State profile · Below median Poor share

Arkansas bridge safety

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, condition ratings, load ratings, and Poor-condition shares for every public highway bridge in Arkansas.

12,974
Public bridges
45.8%
Good condition
5.4%
Poor condition

Arkansas holds 12,974 public highway bridges (#23 of 52 by inventory) with a 5.43% Poor share (#30 of 52 by Poor share).

That is 5.4% of the state's inventory, against an average of 7.5% across the 54 states and territories with Poor-rated bridges on file, which places it 23 of 54 ordered from the lowest Poor share upward. A bridge is rated Poor when its weakest applicable component scores 4 or below on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, so the category is a maintenance and funding signal rather than a closure order or a live crossing-safety verdict.

Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026

Total Bridges

12,974

Public highway bridges in Arkansas

Good Condition

45.8%

5,940 bridges rated 7-9

-4.2pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

5.4%

704 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-2.1pp vs national avg 7.5%

Arkansas vs national bridge condition

Arkansas - Good condition share 45.8%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

Arkansas - Poor-condition share 18.1%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

Arkansas in the national condition pattern

Each point is a state or territory in the FHWA NBI; the highlighted point is this profile.

Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Arkansas has 12,974 bridges and a 5.4% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #23 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold. Scatter plot of 54 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 0k20k40k60k Public bridges in inventory (thousands) Poor-condition share (%) AR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.43%AL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.35%AK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.89%AZ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.15%CA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 25.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.91%CO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.82%CT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.72%DE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.26%DC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.95%FL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.79%GA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.59%GU, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.77%HI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.53%ID, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.9%IL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.35%IN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.22%IA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 19.16%KS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.26%KY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.37%LA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 12.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.48%ME, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.41%MD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.56%MA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.88%MI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 11.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.27%MN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.44%MS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.03%MO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.95%MT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.81%NE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.9%NV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.14%NH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.51%NJ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 6.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.01%NM, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.51%NY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 17.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.43%NC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.76%ND, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 10.98%OH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.74%OK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 22.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.7%OR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.61%PA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.58%PR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 13.92%RI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.2%SC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.17%SD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 16.36%TN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 20.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.41%TX, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 56.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.23%UT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.91%VT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.9%VI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 29.17%VA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.39%WA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.45%WV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 7.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 18.64%WI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.52%WY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.51%
Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Arkansas has 12,974 bridges and a 5.4% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #23 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold.

Arkansas vs all states by public bridge inventory

Where this state's FHWA NBI public-highway bridge count sits among every state and territory on PlainBridges

12,974 23rd of 54 higher than 31 of 54 states

States and territories, banded by public bridge inventory size

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. 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 · 2024

Read the rank neighborhood for Arkansas

The highlighted point is Arkansas: 12,974 bridges and 5.43% in Poor condition, rank #23 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below Arkansas on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Indiana: 19,495 bridges · 5.22% Poor
  • Kansas: 24,894 bridges · 5.26% Poor
  • Arkansas: 12,974 bridges · 5.43% Poor
  • Washington: 8,474 bridges · 5.45% Poor
  • California: 25,848 bridges · 5.91% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in Arkansas

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 12,974 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains Arkansas’s inventory

State agency holds 57.1% of the 12,974 public highway bridges filed under Arkansas in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When Arkansas’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 13.5% of the 12,974 bridges with a recorded original year in Arkansas. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

Arkansas45.8%48.8%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - Arkansas (FHWA NBI)

Counties (75)

Arkansas 154 Ashley 106 Baxter 91 Benton 410 Boone 98 Bradley 105 Calhoun 114 Carroll 119 Chicot 88 Clark 202 Clay 200 Cleburne 53 Cleveland 79 Columbia 131 Conway 122 Craighead 442 Crawford 248 Crittenden 235 Cross 129 Dallas 103 Desha 83 Drew 149 Faulkner 219 Franklin 143 Fulton 105 Garland 319 Grant 119 Greene 251 Hempstead 174 Hot Spring 222 Howard 116 Independence 184 Izard 105 Jackson 136 Jefferson 336 Johnson 162 Lafayette 72 Lawrence 126 Lee 94 Lincoln 110 Little River 83 Logan 152 Lonoke 187 Madison 149 Marion 65 Miller 216 Mississippi 309 Monroe 85 Montgomery 199 Nevada 133 Newton 65 Ouachita 162 Perry 118 Phillips 101 Pike 95 Poinsett 194 Polk 221 Pope 188 Prairie 88 Pulaski 721 Randolph 151 Saline 231 Scott 198 Searcy 65 Sebastian 331 Sevier 164 Sharp 110 St. Francis 202 Stone 73 Union 289 Van Buren 98 Washington 449 White 322 Woodruff 79 Yell 227

Arkansas vs nearby ranks

Adjacent states by Poor-condition share (lower share = better)

States are ranked by the share of bridges whose lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below. This describes recorded condition; it does not measure funding effectiveness or live crossing safety. States here sit immediately above and below Arkansas on the same metric.

