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

Weeks Rd.

Good

Over: Cedar Creek-Scott Co

2.55 Miles South of Bates, Scott, AR

Built 2020 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 20

HolcombeCemeteryRd

Good

Over: creek

1.18 Mi. South Hwy. 25, Independence, AR

Built 2022 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 750

Raper Haskell Rd.

Good

Over: creek

2.0MI W HWY 229, Saline, AR

Built 2022 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 200

CR3271

Good

Over: Creek

1.43 Miles NW of State HW, Johnson, AR

Built 2022 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 10

I555-SEC 03 SB LN

Good

Over: BN RR SH 463

.62 MI N BAY, Craighead, AR

Built 1986 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 8,000

I 49 SB-Crawford

Good

Over: Clear Creek

3.2 MI N OF DOLLARD RD, Crawford, AR

Built 1996 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 33,884

US 62/412 Baxter

Good

Over: HICKS CREEK

1.2 MI E JCT US62 & US62B, Baxter, AR

Built 1996 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 4,500

SH 21 Carroll

Good

Over: CREEK

11.21 MI N OF US 412, Carroll, AR

Built 1956 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 2,800

US 67 SEC. 01-1.71

Good

Over: CREEK

0.8 MI JCT US 82 & 67, Miller, AR

Built 1954 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 5,400

SH 276-01 LM 7.17

Good

Over: Pecan Bayou

0.1 Mi E SH 11-One Horse, Arkansas, AR

Built 1966 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 531

SH 21

Good

Over: Branch

.96 M N Jct US 64 & 21, Johnson, AR

Built 1968 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 4,700

SH 157/Indepen Co.

Good

Over: FIFE SLOUGH

0.9 MI S JCT SH 14, Independence, AR

Built 1976 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 813

SH 153-02 LM 3.04

Good

Over: Big Creek

3.04 Mi E SH 1-Van, Arkansas, AR

Built 1980 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 410

SH 163-03- LM 3.96

Good

Over: CREEK

3.96 MI N CROSS CO, Poinsett, AR

Built 1971 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,568

I-40-SEC 32

Good

Over: Ditch

0.25 MI NW SH 266 UNDERPS, Faulkner, AR

Built 1967 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 64,000

US278B S-8 LM 0.82

Good

Over: CREEK

.82 MI E JCT SH 4, Ouachita, AR

Built 1950 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 2,100

SH 83-01S LM 1.58

Good

Over: Drainage Ditch

1.2 Mi W US425-Monticello, Drew, AR

Built 1972 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,400

SH 980 SEC.25-2.65

Good

Over: BRANCH

2.86 MI N SH 278, Howard, AR

Built 1978 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,800

SH 14 Boone

Good

Over: DITCH

5.2 W OF JCT SH 7, Boone, AR

Built 1952 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 850

CR 12 JOHNSON BR.

Good

Over: MUD CREEK

.05 MI N JCT US 70, Sevier, AR

Built 1980 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 421

SH 258 WHITE CO.

Good

Over: BIG MINGO CREEK

.2 MI E JCT US 67, White, AR

Built 1979 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 220

SH 298 Log 6.49

Good

Over: CREEK

6.49 E OF MONTGOMERY CO L, Garland, AR

Built 1971 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 691

SH 264 Benton 1

Good

Over: PUPPY CREEK

.65 MI W US 71B, Benton, AR

Built 1982 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 26,000

I-49 Frnt Rd Bnt 1

Good

Over: DITCH

.01 MI N SH 264, Benton, AR

Built 1982 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 53

US 49-04-LM 2.23

Good

Over: MCDANIELS CREEK

1.27 MI SW OF US 63, Craighead, AR

Built 1984 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 14,248

US 71 SEC.04-6.95

Good

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

6.61 NO LITTLE RIVER CO L, Little River, AR

Built 1985 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 12,000

SH 273 S-1 LM 9.08

Good

Over: CREEK

6.3 MI W JCT US 79/79B, Dallas, AR

Built 1986 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 810

SH 37/Jackson Co.

Good

Over: DITCH

5.3 MI N JCT SH 18 &37, Jackson, AR

Built 1990 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 300

S.H.73 - 02 -11.98

Good

Over: BLACK BOIS DARC RELIEF

2.25 N W JCT. S 473 & S H, Hempstead, AR

Built 1996 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,388

State Highway 252

Good

Over: Creek Sebastian County

9.7 MI EAST US 71, Sebastian, AR

Built 1997 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 190

SH 32 SEC.02-6.65

Good

Over: CREEK

6.6 MI E JCT SH41 & SH32, Little River, AR

Built 2000 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 2,478

SH 221 Carroll

Good

Over: CREEK

2.9 Mi S US 62, Carroll, AR

Built 1998 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,000

US 65 Boone

Good

Over: REST AREA CREEK

0.7 MI S JCT US 412, Boone, AR

Built 2007 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 17,000

SH 59 Benton 2

Good

Over: BRANCH

2.1 MI N JCT of US 412, Benton, AR

Built 2008 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 17,000

US 278-15 LM 8.09

Good

Over: Tiney Creek

1.6 Mi E US 278 Byp-Monti, Drew, AR

Built 2010 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 2,300

US 278-15 LM 9.43

Good

Over: Piney Creek

5.1 mi W SH 293-Selma, Drew, AR

Built 2010 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 2,300

State Highway 59

Good

Over: Chatman Branch

3.3 Mi. N SH 220, Crawford, AR

Built 2018 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,006

SH13 Searcy Bypass

Good

Over: Creek

.05 mi W SH 16, White, AR

Built 2018 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 12

SH 176

Good

Over: Shilcotts Bayou

1.7M N of I40, Pulaski, AR

Built 2020 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 11,000

N Wyatt Dr

Good

Over: Creek

3.0 MI N JCT US 82, Union, AR

Built 2020 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,500

CR914 Cold Springs

Good

Over: Cave Creek

0.2 M SO Kanis, Saline, AR

Built 2022 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 55

SH90-6-LM10.44

Good

Over: Ross Creek

10mi W of Pocahontas, Randolph, AR

Built 2023 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 680

Hwy 141

Good

Over: creek

Jnct of Hwy 141 & 412, Greene, AR

Built 2023 Load: 30.8 t ADT: 1,100

TOUR ROAD

Good

Over: WINTON SPRING

AFTER TOUR STOP #2., Benton, AR

Built 1955 Load: 31.7 t ADT: 250

SH 155

Good

Over: Bayou Creek

0.11 MI W JCT OF SH22, Yell, AR

Built 1935 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 1,900

CR N599 - D

Good

Over: DITCH NO. 31

1.5 MI N JCT SH 158 & CR, Mississippi, AR

Built 1976 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 29

CR 684-D-RAYBOURN

Good

Over: LANGUILLE RIVER

.57 W CO RD 684 & 691, Poinsett, AR

Built 1980 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 117

CR 10 ZONE H

Good

Over: CORNIE CREEK

1.7 W JCT SH 15, Union, AR

Built 1982 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 410

C.R. 333-C- 7.23

Good

Over: MID FORK OZAN CREEK

1 MI. NORTH OF OZAN, Hempstead, AR

Built 1983 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 218

Liberty Rd

Good

Over: Collier Creek

5 M E Jct SH 8, Montgomery, AR

Built 1983 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 250

Showing 9,301-9,350 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.