County profile · official public datasets

Washington County, AR

449 public highway bridges tracked in the FHWA National Bridge Inventory: 22.3% rated Good, 70.8% Fair, 6.9% Poor.

449
Public bridges
22.3%
Good condition
6.9%
Poor condition

The verdict

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

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

51st
of 75 on Poor share
6.9%
Poor-condition share
449
public highway bridges
1982
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.

Washington County Bridge Snapshot

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, Washington County ranks #51 of 75 Arkansas counties with at least 5 public highway bridges on Poor-condition share (lower share ranks better; currently 6.9%). Washington County, Arkansas contains 449 public highway bridges. Roughly 22.3% are rated “Good,” 70.8% “Fair,” and 6.9% “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

449

Public highway bridges in Washington County

Good condition

22.3%

100 of 449 rated 7-9

Fair condition

70.8%

318 of 449 rated 5-6

Poor condition

6.9%

31 of 449 rated 4 or below

In-state Poor-share rank

#51 of 75

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

Condition distribution

Share of 449 NBI-tracked bridges by lowest applicable component rating.

Good
22.3% (100)
Fair
70.8% (318)
Poor
6.9% (31)

Washington County's Poor-condition bridges carry 44,785 vehicle crossings a day

That is 1.7% of the county's reported daily bridge traffic on 6.9% of its bridges: Poor-condition structures carry less traffic than their share of the inventory. Each Poor bridge averages 1,445 crossings a day against 7,949 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 449 of 449 bridges in this county that report an average daily traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

29.4% of Washington County's bridges have passed the 50-year mark

132 of the 449 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 22.3% 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 29% of the county's Poor-condition bridge traffic

East Huntsville Rd over Spout Spring Br. - Fay., built 1940, carries 13,000 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 31-bridge count understates how much of the daily burden sits on a single crossing.

Share is of the 44,785 daily crossings on Poor-rated bridges that report a traffic count. Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory, 2024 release.

When Washington County's bridges were built

449 bridges with a recorded construction year, grouped by decade

bridges

What this shows Construction peaked in the 1990s, when 95 of the county's bridges still in the inventory were built, which is 21.2% of those with a recorded year. That cohort is now 25 to 34 years old in the 2024 inventory. Its average build year (1982) matches the Arkansas average (1980).

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

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

The 5 Arkansas counties nearest Washington County in number of bridges, with their condition splits. Its 6.9% Poor share is the 6th-lowest of these 6. Its average build year of 1982 against a peer-group mean of 1986 is in line with the group.

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

Bridge inventory size and condition shares for Washington County and the 5 Arkansas counties closest to it in inventory size
County Bridges Poor
Washington County (this page) 449 6.9%
Craighead County 442 3.2%
Benton County 410 3.9%
Jefferson County 336 5.1%
Sebastian County 331 5.7%
White County 322 5.3%

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

Similar inventory size

Nearest county inventories outside AR (449 bridges here).

Similar average build year

Nearest mean year-built outside AR (1982 here).

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

All 449 Good 100 Fair 318 Poor 31

Poor-condition bridges (31)

Orr Road

Poor

Over: Illinois River/Wash Co.

0.27MI W OF JCT SH 265, Washington, AR

Built 1924 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 203

Kings Ranch Road

Poor

Over: Tanner Creek - Wash Co

0.1 MI WEST CO RD 6, Washington, AR

Built 1987 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 69

Cincinnati Cr. Rd.

Poor

Over: Cincinnati Creek-Wash

2.29 MI N SH 59, Washington, AR

Built 1991 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 185

Bush Creek Road

Poor

Over: Bush Creek - Wash. Co.

0.39 MI S E CORD 11, Washington, AR

Built 1930 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 112

W. Wheeler Road

Poor

Over: Clabber Creek

3.73 MI N JCT SH 16, Washington, AR

Built 1939 Load: 6.4 t ADT: 2,600

N Jackson Highway

Poor

Over: Beatty Branch-Washington

2.34MI NO OF LINCOLN, Washington, AR

Built 1940 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 1,156

Viney Grove Road

Poor

Over: Creek

0.2MI SO JCT SH 16, Washington, AR

Built 1931 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 890

Cove Creek Road

Poor

Over: Cove Creek - Wash Co.

