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 W LAPHAM BLVD

Fair

Over: IH 43/94

0.1M E JCT STH 38, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1968 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 7,700

IH RAMP NORTHBOUN

Fair

Over: LRD W BECHER ST

0.4 MI N JCT STH 38, Milwaukee, WI

Built 1969 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 3,400

LRD W CROSSOVER PA

Fair

Over: IH I 41/USH 45/STH 100 R

0.7 MI N JCT CTH PP, Milwaukee, WI

Built 2001 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 2,000

LRD LINCOLN AVE

Fair

Over: KICKAPOO RIVER

0.2M W JCT STH 131 TO N, Monroe, WI

Built 1927 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 101

LRD JOHN ST/IGLOO

Fair

Over: IH 90

1.4M S JCT STH 16, Monroe, WI

Built 1968 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 880

LRD WILLOW RD

Fair

Over: WILLOW RIVER

9.9M N JCT USH 8, Oneida, WI

Built 1967 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 392

LRD HOLLAND RD

Fair

Over: IH 41

0.8M N JCT CTH OO, Outagamie, WI

Built 1960 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 1,600

LRD VANDENBROEK RD

Fair

Over: IH 41

1.3M S JCT CTH JJ, Outagamie, WI

Built 1960 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 800

CTH Y

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

1.2M N JCT STH 60, Ozaukee, WI

Built 1957 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 1,500

CTH S

Fair

Over: PLUM CREEK

0.2M N JCT USH 10, Pierce, WI

Built 1959 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 412

CTH U

Fair

Over: PLUM CREEK

1.5M S JCT CTH S, Pierce, WI

Built 1959 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 412

IH USH51-IH39 SB

Fair

Over: FV&W RR

4.6M S JCT USH 10 TO E, Portage, WI

Built 1969 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 11,050

STH 20-WASHINGTON

Fair

Over: LRD MEMORIAL DR

2.5M E JCT STH 31, Racine, WI

Built 1969 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 15,600

CTH F

Fair

Over: KNAPP CREEK

0.3M N JCT CTH S, Richland, WI

Built 1960 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 120

CTH U

Fair

Over: KNAPP CREEK

1.4M S JCT USH 14, Richland, WI

Built 1967 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 76

LRD CREEK RD

Fair

Over: TURTLE CREEK

4.1M E JCT STH 140, Rock, WI

Built 1957 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 396

LRD W MEMORIAL DR

Fair

Over: ROCK RIVER

0.1M W JCT USH 51, Rock, WI

Built 1969 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 15,900

LRD TROUT RD

Fair

Over: IH 90-IH 94

1.2M E JCT CTH H, Sauk, WI

Built 1961 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 603

LRD XANADU RD

Fair

Over: IH 90-IH 94

0.7M E JCT STH 23, Sauk, WI

Built 1961 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 1,007

CTH J BEECH ST

Fair

Over: TIGER CREEK

0.2M N JCT CTH M TO W, Shawano, WI

Built 1923 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 720

CTH J

Fair

Over: SHEBOYGAN RIVER

0.7M W JCT CTH M, Sheboygan, WI

Built 1967 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 1,938

CTH A

Fair

Over: PINE CREEK

2.2M E JCT CTH DD, Taylor, WI

Built 1962 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 553

LRD SETTLEMENT DR

Fair

Over: BLACK RIVER

1.2M W JCT STH 13, Taylor, WI

Built 1979 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 58

STH 13

Fair

Over: TRIB. TO BLACK RIVER

0.2 MI N OF JCT CTH M, Taylor, WI

Built 1986 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 4,900

LRD THOMPSON COULE

Fair

Over: PIGEON CREEK

0.4M N JCT USH 53, Trempealeau, WI

Built 1981 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 50

CTH B

Fair

Over: USH 12

0.4M E JCT CTH U, Walworth, WI

Built 1965 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 1,600

LRD SHERIDAN SPRIN

Fair

Over: USH 12

0.7 MI E JCT STH 120, Walworth, WI

Built 1967 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 1,600

IH 43 SB

Fair

Over: STH 120

2.0 MI S JCT STH 20, Walworth, WI

Built 1971 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 11,550

IH 43 NB

Fair

Over: LRD POTTERS RD

2.7 MI N JCT STH 11, Walworth, WI

Built 1972 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 9,950

IH 94 EB

Fair

Over: LRD BROOKFIELD RD

1.6 MI E JCT USH 18, Waukesha, WI

Built 1962 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 66,500

CTH E

Fair

Over: S BR LITTLE WOLF RIVER

4.8M N JCT CTH K, Waupaca, WI

Built 1953 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 1,679

CTH H

Fair

Over: MUD CREEK

2.1M E JCT STH 49, Waushara, WI

Built 1956 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 650

CTH X

Fair

Over: SMALL CREEK

2.0M E JCT CTH XX, Waushara, WI

Built 1953 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 1,500

CTH A

Fair

Over: PINE RIVER

3.9M E JCT CTH K, Waushara, WI

Built 1963 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 1,600

13TH AVE

Fair

Over: SILVER CREEK

~1 MI N OF US 90, Monroe, WI

Built 1970 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 500

LRD 12TH ST

Fair

Over: VERMILLION RIVER

0.2M N JCT USH 8, Barron, WI

Built 1966 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 94

LRD 5 3/4 AVENUE

Fair

Over: TEN MILE CREEK

0.2 M W OF 30TH STREET, Barron, WI

Built 1981 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 35

LRD 0 AVE

Fair

Over: S FK HAY RIVER

0.7M W JCT CTH K, Barron, WI

Built 1955 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 47

CTH GV

Fair

Over: BR EAST RIVER

1.1M S JCT CTH V, Brown, WI

Built 1970 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 14,900

LRD OVERLAND RD

Fair

Over: DUTCHMANS CREEK

0.5M S JCT CTH EE, Brown, WI

Built 1925 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 94

LRD CREAMERY RD

Fair

Over: ASHWAUBENON CREEK

0.3M E JCT USH 41, Brown, WI

Built 1950 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 94

LRD FAIR RD

Fair

Over: BR EAST RIVER

1.5M W JCT STH 57, Brown, WI

Built 1952 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 94

LRD OVERLAND RD

Fair

Over: BR TROUT CREEK

1.6M N JCT CTH J, Brown, WI

Built 1955 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 94

LRD YAEGER VALLEY

Fair

Over: BR WAUMANDEE CREEK

1.0M W JCT STH 88, Buffalo, WI

Built 1922 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 58

LRD OLD STH 35 (DE

Fair

Over: MISSISSIPPI RIVER TRIB

0.2M E JCT STH 35, Buffalo, WI

Built 1926 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 700

LRD SOBOTTA RD (DE

Fair

Over: SWINNS VALLEY CREEK

0.1M N JCT CTH C, Buffalo, WI

Built 1968 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 20

CTH OO

Fair

Over: ROSE VALLEY CREEK

1.3M W JCT STH 35, Buffalo, WI

Built 1960 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 1,074

LRD 230TH AVENUE

Fair

Over: DUNCAN CREEK

0.4 M E 83RD STREET, Chippewa, WI

Built 1925 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 135

LRD CENTER ROAD

Fair

Over: POPPLE RIVER

1.6M W JCT STH 13, Clark, WI

Built 1961 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 58

LRD BROEK RD

Fair

Over: N FK EAU CLAIRE RIVER

2.4M W JCT CTH M, Clark, WI

Built 1955 Load: 19.4 t ADT: 58

Showing 401-450 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.