Local bridges struggle as Wisconsin outperforms nation

State-owned bridge conditions fared better than the national average while locally owned bridges fared worse, according to a new Wisconsin Policy Forum report.

Bridge conditions can have a major impact on commerce and transportation in general, with dilapidated bridges sometimes being assigned weight limits or even closed altogether. Age and the frequency of traffic can play major roles in their condition, but funding for bridge maintenance also plays a big role in keeping vital viaducts open to traffic.

However, Wisconsin’s bridges have been doing relatively well over the years, exceeding the national average since 2017, according to the report. In 2024, 51% of the bridges in Wisconsin were rated in good condition, the highest rating tier, compared to the 44.1% national average.

Wisconsin and the rest of the country have also made progress rebuilding and repairing bridges in poor condition, the lowest tier. The national average of poor condition bridges improved to 6.6% in 2024 from 7.8% in 2017. Wisconsin, which had the same as the national average in 2017, dropped its portion of poor condition bridges to 6.8% in 2024.

A little over half of Wisconsin’s bridges are 39 years old or newer, and only about 1% of those are rated in poor condition, according to the report. About a quarter of the state’s bridges are 40 to 59 years old, and over 10% of those bridges are in poor condition, showing age plays a major factor in bridge condition. There’s also a stark contrast between bridges over and under 60-years-old, with 15% of bridges between 60 and 69 years old in poor condition, and 27% of the 1,596 bridges 70 years and older in poor condition.

The state’s transportation fund, one of the primary sources of money for bridge maintenance and construction, is stretched thin, leading the state to prioritize the bridges it owns over those owned by local governments, according to the report. Local governments have also faced financial issues despite recent increases in shared revenue increases. Local property tax increases are capped at the rate of new construction, which restricts local governments from spending more on maintenance and upgrades.

Those funding issues have led some local governments to turn to adding local vehicle registration fees and transportation utility fees, though the utility side of that equation has faced legal setbacks in court. State limits on local property tax increases have also put pressure on local governments to find funding for their bridges.

The state government owns just over 37% of all bridges in Wisconsin, over 5,300 across the state. That includes notable spans such as the Hoan Bridge in Milwaukee and the Blatnik Bridge up north between Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Department of Transportation also owns and maintains all the bridges on or over state highways.

DOT-owned bridges also rarely fall into the lowest condition rating, with only 1.6% in the poor condition category.

Local government units own almost every other bridge in the state, except for about 1% owned by railroads, other state agencies and private entities.

Towns, the smallest municipal government unit, own 31.3% of bridges in the state, with 8.6% of those in poor condition.

Cities and villages, the larger of the municipal government units, own 9.3% of Wisconsin’s share of bridges, with 8.8% in poor condition.

Wisconsin’s 72 counties have 21.3% of the state’s bridges, with 21.8% in poor condition.

That means Wisconsin’s local government units, counties, cities, villages and towns, are responsible for maintaining around 60% of Wisconsin’s bridges, and 80% of the state’s bridges that are rated in poor condition.

Bridge conditions also follow the same trends in general road conditions with more well-traveled roads generally being better maintained. Bridges on county highways and city streets are about four times as likely to be in poor condition as those on state highways, and even more likely than compared to bridges on interstates.