County profile · official public datasets

Van Buren County, AR

98 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 44.9% rated Good, 48% Fair, 7.1% Poor.

98
Public bridges
44.9%
Good condition
7.1%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

Van Buren County posts a higher-than-median Poor-condition share among rated counties in the state across rated county bridge inventory.

53rd
of 75 on Poor share
7.1%
Poor-condition share
98
public highway bridges
1979
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.

Van Buren County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Van Buren County ranks #53 of 75 Arkansas counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 7.1%). Van Buren County, Arkansas contains 98 public highway bridges. Roughly 44.9% are rated “Good,” 48% “Fair,” and 7.1% “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

98

Public highway bridges in Van Buren County

Good condition

44.9%

44 of 98 rated 7-9

Fair condition

48%

47 of 98 rated 5-6

Poor condition

7.1%

7 of 98 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#53 of 75

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

Condition distribution

Share of 98 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
44.9% (44)
Fair
48% (47)
Poor
7.1% (7)

Van Buren County's Poor-condition bridges carry 4,228 vehicle crossings a day

That is 2.9% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 7.1% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 604 crossings a day against 2,418 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 98 of 98 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

43.9% of Van Buren County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

43 of the 98 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 44.9% 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 35.5% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

SH 16 over PEE DEE CREEK, built 1940, carries 1,500 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 7-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 4,228 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Van Buren County's bridges were built

98 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 2010s, when 19 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 19.4% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 5 to 14 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1979) matches the Arkansas average (1980).

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

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

The 5 Arkansas counties nearest Van Buren County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 7.1% Poor share is the 4th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1979 against a peer-group mean of 1978 is in line with the group.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Van Buren County and the 5 Arkansas counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Dallas County 103 4.9%
Phillips County 101 21.8%
Boone County 98 3.1%
Van Buren County (this page) 98 7.1%
Pike County 95 3.2%
Lee County 94 12.8%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside AR (98 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside AR (1979 here).

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

All 98 Good 44 Fair 47 Poor 7

Good-condition bridges (44)

Wilderness Trail

Good

Over: CREEK

1.8 W JCT. CR 1650, Van Buren, AR

Built 1940 Load: 15.4 t ADT: 473

SH 92

Good

Over: LAZY CREEK RELIEF

6.0 MI NE MORGENTON, Van Buren, AR

Built 1967 Load: 16.3 t ADT: 1,004

Old Hwy 16 Loop

Good

Over: WEAVER REFUGE

0.05 MI N JCT OF SH 16, Van Buren, AR

Built 1946 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 400

SH 16

Good

Over: WEAVER CREEK

6.20 MI E JCT OF US 65, Van Buren, AR

Built 1996 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,500

Pennington Rd.- A

Good

Over: N Fk Cadron Creek

.05 Mi E Jct CR 46 & 59, Van Buren, AR

Built 2012 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 67

SH 92

Good

Over: Duke Creek

4.0 MI NE of Conway Co Ln, Van Buren, AR

Built 1971 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 725

SH 16

Good

Over: CREEK

4 MI W OF RUPERT ARK., Van Buren, AR

Built 1976 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 110

SH 16

Good

Over: BRANCH

5.0 MI W OF RUPERT, Van Buren, AR

Built 1976 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 110

Old SH 336

Good

Over: Cove Creek

2.00 Mi E Jct of US 65, Van Buren, AR

Built 2003 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 280

W. Cliff Dr - B

Good

Over: Lynn Creek

0.8 Mi E. SH 330 & Beaver, Van Buren, AR

Built 2014 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 977

SH 92

Good

Over: CREEK

7.4 MI NE CONWAY CO L, Van Buren, AR

Built 2004 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 725

SH 16

Good

Over: Banner Creek

5.98 MI E JCT OF US 65, Van Buren, AR

Built 1996 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 1,500

SH 92

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.7 MI NE OF CONWAY CO LI, Van Buren, AR

