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 HH

Fair

Over: WISCONSIN RIVER OVRFLW

1.4M E JCT CTH E TO S, Portage, WI

Built 2006 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,700

CTH E

Fair

Over: BUTTERNUT CREEK

1.6M W JCT CTH B, Price, WI

Built 1967 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 560

LRD FLEMING RAPIDS

Fair

Over: ELK RIVER

0.1M N JCT CTH W, Price, WI

Built 1981 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 196

CTH H

Fair

Over: ELK RIVER

6.0M N JCT CTH D, Price, WI

Built 1988 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 86

LRD MUSSER DR

Fair

Over: ELK RIVER

0.5M S JCT CTH H, Price, WI

Built 1989 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 262

STH 20 EB

Fair

Over: LRD STUART RD

3.8 MI E JCT IH 94, Racine, WI

Built 1978 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 14,825

LRD SPRING ST

Fair

Over: ROOT RIVER

0.1M S JCT STH 38, Racine, WI

Built 1966 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 17,300

LRD 6TH ST VIADUCT

Fair

Over: LRD HOWE ST

0.1M W JCT STH 20, Racine, WI

Built 1986 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 3,400

STH 32-N MAIN ST

Fair

Over: ROOT RIVER

0.1M N JCT STH 38, Racine, WI

Built 1996 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 9,600

STH 130

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

1.7M N JCT CTH JJ TO W, Richland, WI

Built 1981 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 400

CTH D

Fair

Over: WILLOW CREEK

0.1M W JCT STH 58, Richland, WI

Built 1982 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 210

STH 56

Fair

Over: UPPER CAMP CREEK

1.5M E JCT CTH MM TO S, Richland, WI

Built 1987 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,200

STH 80

Fair

Over: PINE RIVER

0.2M N JCT CTH C, Richland, WI

Built 1986 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,400

CTH C MAIN ST

Fair

Over: PINE RIVER

0.2M N JCT CTH H TO S, Richland, WI

Built 1988 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 523

STH 80

Fair

Over: HOOSIER CREEK

0.1M N JCT CTH Y, Richland, WI

Built 1990 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,800

CTH B

Fair

Over: BR WILLOW CREEK

0.1M N JCT USH 14, Richland, WI

Built 1990 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 540

LRD JARVIS HOLLOW

Fair

Over: BR HORSE CREEK

1.3M E JCT CTH ZZ, Richland, WI

Built 1994 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 22

USH 51-E CENTERWAY

Fair

Over: ROCK RIVER

0.5M N JCT STH 11, Rock, WI

Built 1958 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 17,527

USH 51-MAIN ST

Fair

Over: SAUNDERS CREEK

0.2M N JCT STH 59, Rock, WI

Built 1960 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 8,000

IH 43 NB

Fair

Over: LRD SCHROEDER RD

3.2M N JCT IH 90 TO W, Rock, WI

Built 1975 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 8,700

IH 43 SB

Fair

Over: LRD SCHROEDER RD

3.7M S JCT STH 140 TO S, Rock, WI

Built 1975 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 8,700

IH 43 SB

Fair

Over: STH 140

8.2M S JCT USH 14 TO W, Rock, WI

Built 1975 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 9,400

LRD SHIRLAND AVE

Fair

Over: ROCK RIVER

0.2M W JCT IH 43, Rock, WI

Built 1984 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 8,700

LRD BLACK BRIDGE R

Fair

Over: LRD HAUL ROAD

0.4M E JCT USH 51, Rock, WI

Built 1983 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 7,900

LRD TOWN LINE RD

Fair

Over: ROCK RIVER

0.1M W JCT USH 51, Rock, WI

Built 1995 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 2,089

LRD WALRATH ROAD

Fair

Over: S FK MAIN CREEK

1.8M E JCT CTH B-83, Rusk, WI

Built 1986 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 378

CTH B

Fair

Over: LITTLE JUMP RIVER

4.6M S JCT CTH P--19, Rusk, WI

Built 1986 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 542

LRD CEMETERY RD (D

Fair

Over: ALDER CREEK

0.9M N JCT CTH G-90, Rusk, WI

Built 1992 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 75

CTH D

Fair

Over: MAIN CR

2.1M E STH 27, Rusk, WI

Built 2006 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,113

USH 63

Fair

Over: S FK WILLOW RIVER

0.8M N JCT CTH S, St. Croix, WI

Built 1986 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 4,300

CTH N

Fair

Over: BR RUSH RIVER

0.6M E JCT USH 63, St. Croix, WI

Built 1987 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 812

LRD CARMICHAEL RD

Fair

Over: IH 94-USH 12-STH 35

1.0M S JCT CTH UU, St. Croix, WI

Built 1991 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 34,200

CTH I

Fair

Over: STH 35/64

AT 35/64, St. Croix, WI

Built 2004 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 3,600

IH 90 EB-IH 94 EB

Fair

Over: STH 23

2.5M E JCT STH 13 TO N, Sauk, WI

Built 1961 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 23,500

STH 58

Fair

Over: LITTLE BARABOO RIVER

3.3M N JCT CTH G TO E, Sauk, WI

Built 1984 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,400

CTH K

Fair

Over: HAY CREEK

0.1M N JCT CTH F, Sauk, WI

Built 1986 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,118

CTH S

Fair

Over: NARROWS CREEK

0.6M E JCT CTH G, Sauk, WI

Built 1998 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 195

CTH F

Fair

Over: HAY CREEK

0.1M N JCT CTH K, Sauk, WI

Built 2001 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,068

STH 27/70-GETTYSBU

Fair

Over: EDDY CREEK

4.2M N JCT STH 40, Sawyer, WI

Built 1990 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,300

STH IRR (STH 27-ST

Fair

Over: COUDERAY RIVER

4.9M N JCT CTH C, Sawyer, WI

Built 1992 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,500

CTH W

Fair

Over: BRUNET RIVER

2.6M S JCT STH 70, Sawyer, WI

Built 2003 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 683

LRD WEIRGOR RD

Fair

Over: COURDERAY RIVER

0.3M S JCT STH 27, Sawyer, WI

Built 2003 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 42

CTH Q AND CTH M

Fair

Over: LRD WIOUWASH TRAIL

2.5M E JCT CTH OO, Shawano, WI

Built 1979 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 1,600

LRD IRR (MORGAN RD

Fair

Over: RED RIVER

0.2M N JCT CTH A, Shawano, WI

Built 1984 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 231

LRD GEIDER RD

Fair

Over: MILLER CREEK

0.7M E JCT CTH G, Shawano, WI

Built 1999 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 54

LRD RANGE LINE RD

Fair

Over: PIGEON RIVER

0.5M N JCT CTH J, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1979 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 117

IH 43 NB-STH 32 NB

Fair

Over: LRD AMSTERDAM RD

4.5M N JCT CTH D TO E, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1975 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 14,100

IH 43 SB-STH 32 SB

Fair

Over: LRD AMSTERDAM RD

1.2M S JCT STH 32 TO N, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1975 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 14,100

CTH PP INDIANA AVE

Fair

Over: CNW RR

1.0M E JCT CTH TA TO N, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1986 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 8,100

STH 67

Fair

Over: MULLET RIVER

0.8M N JCT STH 23, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1981 Load: 35.6 t ADT: 5,900

Showing 4,351-4,400 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.