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 367 Log 6.49

Good

Over: FOUR MILE CREEK

3.39 MI SW OF WHITE CO, Lonoke, AR

Built 1930 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 5,233

US 165 Log 3.99

Good

Over: Crooked Cr. Ditch

2.5 M E OF SH 13, Lonoke, AR

Built 1952 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 3,700

CR 3451

Good

Over: Spadra Creek

4.45 M N CORD 77 & SH 103, Johnson, AR

Built 1958 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 74

CR 80/Verser Road

Good

Over: Macon Bayou

0.3 Mi E US 65-Eudora, Chicot, AR

Built 1964 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 11

West Wheeler Road

Good

Over: Clear Creek-Washington

4.4 M S of U.S. HWY 412, Washington, AR

Built 1975 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 420

Morgan Springs Rd.

Good

Over: Widow Creek-Scott Co.

0.64 M S CAUTHRON, Scott, AR

Built 1976 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 26

CR 19-Scott Co.

Good

Over: Fourche La Fave River

0.35 M S SH 28 & CO RD 19, Scott, AR

Built 1976 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 111

CR 21/Red Line Rd

Good

Over: Little Wagon Bayou

2.8 M S US 65-Dumas, Desha, AR

Built 1977 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 60

CR 373/Cleburne Co

Good

Over: Budd Creek

1MI E JCT CO RD 39 & 373, Cleburne, AR

Built 1977 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 852

County Road 74

Good

Over: Cane Creek Logan Co.

0.75 MI E HWY 197, Logan, AR

Built 1978 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 102

N Carbon City Road

Good

Over: Six Mile Creek-Logan Co.

2.38 MI N SH 22, Logan, AR

Built 1978 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 490

CR 702 Carroll

Good

Over: Branch of OSAGE CREEK

.71 SO JCT US 62, Carroll, AR

Built 1979 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 327

Walnut Grove Rd.

Good

Over: Bakers Creek

5.09 MI SW JCT SH 10, Yell, AR

Built 1979 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 636

Walnut Grove Rd.

Good

Over: Mill Creek

3.12 MI SW JCT SH 10, Yell, AR

Built 1979 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 636

C.R. 51 - F- 6.32

Good

Over: WALNUT BAYOU

2 MI SO OF WALLACE, Little River, AR

Built 1979 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 201

W Perry Co Line Rd

Good

Over: Flat Cypress Creek

3.00 M W JCT CR 62 & SH 9, Perry, AR

Built 1983 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 130

CR 64-Scott

Good

Over: Rock Creek

2.0 MI N SH 378 JCT, Scott, AR

Built 1982 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 562

CR5Smith Vester Rd

Good

Over: BIG LAGRUE BAYOU

1/4 MI N PECKES WOODWARE, Prairie, AR

Built 1983 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 154

Bradley CR 56 Z-A

Good

Over: SNAKE CREEK

.5 MI E JCT CO RD 56 & 57, Bradley, AR

Built 1984 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 140

Spring Creek Rd

Good

Over: Spring Creek

5.35 MI W JCT SH 27, Yell, AR

Built 1984 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 470

SH 13 White Co.