Built 1971 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 725

Lynn Creek Rd

Good

Over: Lynn Creek

1.1 M SE JCT US 65, Van Buren, AR

Built 2014 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 25

Old SH 330

Good

Over: Big Branch

0.5 MI E Jct US 65, Van Buren, AR

Built 1961 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 660

SH 9

Good

Over: BRANCH

0.62 MI NO OF CONWAY CO, Van Buren, AR

Built 1952 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,600

SH 9

Good

Over: BRANCH

4.71 MI NO OF CONWAY CO, Van Buren, AR

Built 1952 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,842

SH 92

Good

Over: LAZY CREEK RELIEF

7.0 MI NE MORGENTON, Van Buren, AR

Built 1967 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,004

Lo Gap Rd - E

Good

Over: S Fk of Little Red River

3 M N Scotland, Van Buren, AR

Built 1984 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 510

Round Springs Rd

Good

Over: Choctaw Creek

.25 E SH 9, Van Buren, AR

Built 1983 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 259

US 65

Good

Over: DITCH

3.3 MI N DAMASCUS, Van Buren, AR

Built 1929 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 7,900

Rockhouse Rd - A

Good

Over: North Fork Cadron Creek

1.6M N Jct SH 356 & CR 47, Van Buren, AR

Built 2016 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 60

Lynn creek Rd.

Good

Over: Creek

1.9 mi SE jct SH65, Van Buren, AR

Built 2011 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 237

Light foot Dr - C

Good

Over: S Fork Weaver Creek

.04 M E Jct SH 16, Van Buren, AR

Built 1985 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 235

Lynn Creek Rd

Good

Over: Lynn Creek

0.6 MI NW JCT SH 110, Van Buren, AR

Built 2014 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 237

SH 336

Good

Over: CREEK

1.8 MI NW OF FORMOSA, Van Buren, AR

Built 1984 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 512

Black Hill Rd - A

Good

Over: N FORK CADRON CREEK

3.60 MI E JCT US 65, Van Buren, AR

Built 2005 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 90

Silver Rock Rd

Good

Over: Weaver Creek

0.72 MI S JCT SH 16, Van Buren, AR

Built 2006 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 240

SH 16

Good

Over: WEAVER CREEK

6.3 M NE OF CLINTON, Van Buren, AR

Built 1996 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,500

US 65

Good

Over: Choctaw Creek

0.6 MI SO OF CHOCTAW, Van Buren, AR

Built 2003 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,204

US 65

Good

Over: Big Branch

N Outskirts of Choctaw, Van Buren, AR

Built 2003 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 14,146

US 65

Good

Over: PINE MT. CREEK

1.5 MI N OF DAMASCUS, Van Buren, AR

Built 2005 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,900

US 65

Good

Over: SFk Little Red River

1.27 Mi S. Jct SH 16 W., Van Buren, AR

Built 2011 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 16,000

SH 92

Good

Over: Scroggins Creek

1.0 Mi NE Bee Branch, Van Buren, AR

Built 2013 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,000

US 65

Good

Over: Town Branch

.71 M S JCT SH 16, Van Buren, AR

Built 2015 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12,000

US 65

Good

Over: Archey Fork Creek

.5 M N JCT SH 95, Van Buren, AR

Built 2015 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 11,570

SH 124

Good

Over: Cadron Creek

6.08 mi. E. JCT. SH. 65, Van Buren, AR

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,100

Sulphur Rd

Good

Over: Ward Creek

2 mile SW of hwy 65, Van Buren, AR

Built 2012 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 30

Dodd Mtn Rd

Good

Over: Little Creek

0.05M W JCT CR 89 & 87, Van Buren, AR

Built 2012 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 371

Round Springs Rd-F

Good

Over: Choctaw Creek

.1 M EAST JCT SH 9, Van Buren, AR

Built 2013 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 427

Clella Circle - A

Good

Over: Bailey Hollow Creek

1.28 Mi N CR 24, Van Buren, AR

Built 2015 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 878

Oak Tree Rd

Good

Over: Pine Mtn Creek

2 M N JCT SH 285 & CR 29, Van Buren, AR

Built 2015 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 125

SH 254

Good

Over: Creek

1 MI NE of Chimes, Van Buren, AR

Built 1991 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 140

SH 92

Good

Over: Evansville Creek

2.0 mile NE of Morganton, Van Buren, AR

Built 2015 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,004

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

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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.