County profile · official public datasets

Franklin County, AR

143 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 25.2% rated Good, 65.7% Fair, 9.1% Poor.

143
Public bridges
25.2%
Good condition
9.1%
Poor condition

The verdict

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory.

Franklin County pairs a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.

62nd
of 75 on Poor share
9.1%
Poor-condition share
143
public highway bridges
1965
avg year built

Poor is an FHWA condition category from the lowest applicable component rating (4 or below), not a live crossing-safety or closure decision. Rankings cover counties with at least five public highway bridges.

Franklin County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Franklin County ranks #62 of 75 Arkansas counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 9.1%). Franklin County, Arkansas contains 143 public highway bridges. Roughly 25.2% are rated “Good,” 65.7% “Fair,” and 9.1% “Poor.” Poor means the lowest applicable deck, superstructure, substructure, or culvert rating is 4 or below on the 0–9 NBI scale. It is a condition category, not a live safety or closure decision.

Responsible agencies inspect covered bridges on risk-based intervals under current NBIS rules and submit inventory data to FHWA annually. The list below shows every NBI-tracked bridge in the county. Use the “Sort by” controls to change the ordering, and click any row for its reported inspection date, traffic count, and condition fields.

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory. See methodology for full definitions.

Total bridges

143

Public highway bridges in Franklin County

Good condition

25.2%

36 of 143 rated 7-9

Fair condition

65.7%

94 of 143 rated 5-6

Poor condition

9.1%

13 of 143 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#62 of 75

Among Arkansas counties with 5+ bridges, lower share ranks better

Condition distribution

Share of 143 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
25.2% (36)
Fair
65.7% (94)
Poor
9.1% (13)

Franklin County's Poor-condition bridges carry 16,087 vehicle crossings a day

That is 4.3% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 9.1% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 1,237 crossings a day against 1,884 for a Good-condition one. A Poor rating is a condition category, not a closure or a live safety judgement; it means the lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below.

Computed over the 143 of 143 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

74.8% of Franklin County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

107 of the 143 bridges with a recorded construction year were built in 1974 or earlier. Age alone is not a defect: a well-maintained older bridge can rate Good, and 25.2% of this county's inventory does. Even so, this older cohort is the population from which future Poor ratings are drawn, which is why the age profile below matters alongside the condition split above.

Cutoff derives from the 2024 release year minus a 50-year design life. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

One structure carries 43% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

State Highway 23 over Arkansas River & Uprr, built 1930, carries 6,925 vehicles a day, the most of any Poor-rated structure here. The county's Poor-condition exposure is concentrated rather than evenly spread, so the 13-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 16,087 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Franklin County's bridges were built

143 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1970s, when 38 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 26.6% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 45 to 54 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1965, 15 years older than the Arkansas average of 1980.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory (year built) As of 2024 NBI release

How Franklin County compares with Arkansas's closest counties by inventory size

The 5 Arkansas counties nearest Franklin County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 9.1% Poor share is the 5th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1965 against a peer-group mean of 1976 is 11 years older.

Showing the 5 closest of 74 Arkansas counties eligible for comparison.

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Franklin County and the 5 Arkansas counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Logan County 152 8.6%
Randolph County 151 3.3%
Drew County 149 4%
Madison County 149 15.4%
Franklin County (this page) 143 9.1%
Jackson County 136 8.1%

Each share is of that county's own total tracked bridges; peers are the counties with 5 or more bridges whose inventory size is closest to Franklin County's. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

Nationwide counties with similar inventory size or average build year

Two NBI-derived peer sets for Franklin County, both outside Arkansas so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside AR (143 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside AR (1965 here).

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release. Peers floor at 10 bridges so stub inventories cannot own the match.

All 143 Good 36 Fair 94 Poor 13

Good-condition bridges (36)

NO DATA ENTERED

Good

Over: PERRY BRANCH

NO DATA ENTERED, Franklin, AR

Built 1971 ADT: 50

SH 23-Franklin Co.

Good

Over: Stream

7.24 MI NO OF US 64-OZARK, Franklin, AR

Built 1951 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,700

SH 217 - Franklin

Good

Over: Creek

3.82 MI NW LOGAN CO L, Franklin, AR

Built 1928 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,600

Watalula Rd

Good

Over: W Gary Branch-Frank Co.

0.4 M W OF WATALULU, Franklin, AR

Built 1940 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 815

Honeysuckle Road

Good

Over: McKinney Creek - Frank.

