ARKANSAS HWY 59
Carrying ARKANSAS HWY 59 over JAMES W TRIMBLE LOCK&DAM
3 MI. E OF FT. SMITH, Sebastian, Arkansas
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
ARKANSAS HWY 59 in Sebastian, Arkansas sits above 99% of rated Arkansas bridges on inventory load rating (34 t), while its 1979 build year is earlier than 52% of Sebastian's recorded-year cohort (331 bridges).
ARKANSAS HWY 59 in Sebastian, Arkansas is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1979, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 6. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Fair 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:AHTD00000005897
INTERSTATE-ERA · PRESTRESS · LONG-SPAN-RUN · TIED-CTRL · ARTERIAL-ADT · STANDARD-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- PRESTRESS Prestressed concrete
- LONG-SPAN-RUN 17 spans
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial ADT
- STANDARD-LOAD Standard load
- CAT-FAIR Fair
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: ARKANSAS HWY 59
The ARKANSAS HWY 59 bridge in Sebastian, Arkansas carries ARKANSAS HWY 59 over JAMES W TRIMBLE LOCK&DAM. It was built in 1979, making it 47 years old today. The structure is built primarily of prestressed concrete and spans 17 sections, stretching 1193.5 meters (3916 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 7,800 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Arkansas bridges. It is owned and maintained by Army Corps of Engineers.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure at 6/9, substructure at 6/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. All reported major components score above the Poor range.
How ARKANSAS HWY 59 compares
Age against the county: built in 1979, earlier than 173 of Sebastian's 331 bridges with a recorded construction year (52%), against a county median build year of 1985. 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).
ARKANSAS HWY 59 vs every rated Arkansas bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
34 Top 1% higher than 99% 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.
Sebastian inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 331 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
- 1979
- Material
- Prestressed Concrete
- Number of Spans
- 17
- Structure Length
- 1193.5 m (3916 ft)
- Deck Width
- 9.9 m (32 ft)
- Owner
- Army Corps of Engineers
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 7,800 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- AHTD00000005897
Condition Analysis
- • At 6/9, the deck (driving surface) shows fair condition, with minor wear flagged for upkeep.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in fair condition (6/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • The substructure (piers and abutments) rates fair at 6/9, minor deterioration that routine maintenance should address.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
This page shows what the last federal inspection recorded, not whether ARKANSAS HWY 59 is safe to cross today. Here is how to use it.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Learn how the 0–9 condition scale and Good/Fair/Poor categories are defined. How condition ratings work
- Compare ARKANSAS HWY 59 against other structures in Sebastian 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 ARKANSAS HWY 59?
ARKANSAS HWY 59 in Sebastian, Arkansas has a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure rating of 6/9, and substructure rating of 6/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is ARKANSAS HWY 59 inspected?
ARKANSAS HWY 59'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 7,800 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. ARKANSAS HWY 59 is currently shown as Fair condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for ARKANSAS HWY 59?
ARKANSAS HWY 59 has an NBI inventory load rating of 33.9 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining ARKANSAS HWY 59?
ARKANSAS HWY 59 is owned and maintained by Army Corps of Engineers.
How old is ARKANSAS HWY 59 and does age affect safety?
ARKANSAS HWY 59 was built in 1979, making it 47 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.
Share this inspection record
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.