IN

Indiana

5.22% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$19,495

KS

Kansas

5.26% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$24,894
Selected

AR

Arkansas

5.43% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$12,974

WA

Washington

5.45% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$8,474

CA

California

5.91% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$25,848

Bridges Needing Most Attention in Arkansas

Six lowest-condition bridges in Arkansas, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

CR 870-H OLD US 63

Poor

Over: DITCH 123

.10 MI E JCT SH 14, Poinsett, AR

Built 1933 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 667

SH 140-02- LM 9.08

Poor

Over: NATIONAL DITCH

1.7 MI E JCT SH 77, Mississippi, AR

Built 1967 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 2,900

Bucklake/Z-Ew/3.10

Poor

Over: Ditch Number 21

3.1 Miles West Of Sh 50, Crittenden, AR

Built 1955 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 360

CR20 -G 911- 108

Poor

Over: Union Pacific Railroad

0.91 M E Jct. SH 349, Craighead, AR

Built 1957 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 174

Cr74/Fulton Co.

Poor

Over: SPRING RIVER

2 M SE MAMMOTH SPRINGS, Fulton, AR

Built 1916 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 779

BOWEN BR. C.R. 244

Poor

Over: LITTLE MO RIVER

.75 M S SH 301, Hempstead, AR

Built 1944 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 9

All Bridges in Arkansas

SH 41 SEC.03 -0.24

Good

Over: EAST FLAT CR

0.24 MI S JCT SH 108 & 41, Little River, AR

Built 1969 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 5,100

SH 88

Good

Over: Creek

2.1 MI W JCT SH 27, Montgomery, AR

Built 1969 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 250

SH 289/Fulton Co.

Good

Over: Ditch

12.4 MI N JCT US 62 & 289, Fulton, AR

Built 1970 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 590

SH 92

Good

Over: Sulphur Creek

2.93 MI NE OF SH 9 & 92, Conway, AR

Built 1969 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 970

SH 92

Good

Over: BRANCH

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

Built 1971 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 725

SH 355 - 04 - 4.66

Good

Over: CREEK

4.66 MI E JCT SH 29, Hempstead, AR

Built 1973 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 280

SH 7 Newton

Good

Over: TOWN BRANCH

JASPER ARK, Newton, AR

Built 1975 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,800

SH 298 Log 4.19

Good

Over: CREEK

4.20 MI E MONTGOMERY CO, Garland, AR

Built 1975 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 280

SH 87/Fulton Co.

