN HALL RD

Fair

Over: BIG HAY MEADOW CREEK

0.8M S JCT CTH J, Lincoln, WI

Built 1983 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 143

CTH CL VIEBAHN S

Fair

Over: IH 43

0.4M W JCT CTH CL, Manitowoc, WI

Built 1979 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 740

IH 43 NB

Fair

Over: USH 10 WB-STH 310

AT JCT IH 43-USH 10, Manitowoc, WI

Built 1978 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 11,100

IH 43 SB

Fair

Over: LRD SCHLEY RD

5.6M S JCT STH 96, Manitowoc, WI

Built 1979 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 11,050

IH 43 NB

Fair

Over: LRD SCHLEY RD

1.0M N JCT STH 147, Manitowoc, WI

Built 1979 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 11,050

LRD TISCH MILLS RD

Fair

Over: E TWIN RIVER

0.1M S JCT CTH BB, Manitowoc, WI

Built 1938 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 658

USH 10-MAIN ST

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

0.4M E JCT CTH W, Manitowoc, WI

Built 1932 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 5,000

STH 107

Fair

Over: STH 29

1.0M N JCT CTH NN TO E, Marathon, WI

Built 1992 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 9,200

STH 97

Fair

Over: E BR HAMANN CREEK

2.0M N JCT CTH N, Marathon, WI

Built 1988 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 3,400

STH 29 EB

Fair

Over: LRD 72ND AVE

2.1M E JCT CTH O, Marathon, WI

Built 1971 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 20,500

LRD MOON RD

Fair

Over: HOG CREEK

2.3M E JCT CTH O, Marathon, WI

Built 1990 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 266

CTH C

Fair

Over: IH USH 51-IH 39

0.9M E JCT CTH DB, Marathon, WI

Built 1972 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 490

LRD ROSS AVENUE

Fair

Over: EAU CLAIRE RIVER

3.9M S JCT CTH N, Marathon, WI

Built 1979 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 402

CTH X

Fair

Over: STH 29

4.5M N JCT CTH XX TO W, Marathon, WI

Built 1989 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 17,300

STH 34

Fair

Over: WISCONSIN RIVER 24

1.8M N JCT CTH C TO W, Marathon, WI

Built 1980 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 6,300

LRD KONKEL RD

Fair

Over: PLOVER RIVER

0.6M W JCT CTH Y, Marathon, WI

Built 1982 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 228

LRD HUCKLEBERRY RD

Fair

Over: BIG EAU PLEINE RIVER

0.6M W JCT CTH F, Marathon, WI

Built 1982 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 130

LRD WOODLAND DRIVE

Fair

Over: LITTLE RIB RIVER

0.1M W JCT CTH O, Marathon, WI

Built 1984 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 223

LRD RAINBOW DR

Fair

Over: COUNTY LINE CREEK

2.7M E JCT CTH K, Marathon, WI

Built 1982 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 201

Showing 3,801-3,850 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.