2.40 SO OF CO RD 21, Washington, AR

Built 1977 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 386

George Anderson Rd

Poor

Over: Clear Creek - Springdale

0.5 MI S. Jct Tyson Pkwy, Washington, AR

Built 1945 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 181

County Road 1194

Poor

Over: West Fork White River

0.4 MI WEST US 71, Washington, AR

Built 1930 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 89

Ballard Creek Road

Poor

Over: Ballard Creek

3.39 MI N W SUMMERS, Washington, AR

Built 1988 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 324

Elkhorn Springs Rd

Poor

Over: Claude Creek - Wash. Co.

0.42 MI NO CO RD 66, Washington, AR

Built 1982 Load: 14.5 t ADT: 110

Hamstring Road

Poor

Over: Hamstring Creek-Wash. Co

2.37 NW JCT SH 16, Washington, AR

Built 1981 Load: 14.5 t ADT: 320

CO RD 44

Poor

Over: White River

0.27 MI N. SH 16, Washington, AR

Built 1921 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,100

KinionLk.Rd-WashCo

Poor

Over: Muddy Fork Illinois Rvr.

.42 MI W CO RD 37, Washington, AR

Built 1998 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 199

Lake Frances Road

Poor

Over: Alex Branch-Wash. Co.

0.65MI W SH 59, Washington, AR

Built 1965 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 250

Brush Creek Rd.

Poor

Over: Brush Creek- Elm Springs

1.5 MI SW SH 112, Washington, AR

Built 1980 Load: 18.1 t ADT: 1,520

SH 170 - Wash Co.

Poor

Over: So. Frk Farmington Brnch

4.56 NE JCT US 62 & 170, Washington, AR

Built 1923 Load: 19.1 t ADT: 4,170

East Huntsville Rd

Poor

Over: Spout Spring Br. - Fay.

0.2 MI S EAST ROCK ST, Washington, AR

Built 1940 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 13,000

SH 170-Washington

Poor

Over: West Fork White River

0.29 MI NW JCT US 71 &170, Washington, AR

Built 1966 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 4,300

Prairie Grove Lake

Poor

Over: Sulphur Fork

0.3 W CO.RD 28, Washington, AR

Built 1965 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 644

Double Springs Rd

Poor

Over: Hamestring Creek

0.95 M N JCT HWY 16, Washington, AR

Built 1970 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,000

State Highway 45

Poor

Over: Barren Fork - Wash. Co.

1.15 MI E JCT OF SH 59, Washington, AR

Built 1957 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,100

State Highway 45

Poor

Over: Fly Creek-Washington Co.

1.95 MI E JCT OF SH 59, Washington, AR

Built 1957 Load: 26.3 t ADT: 1,100

US 71-Wash Co.

Poor

Over: Rock Creek

2.3 MI N JCT SH 170, Washington, AR

Built 1930 Load: 27.2 t ADT: 5,800

State Highway 170

Poor

Over: Lee Creek-Washington Co.

0.03 MI NW JCT OF SH 74, Washington, AR

Built 1961 Load: 28.1 t ADT: 223

Prince Road

Poor

Over: Creek - Wash. Co.

1.05 MI S CO RD 10, Washington, AR

Built 1995 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 79

W Ladyback Dr

Poor

Over: College Branch-Wash

0.16 Mi E Hwy 112, Washington, AR

Built 1996 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 1,202

CR195/Hrvey Dowell

Poor

Over: W. Fork White River

0.68 Mi N Hwy 16, Washington, AR

Built 2013 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 162

US 62 - Wash Co.

Poor

Over: Ballard Creek

2.01 MI E OKLAHOMA STATE, Washington, AR

Built 1930 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,300

SH 74 Side Drain

Poor

Over: Ditch-Washington

19225 SH 74 SECT 2, Washington, AR

Built 1998 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 11

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.