CR 38 - Polk Co.
Carrying CR 38 - Polk Co. over Mt. Fork River
3.10 MI W JCT 37 & 38, Polk, Arkansas
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
CR 38 - Polk Co. in Polk, Arkansas sits above 3% of rated Arkansas bridges on inventory load rating (8 t), while its 1905 build year is earlier than 100% of Polk's recorded-year cohort (221 bridges).
CR 38 - Polk Co. in Polk, Arkansas is rated Poor in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1905, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 3. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Poor result describes the weakest reported component rather than the structure as a whole. No NBI category is a closure decision or a live crossing-safety verdict.
NBI record plate
Structure AR:000000000016149
PRE-1950 · STEEL · MULTI-SPAN · SUPER-LED · LOCAL-ADT · LIGHT-LOAD · CAT-POOR
- PRE-1950 Pre-1950
- STEEL Steel
- MULTI-SPAN 2 spans
- SUPER-LED Superstructure-led
- LOCAL-ADT Local ADT
- LIGHT-LOAD Light load
- CAT-POOR Poor
Inspection-sheet codes from this record’s year, material family, spans, controlling component, ADT, inventory load, and NBI category, not a live closure verdict.
Bridge Snapshot: CR 38 - Polk Co.
The CR 38 - Polk Co. bridge in Polk, Arkansas carries CR 38 - Polk Co. over Mt. Fork River. It was built in 1905, making it 121 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 2 sections, stretching 123.7 meters (406 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 144 vehicles, placing it in the lower-traffic tier of Arkansas bridges. It is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure at 3/9, substructure at 4/9. The weakest component sits in poor condition. A component scored 4 or below, placing this bridge in the federal Poor condition category rather than declaring it unsafe or closed.
How CR 38 - Polk Co. compares
Age against the county: built in 1905, earlier than 220 of Polk's 221 bridges with a recorded construction year (100%), against a county median build year of 1953. Age is not a defect on its own, but it is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn.
Live comparison across Arkansas bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (12,914 of 12,974 rated).
CR 38 - Polk Co. vs every rated Arkansas bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
8 Top 97% higher than 3% of 12,914 bridges
rated Arkansas bridges, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more bridges. 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 · August 2026
Condition Ratings
Full 0–9 scale + sufficiency-rating breakdown: how condition ratings work.
Reported 0–9 component ratings from the FHWA NBI. The highlighted component is the lowest reported input to this record’s current condition category; it is not a closure or live crossing-safety decision.
Polk inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 221 bridges in this county. Orthogonal to this structure's component profile above: a county catalog share, not a live crossing-safety verdict.
Structural Details
- Year Built
- 1905
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 2
- Structure Length
- 123.7 m (406 ft)
- Deck Width
- 4.3 m (14 ft)
- Owner
- County Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 144 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000016149
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in fair condition (5/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • At 3/9, the superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in poor shape, with advanced wear on file for this vintage.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates poor at 4/9, with advanced deterioration recorded on the latest inspection.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
CR 38 - Polk Co. is in the federal Poor condition category. That is a component-based result, not a closure order.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Understand what Poor condition does and does not mean before drawing conclusions. Poor condition explained
- Compare CR 38 - Polk Co. against other structures in Polk and across Arkansas. Arkansas bridges
- Noticed visible damage or a safety concern? Report it to the agency that owns the bridge, or call 911 in an emergency. How to report a bridge
Condition codes come straight from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory and are not a real-time safety judgment. Only the owning agency, a state DOT, county, or other owner, can post, restrict, or close a bridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the condition ratings mean for CR 38 - Polk Co.?
CR 38 - Polk Co. in Polk, Arkansas has a deck rating of 5/9, superstructure rating of 3/9, and substructure rating of 4/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is CR 38 - Polk Co. inspected?
CR 38 - Polk Co.'s responsible agency sets its routine interval under FHWA's risk-based inspection rules; this page does not expose the scheduled interval. It carries about 144 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. CR 38 - Polk Co. is currently shown as Poor condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for CR 38 - Polk Co.?
CR 38 - Polk Co. has an NBI inventory load rating of 8.2 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining CR 38 - Polk Co.?
CR 38 - Polk Co. is owned and maintained by County Highway Agency.
How old is CR 38 - Polk Co. and does age affect safety?
CR 38 - Polk Co. was built in 1905, making it 121 years old.
Disclaimer: Bridge condition data is from the FHWA NBI and reflects the last reported inspection. A Poor condition rating is not a live declaration that a bridge is closed or unsafe for travel. For current closure, posting, or safety information, contact the responsible transportation agency.
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Send this source-bounded record or download its data card. An NBI condition category is not a closure or live crossing-safety verdict.
Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Component ratings, ADT, and condition category on this page are copied from the NBI record for this structure; 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.