County profile · official public datasets

Pope County, AR

188 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 39.4% rated Good, 59.6% Fair, 1.1% Poor.

188
Public bridges
39.4%
Good condition
1.1%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Pope County pairs a top-10% lowest Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state with an older average build year than the state inventory.

Top 8%
lowest Poor share in state
1.1%
Poor-condition share
188
public highway bridges
1975
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.

Pope County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Pope County ranks #6 of 75 Arkansas counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 1.1%). Pope County, Arkansas contains 188 public highway bridges. Roughly 39.4% are rated “Good,” 59.6% “Fair,” and 1.1% “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

188

Public highway bridges in Pope County

Good condition

39.4%

74 of 188 rated 7-9

Fair condition

59.6%

112 of 188 rated 5-6

Poor condition

1.1%

2 of 188 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#6 of 75

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

Condition distribution

Share of 188 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
39.4% (74)
Fair
59.6% (112)
Poor
1.1% (2)

Pope County's Poor-condition bridges carry 897 vehicle crossings a day

That is 0.1% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 1.1% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 449 crossings a day against 4,660 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 188 of 188 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

46.8% of Pope County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

88 of the 188 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 39.4% 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 98.9% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

SH 124 over Clear Creek, built 1962, carries 887 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 2-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 897 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Pope County's bridges were built

188 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1970s, when 30 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 16% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 45 to 54 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year is 1975, 5 years older than the Arkansas average of 1980.

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

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

The 5 Arkansas counties nearest Pope County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 1.1% Poor share is the 1st-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1975 against a peer-group mean of 1977 is in line with the group.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Pope County and the 5 Arkansas counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Montgomery County 199 2%
Scott County 198 6.6%
Poinsett County 194 16%
Pope County (this page) 188 1.1%
Lonoke County 187 4.8%
Independence County 184 8.7%

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 Pope 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 Pope County, both outside Arkansas so the neighborhoods are not the same-state size table above.

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside AR (188 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside AR (1975 here).

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

All 188 Good 74 Fair 112 Poor 2

All bridges (188)

West 3rd Place

Good

Over: Engineer Ditch

.05 Mi East of East Circl, Pope, AR

Built 1980 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 200

SH 7

Good

Over: Creek

4.1 MI N I-40 & SH 7, Pope, AR

Built 1977 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 11,000

SH 124

Good

Over: Creek

6.53 M NE of jct SH 7, Pope, AR

Built 1997 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 4,800

SH 124

Good

Over: Gum Log Creek

5.77 MI NE OF JCT SH 7, Pope, AR

Built 1997 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 4,800

SH 164

Good

Over: Branch

1.4 M W Jct SH 7 & 164, Pope, AR

Built 2004 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 1,100

Hob Nob Rd.

Good

Over: Creek

0.34 Mi E. Jct of SH 326, Pope, AR

Built 2010 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,600

SH 7

Good

Over: Shiloh Creek

S Outskirts of Shiloh, Pope, AR

Built 1964 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 16,215

SH 7

Good

Over: Linker Creek

5.8 MI N I-40 & 7, Pope, AR

Built 1977 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 11,000

SH 105

Good

Over: Gumlog Creek

1.9 MI N JCT SH 247&105, Pope, AR

Built 1993 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,797

SH 7

Good

Over: Bakers Creek

2.25 MI N I-40, Pope, AR

Built 1997 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 11,000

SH 7 -SEC. 15

Good

Over: I 40 -SEC. 22

@ INTER I 40 & SH 7, Pope, AR

Built 2003 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 21,071

SH 7

Good

Over: Illinios Bayou

0.4 M S of Jct. SH 333, Pope, AR

Built 2001 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,500

Dwight Mission Rd.

Good

Over: I 40 -SEC. 22

0.2 Mi N. of Jct. US 64, Pope, AR

Built 2004 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 289

SH 124

Good

Over: I 40 - SEC. 22

0.85 MI N JCT US 64, Pope, AR

Built 2006 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,800

SH 247

Good

Over: Galla Creek

5.94 Mi E of Jct SH 7, Pope, AR

Built 2011 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,900

SH 247

Good

Over: E Ash Rd & UP RR

0.12 Mi. S Jct SH 64, Pope, AR

Built 2011 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,900

SH 164

Good

Over: Little Creek

0.27 M N jct. SH 27 & 164, Pope, AR

Built 2010 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 600

State Highway 164

Good

Over: Illinois Bayou-Pope

1.46 Mi. N of SH 27, Pope, AR

Built 2011 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 600

US 64

Good

Over: Galla Creek

.25 M W Jct SH 247, Pope, AR

Built 2013 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,000

SH 105

Good

Over: Isabell Creek

Community of Oak Grove, Pope, AR

Built 2021 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 950

East Parkway - B

Good

Over: Prairie Creek

.05 E St. Hwy. 7, Pope, AR

Built 1978 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,000

Larue Ridge Rd - D

Good

Over: Little Creek

0.2 MI S. jct CO RD 24, Pope, AR

Built 1991 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 10

Willow Bend Rd-A

Good

Over: Ditch

.22 MI W Conway Co. Line, Pope, AR

Built 2003 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 25

S. Frankfort St-A

Good

Over: Whig Creek

0.63 MI. S. JCT. SH. 7T, Pope, AR

Built 2005 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 408

N. Phoenix Ave.

Good

Over: Prairie Creek

0.55 Mi N of W Pkway Dr, Pope, AR

Built 2012 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,000

N. Phoenix Ave.

Good

Over: Union Pacific Railroad

0.25 MI N JCT US 64, Pope, AR

Built 2014 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,500

Broomfield Rd.

Good

Over: Creek

2.7 mi E of SH 7, Pope, AR

Built 2018 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 977

I40 Sec 22 WB Ln

Good

Over: Co Rd 611 6 & Mill Cr

2.7 MI E Jct SH 333, Pope, AR

Built 2013 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 13,500

I40 Sec 22 WB LN

Good

Over: Illinois Bayou

6.33 Mi E SH 333 & I-40, Pope, AR

Built 2013 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 14,000

I40 Sec 22 EB Ln

Good

Over: Co Rd 611 6 & Mill Cr

2.7 MI E Jct SH 333, Pope, AR

Built 2013 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 13,500

I40 Sec 22 EB Ln

Good

Over: Illinois Bayou

0.75 Mi W of Jct SH 7, Pope, AR

Built 2013 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 14,000

US 64

Good

Over: White Oak Creek

3.9 M W Conway Co Line, Pope, AR

Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,000

SH 331

Good

Over: Creek

0.16 M S Jct US 64, Pope, AR

Built 2018 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,700

SH 105

Good

Over: Alewine Creek

2.0 M N Jct US 64, Pope, AR

Built 2021 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 4,000

SH 105

Good

Over: Hector Creek

2.61 M S Jct SH 27, Pope, AR

Built 2021 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,800

SH 333

Good

Over: Branch

5.5 I W Jct SH 7 & 333, Pope, AR

Built 2023 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 750

Griffin Flat Rd-B

Poor

Over: Creek

2.8 M N hwy. 247, Pope, AR

Built 1970 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 10

SH 124

Poor

Over: Clear Creek

4.19 MI E JCT SH 105, Pope, AR

Built 1962 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 887

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

Related

Browse all → | Rankings →
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.