0.19 M. S. Jct Hwy 352, Franklin, AR

Built 2005 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 74

SH 23

Good

Over: ROARK CREEK

9.5MI SO JCT SH 96 & 23, Franklin, AR

Built 1967 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 2,800

SH 96-SEC 4

Good

Over: Branch of Moores Creek

1.8 MI W JCT 23 & 96, Franklin, AR

Built 1990 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 913

SH 41-Franklin Co.

Good

Over: Perry Creek

0.9 MI N JCT SH 22 & 41, Franklin, AR

Built 1964 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 918

SH 217 - Franklin

Good

Over: Cypress Creek

2.96 NW JCT SH 23, Franklin, AR

Built 1940 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,600

East Spring Street

Good

Over: East Fork Gar Creek

0.28 Mi E SH 219, Franklin, AR

Built 1968 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 271

Barcliff Drive

Good

Over: Hicks Creek - Frank. Co.

0.2 M S JCT US 64, Franklin, AR

Built 1969 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 23

James Road

Good

Over: Hall Creek Franklin Co.

2.51 N SH 60, Franklin, AR

Built 2020 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 100

Adams Road

Good

Over: White Oak Creek-Franklin

0.49 M E OF CO RD 64 D, Franklin, AR

Built 1970 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 841

Oak Bend Road

Good

Over: Lowes Creek-Franklin Co

.24 MI NE S.H. 41, Franklin, AR

Built 1988 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 453

Shores Lake Road

Good

Over: Perry Branch-Franklin Co

1.58 Mi W of SH 23, Franklin, AR

Built 1975 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 84

E. Philpot Road

Good

Over: Mckinney Cr. - Frank. Co

1.8 MI W HWY 352, Franklin, AR

Built 1992 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 191

North 2nd Street

Good

Over: Gar Creek - Ozark

0.2 M N SH 64, Franklin, AR

Built 2011 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,880

SH 352-Franklin Co

Good

Over: East Fork Gar Creek

1.5 MI E SH 219, Franklin, AR

Built 1975 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 550

SH 352-Franklin Co

Good

Over: N. McKinney Branch

5.3 MI E SH 219, Franklin, AR

Built 1975 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 550

SH 60-Franklin Co

Good

Over: Hurricane Creek

1.580 MI W SH 41 & 60, Franklin, AR

Built 1988 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 275

State Highway 215

Good

Over: Mountain Cr Franklin Co

1.45 M E SH 23, Franklin, AR

Built 1996 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 260

State Highway 215

Good

Over: Herrods Creek - Franklin

4.81 MI E OF SH 23, Franklin, AR

Built 1997 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 160

State Highway 41

Good

Over: Six Mile Creek Franklin

2.2 MILE N. OF LOGAN COUN, Franklin, AR

Built 2003 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 420

State Highway 309

Good

Over: Smith Creek-Franklin Co.

5.1 Mi So Jct Hwy 23, Franklin, AR

Built 2004 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,600

James Road

Good

Over: Onion Creek - Frank. Co.

JCT OF CO RD 17/238 & 217, Franklin, AR

Built 1998 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 70

State Highway 215

Good

Over: Indian Creek-Franklin Co

7.67 MI E OF SH 23, Franklin, AR

Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 160

Potts Road

Good

Over: Six mile creek tributary

1.4 MI North of SH 217, Franklin, AR

Built 2021 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 70

Holland Rd

Good

Over: Perry Creek

1.74 MI NO OF BRANCH, Franklin, AR

Built 2021 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

Watalula Rd.

Good

Over: N. Fork White Oak relief

Watalula, Franklin, AR

Built 2021 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 100

Interstate 40 West

Good

Over: Lone Elm Rd-Franklin Co.

4.01 MI E CRAWFORD CO.LIN, Franklin, AR

Built 1970 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,500

I 40-SEC 12 WB LNS

Good

Over: Philpot Road-Frank. Co.

5.56 MI W JOHNSON CO. LIN, Franklin, AR

Built 1969 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,000

Interstate 40 East

Good

Over: Lone Elm Rd-Franklin Co.

4.03 MI E CRAWFORD CO LIN, Franklin, AR

Built 1970 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,500

Intertate 40 West

Good

Over: Philpot Road-Franklin Co

8 MI W OF ALTUS, Franklin, AR

Built 1971 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,000

NFSR 1520

Good

Over: COVE CREEK

1.4 MI WEST STE. HWY 23, Franklin, AR

Built 2018 Load: 43.4 t ADT: 50

CO.RD.#FR75

Good

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Franklin, AR

Built 1990 Load: 55.4 t ADT: 50

Sandy Branch Road

Good

Over: Sandy Branch

0.88 Mi N of Co Rd 64 D, Franklin, AR

Built 2023 Load: 61.7 t ADT: 99

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

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Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.