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 29 EB

Fair

Over: STH 32

1.0M E JCT STH 156, Brown, WI

Built 1988 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 7,950

CTH A

Fair

Over: WEQUIOCK CREEK

0.3M S JCT CTH K, Brown, WI

Built 1978 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,300

STH 32-STH 57

Fair

Over: EAST RIVER

2.0M N JCT CTH K, Brown, WI

Built 1981 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 3,500

LRD LAMERS CLANCY

Fair

Over: EAST RIVER

1.4M W JCT STH 57, Brown, WI

Built 2000 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 41

LRD MALONE RD

Fair

Over: N FK CLAM RIVER

0.4M N JCT CTH B, Burnett, WI

Built 1996 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 129

USH 151

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

1.8M N JCT STH 32 TO S, Calumet, WI

Built 1981 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 4,200

STH 114 WB

Fair

Over: USH 10

2.5M W JCT STH 55, Calumet, WI

Built 1993 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 3,300

STH 64-BRIDGE ST

Fair

Over: CHIPPEWA RIVER 18

0.8M E JCT STH 178, Chippewa, WI

Built 1971 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 3,500

CTH Q

Fair

Over: USH 53

4.0M N JCT STH 64, Chippewa, WI

Built 1972 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,200

LRD 50TH AVENUE

Fair

Over: STILLSON CREEK

0.7 M E CTH J, Chippewa, WI

Built 1987 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 885

LRD 250TH STREET

Fair

Over: BIRCH CREEK

0.7 MILES N. CTH M, Chippewa, WI

Built 1987 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 145

STH 27

Fair

Over: CANADIAN NATIONAL RR

0.2M N JCT CTH X, Chippewa, WI

Built 1987 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 5,200

CTH S

Fair

Over: BIG DRYWOOD CREEK

0.7 M E 270TH STREET, Chippewa, WI

Built 1988 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 255

CTH SS

Fair

Over: MCCANN CREEK

0.8 M W STH 124, Chippewa, WI

Built 1990 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,655

CTH D

Fair

Over: HAY CREEK

1.1 M N 40TH AVENUE, Chippewa, WI

Built 1990 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 340

CTH MM

Fair

Over: BR WOLF RIVER

0.6 M E 350TH STREET, Chippewa, WI

Built 1992 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 410

LRD 295TH AVENUE

Fair

Over: HOLCOMBE FLOWAGE

0.2 M E STH 27, Chippewa, WI

Built 1995 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 100

STH 29 WB

Fair

Over: ELK CREEK

TOWN OF WHEATON, Chippewa, WI

Built 2001 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 7,200

LRD 40TH AVE

Fair

Over: STH 29

TOWN OF HALLIE, Chippewa, WI

Built 2002 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 720

LRD SEYMOUR CRAY S

Fair

Over: STH 29

1.5M E JCT STH 124, Chippewa, WI

Built 2000 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 7,000

CTH H

Fair

Over: OTTER CREEK

1.4 M N 370TH STREET, Chippewa, WI

Built 2003 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,215

CTH D

Fair

Over: BR HAY CREEK

1.1 M N 170TH AVENUE, Chippewa, WI

Built 2006 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 350

CTH D

Fair

Over: YELLOW RIVER

3.1 M N CTH O, Chippewa, WI

Built 2005 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 670

STH 29 E

Fair

Over: POPPLE RIVER

0.4M E JCT CTH DD, Clark, WI

Built 1961 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 5,950

CTH MM

Fair

Over: N FK EAU CLAIRE RIVER

3.8M W JCT CTH M, Clark, WI

Built 1978 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 185

LRD GREELER RD

Fair

Over: N BR ONEILL CREEK

2.1M E JCT CTH C, Clark, WI

Built 1993 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 55

STH 29 WB-STH 73 N

Fair

Over: BLACK RIVER

2.4M W JCT STH 73 TO S, Clark, WI

Built 1996 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 5,700

STH 29 W

Fair

Over: WISC CENTRAL LTD RR

0.6M W JCT CTH X, Clark, WI

Built 1997 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 5,950

STH 33-COOK ST

Fair

Over: SOO LINE RR

0.8M E JCT USH 51, Columbia, WI

Built 1951 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 5,000

IH 90 EB-IH 94 EB

Fair

Over: LRD SMOKEY HOLLOW RD

1.0M E JCT CTH CS TO W, Columbia, WI

Built 1961 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 29,350

USH 151 NB

Fair

Over: STH 16-STH 60

1.9M N JCT CTH K, Columbia, WI

Built 1991 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 8,850

LRD SPRING ST

Fair

Over: BR SPRING CREEK

0.2M S JCT STH 60, Columbia, WI

Built 1985 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 530

IH 39 SB

Fair

Over: IH 90/94 EB

0.3M S JCT STH 78 TO S, Columbia, WI

Built 1993 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 10,300

CTH Q MAIN ST

Fair

Over: ROWAN CREEK

0.6M N JCT CTH CS, Columbia, WI

Built 1997 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,700

USH 18 EB-STH 60 E

Fair

Over: MARAIS DE ST FRIOL

1.3M E IOWA STATE LINE, Crawford, WI

Built 1974 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 5,400

CTH K

Fair

Over: CAMPBELL COULEE CREEK

2.3M S JCT STH 35, Crawford, WI

Built 1977 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,300

STH 179

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

5.0M E JCT STH 27, Crawford, WI

Built 1990 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 560

STH 60

Fair

Over: BUSH CREEK

6.7M E JCT USH 18 TO E, Crawford, WI

Built 1993 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,000

LRD GEITZ HILL RD

Fair

Over: BUSH CREEK

1.1M N JCT STH 60, Crawford, WI

Built 1992 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 22

STH 131

Fair

Over: SHAW HOLLOW CREEK

2.3M N JCT CTH E, Crawford, WI

Built 1940 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 210

USH 12/18 EB-USH 1

Fair

Over: USH 14/151

3.3M E JCT USH 18 TO W, Dane, WI

Built 1951 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 62,500

STH 19

Fair

Over: MAUNESHA RIVER

0.6M E JCT STH 73 TO N, Dane, WI

Built 1962 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 5,200

USH 12/18 WB-W BEL

Fair

Over: WSOR

3.4M W JCT CTH BB, Dane, WI

Built 1961 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 62,500

USH 12/18 WB BELTL

Fair

Over: CTH MC (JOHN NOLEN DR.)

2.4M W CTH BB (MONONA DR., Dane, WI

Built 1962 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 60,000

USH 12/14 EB-W BEL

Fair

Over: LRD OLD SAUK RD

1.7M E JCT USH 14 TO W, Dane, WI

Built 1987 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 31,525

USH 12/14 WB-W BEL

Fair

Over: LRD OLD SAUK RD

1.3M W JCT CTH S TO W, Dane, WI

Built 1987 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 31,525

LRD NETHERWOOD RD

Fair

Over: USH 14

0.8M E JCT CTH MM, Dane, WI

Built 1977 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,400

LRD CAMPUS DR

Fair

Over: LRD HIGHLAND AVE

2.0M W JCT USH 151, Dane, WI

Built 1968 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 30,500

USH 151 NB

Fair

Over: LRD COLUMBUS ST

2.2M N JCT STH 19 TO E, Dane, WI

Built 1970 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 12,800

USH 151 SB

Fair

Over: LRD COLUMBUS ST

1.8M S JCT CTH VV TO S, Dane, WI

Built 1970 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 12,800

Showing 4,101-4,150 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.