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

LRD S 16TH ST RAMP

Fair

Over: LAND

0.8M N JCT STH 59, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1929 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 3,642

LRD N 35TH ST

Fair

Over: CANADIAN PACIFIC RR

0.2M N JCT USH 18, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1991 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 12,100

LRD S 13TH ST

Fair

Over: ROOT RIVER

1.9M S JCT STH 100, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1991 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,000

LRD S 84TH ST

Fair

Over: ROOT RIVER

0.6M W JCT CTH U, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1991 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,300

LRD E PUETZ RD

Fair

Over: OAK CREEK

1.4M E JCT STH 38, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1993 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 6,700

LRD W LINCOLN AVE

Fair

Over: KINNICKINNIC RIVER

0.3M E JCT STH 38, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1996 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 7,600

CTH BB & W. RAWSON

Fair

Over: TRIB. ROOT RIVER

2.5 M E JCT CTH U, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2000 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 8,700

CTH BB & W. RAWSON

Fair

Over: TRIB. ROOT RIVER

0.5M W JCT USH 41, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2000 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 8,700

LRD CANAL ST

Fair

Over: MENOMONEE RIVER

0.09M W OF AT 2, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2006 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 8,606

CTH PP EB/GOOD HOP

Fair

Over: IH 43

1.1 MI E JCT STH 57, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2010 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 15,050

STH 32-BROADWAY ST

Fair

Over: MILWAUKEE RIVER

0.6M N JCT STH 59, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1982 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 9,000

IH S-W RAMP IH 43

Fair

Over: IH 43 & IH 794

1.8 MI N JCT STH 59, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2008 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 21,600

IH 94 WB

Fair

Over: LEMONWEIR CREEK

2.0M W JCT IH 90 TO W, Monroe, WI

Built 1963 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 13,050

IH 94

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

0.9M E JCT USH 12 TO E, Monroe, WI

Built 1963 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 26,100

STH 131

Fair

Over: KICKAPOO RIVER

1.0M N JCT STH 71 TO E, Monroe, WI

Built 1984 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 3,200

CTH ET

Fair

Over: LEMONWEIR CREEK

2.3M E JCT CTH EE, Monroe, WI

Built 1981 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 828

CTH XX

Fair

Over: LITTLE LA CROSSE RIVER

0.4M N JCT STH 27, Monroe, WI

Built 1988 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 228

CTH M

Fair

Over: LEMONWEIR CREEK

2.3M S JCT STH 16, Monroe, WI

Built 1994 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 654

LRD E OAK ST

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

0.1M E JCT STH 21, Monroe, WI

Built 2000 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,400

LRD MASCOT AVE

Fair

Over: LITTLE LACROSSE RIVER

0.4M E JCT STH 27, Monroe, WI

Built 1998 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 283

CTH R

Fair

Over: LINZY CREEK

2.6M N JCT CTH VV, Oconto, WI

Built 1986 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,700

CTH A

Fair

Over: LITTLE RIVER

2.0M E JCT CTH J, Oconto, WI

Built 1989 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,200

USH 141 NB

Fair

Over: STH 22

7.0M N JCT USH 41 TO N, Oconto, WI

Built 2000 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 5,600

USH 141 SB

Fair

Over: STH 22

8.5M S JCT CTH M TO W, Oconto, WI

Built 2000 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 5,600

CTH W

Fair

Over: S BR OCONTO RIVER

2.0M E JCT CTH T, Oconto, WI

Built 2000 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 3,983

IH 41SB

Fair

Over: CTH JJ

3.2M S JCT CTH U, Outagamie, WI

Built 2000 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 26,700

LRD ONEIDA STREET

Fair

Over: LRD FOX RIVER

0.7M N JCT USH 10, Outagamie, WI

Built 1980 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 12,200

LRD PACIFIC ST

Fair

Over: LRD PEABODY PARK ROAD

0.4M S JCT STH 96, Outagamie, WI

Built 1985 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,590

LRD CENTER VALLEY

Fair

Over: DUCK CREEK

0.5M E JCT STH 55, Outagamie, WI

Built 1986 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 137

STH 54-STH 76-WEST

Fair

Over: WOLF RIVER

0.2M E JCT STH 76 TO N, Outagamie, WI

Built 1995 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 5,500

STH 15 WB

Fair

Over: IH 41 NB

0.4M N JCT CHT AA, Outagamie, WI

Built 1997 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 14,200

STH 55 / CROOKS AV

Fair

Over: POWER CANAL

CITY OF KAUKAUNA, Outagamie, WI

Built 1999 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 14,400

LRD FREISTADT ROAD

Fair

Over: PIGEON CREEK

0.6 M E OF JCT STH 181, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1999 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 3,200

CTH LL

Fair

Over: SAUK CREEK

0.5M W JCT STH 32, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1957 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 3,400

LRD ULAO PKWY

Fair

Over: IH 43/STH 57

0.5 MI W JCT STH 32, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1972 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 500

LRD SANDY BEACH RD

Fair

Over: IH 43-STH 32

0.5 MI E JCT CTH LL, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1974 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 550

LRD MAIN STREET

Fair

Over: PIGEON CREEK

0.7M N JCT STH 167, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1988 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 8,100

CTH W RIVERSIDE DR

Fair

Over: LITTLE CREEK

0.1M S JCT STH 33, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1988 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,100

STH 60

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

0.3M E JCT CTH I, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1994 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 14,900

LRD HIGHLAND RD

Fair

Over: PIGEON CREEK

0.5M E JCT STH 181, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1993 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 4,000

STH 35

Fair

Over: OAK GROVE CREEK

5.3M N JCT CTH QQ TO N, Pierce, WI

Built 1978 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 3,200

STH 35

Fair

Over: RUSH RIVER

1.1M N JCT CTH S, Pierce, WI

Built 1992 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,900

USH 8

Fair

Over: BALSAM BRANCH CREEK

1.5M E JCT STH 65, Polk, WI

Built 1990 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 6,000

CTH B

Fair

Over: TRADE RIVER

5.2M W JCT STH 35, Polk, WI

Built 2003 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 623

LRD CASMIR RD

Fair

Over: IH USH 51-IH 39

2.4M S JCT CTH X, Portage, WI

Built 1972 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,300

LRD N SECOND STREE

Fair

Over: HAY MEADOW CREEK

2.0M S JCT CTH X, Portage, WI

Built 1984 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,759

CTH HH

Fair

Over: WISCONSIN RIVER

1.0M E JCT CTH P, Portage, WI

Built 1999 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 4,280

LRD WHITING ROAD

Fair

Over: PLOVER RIVER

3.5M N JCT STH54, Portage, WI

Built 1999 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 906

STH 161

Fair

Over: TOMORROW RIVER

0.1M W JCT CTH Q, Portage, WI

Built 2007 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,400

LRD BEAR CREEK RD

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

0.9M S JCT CTH C, Portage, WI

Built 2001 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 161

Showing 4,301-4,350 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.