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

US 79 S2 LM 8 .24

Good

Over: Creek

8.24 MI NO JCT US 82, Columbia, AR

Built 2011 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,600

SH 18-05- LM 5.20

Good

Over: Ditch No 16

1.00 MI W of Manila, Mississippi, AR

Built 2015 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 5,881

US 62 Carroll

Good

Over: Creek

6.69mi W of Boone Co, Carroll, AR

Built 1992 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 6,899

Hwy 96

Good

Over: Creek

0.1 Mi East junction Hwy, Sebastian, AR

Built 2023 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 6,200

FSR 512

Good

Over: LONG CREEK

7.8 MI. NW OF ST. HWY 84, Montgomery, AR

Built 2010 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 50

FDR 146

Good

Over: HOGAN CREEK

11.3 MI E OF HWY 27, Yell, AR

Built 1975 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 50

Us70/Sec-19/L24.02

Good

Over: Jeka Slough

1.01 Mi Sw Crittenden Co, St. Francis, AR

Built 1930 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,300

Us-70/Sec-18/L7.15

Good

Over: Hog Tusk Creek

6.5 Mi East Jct Of Sh 78, St. Francis, AR

Built 1930 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,209

US 70 Log 2.81

Good

Over: HALL CREEK

2.81 M E OF PULASKI CL, Lonoke, AR

Built 1931 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,005

US 371- 03- 15.25

Good

Over: HALEY BR

1.5 MI S JCT SH 195 SC 5, Hempstead, AR

Built 1948 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,700

SH 41- 02 -LM 9.20

Good

Over: HURRICANE CR

7.30 MI N OF FORMAN, Little River, AR

Built 1955 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,194

US 49-02- LM 8.71

Good

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

8.09 N JCT US 412, Greene, AR

Built 1961 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 6,400

SH 130-06 LM 22.64

Good

Over: Little Lagrue Bayou Rel

2.93 Mi N SH 1B-DeWitt, Arkansas, AR

Built 1961 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,400

CR N423-C

Good

Over: DITCH 21 B

3 Mi NW of Dell, Mississippi, AR

Built 1960 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 162

SH 158-04- LM 7.93

Good

Over: BIG BAY DITCH

2.50 MI E OF BAY ARK, Craighead, AR

Built 1962 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 650

SH 267 White Co.

Good

Over: DESARC CREEK RELIEF

.90 MI NE JCT SH 371, White, AR

Built 1962 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,700

SH 139-02-LM 12.46

Good

Over: COAL OIL DITCH

.45 MI S OF CLAY CO LINE, Greene, AR

Built 1963 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 855

SH 84 SEC.02-11.72

Good

Over: SELF CREEK

6.5 MI E OF LANGLEY, Pike, AR

Built 1967 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 940

Ouachita CR 2 Z-H

Good

Over: BRUSHY CREEK

.5 MI WEST SH 376, Ouachita, AR

Built 1954 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,831

Union CR 23 Z-A

Good

Over: BR. OF LAPILE CREEK

1.6 M N SH 129 & CO RD 23, Union, AR

Built 1959 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 360

UNION CR 20 ZONE D

Good

Over: LEWTER CREEK

1.5 MI SE JCT CR 33, Union, AR

Built 1970 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 562

Dallas CR 74 Z-C

Good

Over: TULIP CREEK

2.45 Mi W JCT SH 9, Dallas, AR

Built 1975 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 352

CR 8167 Newton

Good

Over: PANTHER CREEK

.82 W JCT SH 327 &CR 8167, Newton, AR

Built 1978 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 70

Smith Crossing Rd

Good

Over: ROCKY CYPRESS CR

.62 N JCT SH 10 & CR65, Perry, AR

Built 1978 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 100

CR 23 - G - 8.36

Good

Over: LITTLE CANEY CR

8.36 M SE JCT SH 24, Nevada, AR

Built 1988 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 240

SH 11 White County

Good

Over: GUM SPRINGS CREEK

.95 MI E JCT SH 367, White, AR

Built 1966 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 750

SH 117-02- LM 0.10

Good

Over: MACHINE CREEK

0.10 MI E JCT SH 117 & 11, Lawrence, AR

Built 1966 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,200

SH 206 Boone

Good

Over: DOW CREEK

2.26 MI S JCT SH 43, Boone, AR

Built 1969 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 680

Sh-318/Sec-3/L8.27

Good

Over: Big Creek

3.72 Mi So Of Sh 316, Phillips, AR

Built 1977 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 530

SH 128-11 Log 8.45

Good

Over: SO FK SALINE RIVER

.2 MI E JCT SH 5, Garland, AR

Built 1985 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,500

Sh-1B/Sec-1/L-0.48

Good

Over: Drainage Ditch

3.74 Mi North Lee Co Line, St. Francis, AR

Built 1996 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,300

US67 RmpD;412-67N

Good

Over: Future US67 Mn Lns

0.21 Mi NE Jct US 412, Lawrence, AR

Built 2001 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 367

SH 214-02

Good

Over: Ditch No. 10

2.6 M E Jct. SH 163, Poinsett, AR

Built 2011 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 271

SH 141

Good

Over: LITTLE CACHE RIVER DITCH

.5 MI S of MCDOUGAL, Clay, AR

Built 2020 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 340

PleasantGroveRd-CR

Good

Over: Tarleton Creek

0.48 Mi S SH 1-St Charles, Arkansas, AR

Built 1946 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 41

Cr-534/Z-G/L-1.59

Good

Over: First Creek

1.59 Miles West Of 139, Cross, AR

Built 1975 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 160

CR 150

Good

Over: LITTLE BLAKELY CR

4.05 W SH 7, Garland, AR

Built 1975 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 847

CR 5550

Good

Over: Cedar Creek

3.15 W Jct.123, Johnson, AR

Built 1975 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 260

Cr-603/Z-B/L-2.01

Good

Over: Alligator Creek

.2 No Jct Sh 131 & Cr 527, Lee, AR

Built 1937 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 120

W. Sardis Rd.

Good

Over: BRIER LICK CREEK

2.5MI W CORD 31, Saline, AR

Built 1978 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 4,800

CR 10 ZONE H

Good

Over: THREE CREEK

1 M W JCT CR 51, Union, AR

Built 1975 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 490

C.R. 2;BRIGHT STAR

Good

Over: SCHAAL CREEK

3 MI W JCT SH 355, Howard, AR

Built 1965 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 807

CR 23/Independ. Co

Good

Over: CREEK

0.7MI SO SH 14, Independence, AR

Built 1938 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 112

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

PARK ST IN ASHDOWN

Good

Over: CREEK

.3 MI SE JCT US 71, Little River, AR

Built 1933 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,900

N SHACKLEFORD RD

Good

Over: GRASSY FLAT CREEK

0.5 MI S Rodney Parham, Pulaski, AR

Built 1960 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 16,000

W 38 STREET

Good

Over: DITCH

.2 MI W SH 365, Pulaski, AR

Built 1938 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,135

PINSON STREET- C

Good

Over: NIX BRANCH (CITY)

2BK N & 2BK E OF US 67, Miller, AR

Built 1978 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 360

Mt Home Locust St

Good

Over: HICKS CREEK

0.12 mi E of Russell St, Baxter, AR

Built 1986 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 185

Showing 7,701-7,750 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.