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 64-STH 65-KNOW

Fair

Over: WILLOW RIVER

0.2M E JCT STH 65 TO S, St. Croix, WI

Built 1924 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 19,790

LRD SEVENTH ST (DE

Fair

Over: UNION PACIFIC RR

0.4M E JCT STH 35, St. Croix, WI

Built 1987 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 865

CTH D

Fair

Over: CARR CREEK

0.8M N JCT USH 12, St. Croix, WI

Built 1994 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 1,100

STH 46

Fair

Over: WILLOW RIVER

1.5M N JCT STH 64, St. Croix, WI

Built 2000 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 4,100

IH 90 EB-IH 94 EB

Fair

Over: USH 12

2.5M E JCT STH 23 (B), Sauk, WI

Built 1960 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 23,500

IH 90 WB-IH 94 WB

Fair

Over: USH 12

13.5M W JCT STH 33 (B), Sauk, WI

Built 1960 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 23,500

LRD 2ND AVE-SHAW S

Fair

Over: BARABOO RIVER

0.3M S JCT STH 33, Sauk, WI

Built 1976 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 2,200

STH 154

Fair

Over: NARROWS CREEK

5.2M E JCT STH 23 TO E, Sauk, WI

Built 1991 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 1,200

LRD ASH ST

Fair

Over: BARABOO RIVER

0.1M S JCT STH 113, Sauk, WI

Built 1992 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 2,800

LRD S BROADWAY ST

Fair

Over: BARABOO RIVER

2.1M N JCT STH 159, Sauk, WI

Built 2004 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 9,900

STH 48

Fair

Over: THIRTY THREE CREEK

3.1M E JCT CTH FF, Sawyer, WI

Built 1990 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 710

LRD BLOMBERG RD

Fair

Over: CHIPPEWA RIVER 25

1.2M E JCT STH 40, Sawyer, WI

Built 1993 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 678

CTH C

Fair

Over: SWAN CREEK

6.2M E JCT STH 48, Sawyer, WI

Built 1991 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 238

CTH G

Fair

Over: CHIPPEWA RIVER 30

0.1M N JCT STH 70, Sawyer, WI

Built 1996 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 847

LRD HERMAN CREEK R

Fair

Over: HERMAN CREEK

0.4M S JCT STH 156, Shawano, WI

Built 1986 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 100

CTH MMM

Fair

Over: WOLF RIVER

CITY OF SHAWANO, Shawano, WI

Built 1999 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 3,700

STH 47 NB

Fair

Over: STH 29

5.5M N JCT CTH S, Shawano, WI

Built 1996 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 5,000

STH 47 SB

Fair

Over: STH 29

0.5M S. JCT 117, Shawano, WI

Built 1996 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 5,000

STH 29 WB

Fair

Over: WOLF RIVER

7.7M W JCT STH 47, Shawano, WI

Built 1996 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 5,550

IH 43 SB

Fair

Over: CNW RR

0.9M S JCT STH 28 TO W, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1971 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 28,300

CTH RR

Fair

Over: CNW RR

1.6M E JCT CTH KW, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1975 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 940

STH 32 (MAIN ST)

Fair

Over: SHEBOYGAN RIVER

0.3M N JCT STH 28, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1984 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 8,300

STH 23 EB

Fair

Over: SHEBOYGAN RIVER

0.1M E JCT CTH TT, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1984 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 12,350

CTH A

Fair

Over: SHEBOYGAN RIVER

1.4M N JCT CTH PP, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1985 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 2,700

CTH JM

Fair

Over: SHEBOYGAN RIVER

0.4M W JCT CTH M, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1991 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 450

LRD CROSS RD

Fair

Over: TREMPEALEAU RIVER

0.2M E JCT STH 93, Trempealeau, WI

Built 1983 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 177

CTH R

Fair

Over: N FK BUFFALO RIVER

0.3M N JCT USH 10, Trempealeau, WI

Built 1987 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 2,250

CTH J

Fair

Over: MEYERS VALLEY CREEK

1.1M S JCT STH 95, Trempealeau, WI

Built 2006 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 1,102

USH 53-ERVIN ST

Fair

Over: IRVIN CREEK

4.7M N JCT STH 95, Trempealeau, WI

Built 1935 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 4,700

CTH F

Fair

Over: HILLS CREEK

0.1M S JCT CTH WW, Vernon, WI

Built 1985 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 520

LRD KOLL RD

Fair

Over: COON CREEK

0.4M E JCT STH 162, Vernon, WI

Built 1987 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 45

LRD SPRING COULEE

Fair

Over: BR SPRING COULEE CREEK

2.3M E JCT CTH P, Vernon, WI

Built 1989 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 85

STH 35

Fair

Over: BAD AXE RIVER

2.5M N JCT CTH UU, Vernon, WI

Built 1990 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 4,750

CTH ZZ

Fair

Over: BILLINGS CREEK

0.1M E JCT CTH Z, Vernon, WI

Built 1988 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 217

CTH P

Fair

Over: BR COON CREEK

0.2M E JCT USH 14, Vernon, WI

Built 1989 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 590

CTH P

Fair

Over: WEISTER CREEK

3.7M W JCT STH 131, Vernon, WI

Built 1998 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 136

STH 56

Fair

Over: BR COX CREEK

6.2M E JCT CTH K, Vernon, WI

Built 1937 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 1,200

STH 70

Fair

Over: WISCONSIN RIVER 53

6.6M E JCT CTH O, Vilas, WI

Built 1993 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 5,700

LRD TWIN LAKES RD

Fair

Over: E BR NIPPERSINK CREEK

0.6M W JCT CTH B, Walworth, WI

Built 1989 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 1,200

IH 43 SB

Fair

Over: SUGAR CREEK

4.8 MI S JCT STH 120, Walworth, WI

Built 1971 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 9,800

IH 43 SB

Fair

Over: CTH X - BELOIT RD

3.1 MI S JCT STH 50, Walworth, WI

Built 1975 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 10,850

IH 43 SB

Fair

Over: CMSTPP RR

2.0 MI S JCT USH 14, Walworth, WI

Built 1976 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 9,400

IH 43 NB

Fair

Over: CMSTPP RR

6.0 MI N JCT USH 140, Walworth, WI

Built 1976 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 9,400

IH 43 NB

Fair

Over: LRD NORTH RD & TURTLE CR

5.7M N JCT STH 140 TO N, Walworth, WI

Built 1976 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 9,400

STH 36

Fair

Over: WHITE RIVER STATE TRAIL

2.7M N JCT STH 120, Walworth, WI

Built 1977 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 4,100

USH 63

Fair

Over: NAMEKAGON RIVER

0.9M N JCT CTH M, Washburn, WI

Built 1980 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 3,900

LRD GREENFIELD RD

Fair

Over: YELLOW RIVER

1.3M S JCT STH 70, Washburn, WI

Built 1982 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 94

STH 70

Fair

Over: USH 53

2.1M E JCT USH 63, Washburn, WI

Built 1986 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 5,680

USH 45 SB

Fair

Over: IH 41

0.6 MI S JCT STH 145, Washington, WI

Built 1975 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 17,500

LRD MILEVIEW RD

Fair

Over: USH 45

0.6 MI W JCT CTH P, Washington, WI

Built 1984 Load: 34.0 t ADT: 300

Showing 3,951-4,000 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.