Good

Over: DITCH

7 MI N US 62, Fulton, AR

Built 1976 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 360

SH 168-00- LM 1.80

Good

Over: DITCH

1.78 MI E JCT SH 228, Greene, AR

Built 1979 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 430

SH 89

Good

Over: BRIDGE CREEK

.79MI W PULASKI CO LN, Faulkner, AR

Built 1979 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 2,700

SH 46-03 LM 3.91

Good

Over: Creek

3.91 Mi N US 270-Sheridan, Grant, AR

Built 1980 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 870

SH 373-02-LM 1.20

Good

Over: DITCH

1.20 E JCT SH 163, Poinsett, AR

Built 1982 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 180

SH 307

Good

Over: DITCH

.23 MI E OF BLUFFLON, Yell, AR

Built 1985 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 80

SH 53-SEC 05-26.26

Good

Over: BRANCH OF KEOUN CRK

1.2 MI SO JCT SH 160, Lafayette, AR

Built 1984 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,543

SH 291-01 LM 9.70

Good

Over: Creek

3.1 Mi N US270-Prattsvle, Grant, AR

Built 1985 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 540

SH 27 -SEC 01-3.75

Good

Over: BRANCH OF TRENT CREEK

2 MI E OF BEN LOMAND, Sevier, AR

Built 1987 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,500

US 278-15 LM 19.62

Good

Over: Mills Creek

4.0 Mi SE SH 277-Selma, Drew, AR

Built 1987 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,735

SH 135-05-LM 9.63

Good

Over: PIGEON ROOST CREEK

5.09 MI SE OF CLAY CO LN, Greene, AR

Built 1988 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 3,500

SH 90- 03- LM 2.54

Good

Over: KRAMER DITCH

2.54 MI W OF JCT SH 135, Clay, AR

Built 1988 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,000

SH 220 SECT 2

Good

Over: LaRue Branch

4.54 MI NE JCT SH 59, Crawford, AR

Built 1988 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 420

SH 34-03- LM 2.89

Good

Over: CACHE RIVER REL

2.89 MI SE DELAPLAINE, Greene, AR

Built 1989 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 630

SH140 MED.CARRIAGE

Good

Over: Median Ditch

0.5 MI W OF OSECOLA, Mississippi, AR

Built 1989 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 10,000

SH 352

Good

Over: Creek

1.76 M E Franklin Co Line, Johnson, AR

Built 1990 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 280

Cr-107/Z-G/L-9.74

Good

Over: Cypress Creek

.79 Mi North Jct Cr 111, St. Francis, AR

Built 1992 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 60

SH 301 SEC.02-2.36

Good

Over: CREEK

2.34 M E JCT SH 29, Pike, AR

Built 1991 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 50

Us-79/Sec-17/L5.42

Good

Over: Caruthers Bayou

1 Mi West Jct Us 79 &149, St. Francis, AR

Built 1992 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,800

US 371 SEC 2-10.27

Good

Over: SANDY BRANCH

0.54 MI W. OF SH 278 JCT, Howard, AR

Built 1993 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 3,200

SH172 S-00 LM4.05

Good

Over: CREEK

4.05 M N CAIRO & US 82, Union, AR

Built 1993 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 416

US 412 SEC 2

Good

Over: Nathan Creek

JCT CO RD 85&412-2, Washington, AR

Built 1993 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 20,000

WB ON RAMP US 270

Good

Over: DITCH

.01 MI W OF US 270, Garland, AR

Built 1994 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 7,688

SH 90-05- LM 10.51

Good

Over: LITTLE RUNNING WATER

0.72 MI E JCT US 67&90, Randolph, AR

Built 1995 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 220

SH 365 Log 4.68

Good

Over: BRANCH

0.3 MI SO SH 338, Pulaski, AR

Built 1997 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 2,500

SH 69 Izard County

Good

Over: DITCH

12.1 MI E JCT S H 9, Izard, AR

Built 1997 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 3,100

SH 77-01- LM 10.91

Good

Over: DREDGE BOAT CREEK NO 1

1 MI N OF JCT SH 18B, Mississippi, AR

Built 1996 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 950

US 63-13 LM 1.99

Good

Over: Creek

1.99 Mi S US 79-Altheimer, Jefferson, AR

Built 1998 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 3,700

SH 9

Good

Over: Overcup Creek

4.80 MI N E US 64, Conway, AR

Built 1998 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 4,600

SH 27 N.SEC.1-0.08

Good

Over: WINTERS CREEK

0.08 MI E JCT US 71, Sevier, AR

Built 1998 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,500

US 63-13 LM 10.58

Good

Over: Canal

0.1 MI E US 65B-PineBluff, Jefferson, AR

Built 1998 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 5,200

SH 08 S-7 LM 1.73

Good

Over: Creek

1.73 Mi.S Jct. SH 9, Dallas, AR

Built 2001 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,200

State Highway 265

Good

Over: Town Branch-Washington

0.1 MI N OF SH 16, Washington, AR

Built 2002 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 20,000

SH 13 Log 7.97

Good

Over: Ditch

3.5 Mi N of Humnoke, Lonoke, AR

Built 2003 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 920

US 63-06- LM 2.24

Good

Over: GUM SLOUGH RELIEF

2.24Mi SW Green Co Line, Craighead, AR

Built 2003 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 12,699

US 63-06- LM 3.33

Good

Over: DITCH

3.61 mi s Greene CL, Craighead, AR

Built 2003 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 12,007

SH 321 Log 0.99

Good

Over: Bayou Two Prairie Relief

0.99 M East SH 367, Lonoke, AR

Built 1992 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 20,000

SH 247

Good

Over: Tanyard Branch

3.7 Mi E of Jct SH 7, Pope, AR

Built 2011 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 7,300

SH 90-02- LM 1.64

Good

Over: VANCEL CREEK

1.64 MI. N JCT US 49, Clay, AR

Built 2004 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,348

SH 1-01 LM 7.15

Good

Over: Ditch

7.15 Mi NE US65-McArthur, Desha, AR

Built 2004 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,900

SH 133-01 LM 7.12

Good

Over: Whiteoak Creek

7.12 Mi N US 82-Crossett, Ashley, AR

Built 2007 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 4,200

SH 189 S-3 LM 3.62

Good

Over: CREEK

0.15 MI N JCT US 278, Bradley, AR

Built 2004 Load: 21.8 t ADT: 1,000

Showing 7,451-7,500 of 12,974 bridges

Related

All states → | National rankings → | Understanding conditions → | Retired SD term explained →
Data sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI), latest released cycle. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI). Poor condition is an inspection-record category, not a closure or unsafe-to-cross designation. Consult the bridge owner for current status.

Understanding Bridge Conditions

How FHWA rates bridge condition on a 0-9 scale.

Check Your Daily Bridges

How to look up bridge condition data for bridges on your route.

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

What to do with this

Use Arkansas's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in Arkansas and open the highest-Poor shares first. County list
  • See where this state sits among peers on Poor-condition share. State rankings
  • Compare this state with another jurisdiction on the same measures. State compare

NBI condition ratings are inventory snapshots, not live crossing-safety verdicts.

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Arkansas Good/Fair/Poor shares and county rollups on this page are computed from the same NBI extract as the national boards; 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.