Good

Over: Little Red River

1.6 NE OF SEARCY & 67C, White, AR

Built 1986 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 12

CR 2-G(UP JANES CR

Good

Over: JANES CREEK

1 MI W RAVENDEN SPRINGS, Randolph, AR

Built 1987 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 173

CR 15 Narrows RD

Good

Over: SALINE RIVER

4.9 MI N JCT US 70, Saline, AR

Built 1989 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 480

CR 35 Congo

Good

Over: HURRICANE CR RELIEF

5.6 M N JCT I-30, Saline, AR

Built 1997 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 3,700

Cr-925/Z-H/L-7.07

Good

Over: Big Creek

.6 Miles West Jct Sh 259, Lee, AR

Built 2015 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 118

Co Rd 35 Wash

Good

Over: West Fork White River

0.02 Mi W US 71, Washington, AR

Built 2017 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 316

SH 28

Good

Over: ATCHESON CREEK

.58 W JCT SH 27 @ ROVER, Yell, AR

Built 1969 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 730

SH 298 Log 8.29

Good

Over: CEDAR FORK FOUCHE CREEK

8.29 MI E MONTGOMERY CO, Garland, AR

Built 1971 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 691

SH 298 Log 11.42

Good

Over: BLOCKER CREEK

11.42 MI E MONTGOMERY CO, Garland, AR

Built 1971 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 691

SH 298 Log 16.42

Good

Over: BIG BLAKLEY CREEK

4.48 MI W SH 7, Garland, AR

Built 1971 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 940

SH 15 Log 6.83

Good

Over: INDIAN BAYOU

4.1 MI SO OF US 70, Lonoke, AR

Built 1971 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 910

Sh-78/Sec-1/L-4.03

Good

Over: E Br Flat Fork Creek

1.1 Miles North Jct I-40, St. Francis, AR

Built 1972 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 670

SH 298 Log 0.66

Good

Over: RED BANK CREEK

.66 MI E MONTGOMERY CO/LI, Garland, AR

Built 1974 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 280

SH 298 Log 2.19

Good

Over: MUSE CREEK

2.2 Mi E Mont. Co. Line, Garland, AR

Built 1974 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 280

SH 164

Good

Over: Dry Creek

0.45 Mi E Hagerville, Johnson, AR

Built 1976 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 340

SH 164

Good

Over: Little Piney Crk. Relief

0.65 Mi E Hagerville, Johnson, AR

Built 1976 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 340

SH 369 SEC.03-7.81

Good

Over: BLOCKER CREEK

2.3MI N JCT 84, Pike, AR

Built 1979 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 80

SH 69/Jackson Co.

Good

Over: BLACK RIVER

1.65 MI W JCT SH 17, Jackson, AR

Built 1984 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 3,600

SH 10-8 log 5.28

Good

Over: ISON CREEK

1.7 MI W JCT I430, Pulaski, AR

Built 1985 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 30,000

Sh-131/Sec-2/L6.10

Good

Over: Zanone Bayou

6 Mi No Jct Sh 147 & 131, Crittenden, AR

Built 1984 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 820

SH 7 Log 4.02

Good

Over: LAKE HAMILTON

4 MI N HOT SPGS CO LINE, Garland, AR

Built 1991 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 18,000

US 63 S16 LM 0.11

Good

Over: SALINE RIVER RELIEF

.11 MI SO BRADLEY CO LN, Bradley, AR

Built 1991 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 3,100

US 270-5 Log 22.16

Good

Over: SH 88-4 log 1.51

.75 MI WEST SH 7, Garland, AR

Built 1992 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 37,000

Us-64/Sec-16/L7.02

Good

Over: St Francis Bayou

2 MIles East Of Sh 163, Cross, AR

Built 1998 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 4,600

US 62 Carroll

Good

Over: KINGS RIVER

.8 MI W JCT US62 & SH143, Carroll, AR

Built 1998 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 6,800

SH 11 Log 2.38

Good

Over: Bayou Des Arc

2.4 mi N of SH 38, Prairie, AR

Built 2002 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 1,800

SH 160-12 LM 1.59

Good

Over: Big Bayou

10.5 Mi W US 65-ChicotJct, Chicot, AR

Built 2004 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 370

County Road 90

Good

Over: St. Highway 549 - Seb Co

1.51 mi N Jct. US 71, Sebastian, AR

Built 2011 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 82

S.H. 45 - Sec. 2

Good

Over: I-540 Sebastian Co.

3.74 Mi. N. of US 71, Sebastian, AR

Built 2012 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 18,000

US 65 Searcy

Good

Over: Cove Creek

6.18 Mi So. JCT Hwy 27, Searcy, AR

Built 2012 Load: 29.9 t ADT: 5,900

Showing 9,001-9,050 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.