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

CR 35-A Countess

Fair

Over: SALINE BAYOU

2.5 MI N CLARK CO LINE, Hot Spring, AR

Built 1989 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 23

Grand Avenue

Fair

Over: Ditch City of Ft. Smith

JCT GRAND & N. 50TH, Sebastian, AR

Built 1990 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 7,400

North 34th Street

Fair

Over: Tilles Branch Seb. Co.

0.05 MI S.L. ST. JCT, Sebastian, AR

Built 1990 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 396

CR 27 F Beech Rd

Fair

Over: POINT CEDER CREEK

0.68 S SH 84, Hot Spring, AR

Built 1991 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 140

CR 45 / KANIS RD

Fair

Over: ALLENS CREEK

5.7 MI W PULASKI CO LINE, Saline, AR

Built 1990 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,079

Clark CR 38 Z-A

Fair

Over: TERRE-NOIR

1.0 MI SW JCT CO RD 19, Clark, AR

Built 1991 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 385

Lodge CornerRd-CR1

Fair

Over: Creek

0.6 Mi W US 165-LodgeCrnr, Arkansas, AR

Built 1997 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 226

PrincetonPikeRd-CR

Fair

Over: Johnson Creek

2.38 Mi E Grant Co Line, Jefferson, AR

Built 1997 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 970

Co Rd 77 Seb. Co.

Fair

Over: Vache Grasse Creek

5.73 MI SE SH 10, Sebastian, AR

Built 1998 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 540

Whippoorwill Dr

Fair

Over: Creek - Greenwood

0.25 MI N SH 10, Sebastian, AR

Built 1997 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 592

Plumbark Drive

Fair

Over: Creek - Greenwood

0.25 MI E RIDGECREST, Sebastian, AR

Built 1997 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 829

CR S375 - D

Fair

Over: DITCH # 31

2 Mi SW of Victoria, Mississippi, AR

Built 1999 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 71

CR E246 - A

Fair

Over: DITCH NO 6

1.0 Mi W of CR N791, Mississippi, AR

Built 2000 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 30

Paschal Road-Wash.

Fair

Over: Middle Fork White River

1.0 MILE East Jct CR.43, Washington, AR

Built 2004 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 115

CR 543 - B Rt 83

Fair

Over: QUICK CREEK

1.0 MI. E OF GREENWAY, Clay, AR

Built 2004 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 18

CR 279 Benton

Fair

Over: LITTLE OSAGE CREEK

S E VAUGHN 3 MI, Benton, AR

Built 2006 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 34

Amber Street

Fair

Over: East Fork Hot Springs Cr

85 ft W Glade St, Garland, AR

Built 1950 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 271

Clark CR 14 Z-F

Fair

Over: Creek

1.08Mi.SJCT.SH51&CR14, Clark, AR

Built 2008 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 2

Old St Rd 4 BR 053

Fair

Over: Little Vache Grasse Cr.

2.78 Mi. E. of Hwy. 59, Sebastian, AR

Built 1950 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 100

Dayton Rd.

Fair

Over: Beardy Branch

0.42 Mi N of Jct SH 95, Van Buren, AR

Built 2014 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 236

County Road 62

Fair

Over: Sulphur Creek Polk Co.

1.36 Mi. SE Hwy 8, Polk, AR

Built 2014 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 78

Pennington Rd - A

Fair

Over: North Fork Cadron Creek

0.75M E Jct CR 61 & 46, Van Buren, AR

Built 2016 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 20

Chamber Springs Rd

Fair

Over: Chamber Springs Branch

3.6 Mi South US 412, Benton, AR

Built 1993 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 278

CR 20 Izard County

Fair

Over: Knob Creek

2.0 Mi. West SH 9, Izard, AR

Built 2017 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 21

Deberrie Rd CR14

Fair

Over: Fourche LaFave

2.7 MI W JCT SH155 $ CR14, Perry, AR

Built 1983 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 40

US 270 - 7 log 7.0

Fair

Over: BRANCH

at JCT US 270 & SH 51, Hot Spring, AR

Built 1976 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 12,000

SH 8

Fair

Over: Pitman Branch

1.92 MI E Polk Co. Line, Montgomery, AR

Built 1951 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 680

SH 56 Izard County

Fair

Over: BIBBS BRANCH

1.48 MI W OF JCT SH 9, Izard, AR

Built 1949 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 2,000

SH 1B-04 LM 0.98

Fair

Over: Prices Branch

0.98 Mi N SH 1-DeWitt, Arkansas, AR

Built 1937 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 2,400

SH 10 WB Log 15.10

Fair

Over: UNION PACIFIC RR

SH 10 @ U.P.R.R., Pulaski, AR

Built 1927 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 27,000

SH 14/Independ. Co

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.85 MI NW JCT OF SH 25, Independence, AR

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,600

SH 36 WHITE COUNTY

Fair

Over: CREEK

0.4 MI S JCT SH367&36, White, AR

Built 1949 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 4,210

SH 57 S-1 LM 0.56

Fair

Over: CREEK

0.5 MI S SH 4, Ouachita, AR

Built 1963 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 340

State Highway 59

Fair

Over: Creek-Crawford Co.

0.3 MI NORTH OF I-40, Crawford, AR

Built 1947 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 23,000

US 62 Carroll

Fair

Over: DITCH

.4 M W OF SH 103, Carroll, AR

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 9,300

US 62 Spur Marion

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

.34MI N OF US62 & 62 Spur, Marion, AR

Built 1924 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 560

Us-64/Sec-16/L6.41

Fair

Over: Ditch

1.35 Miles East Of Sh 163, Cross, AR

Built 1939 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 4,600

US 67 Log 16.05

Fair

Over: Kokomo Creek

1.7 MI JCT SH 9 & US 67, Hot Spring, AR

Built 1928 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 3,570

US67C/RaceSt WHITE

Fair

Over: Gin Creek

1.2 MI E JCT SH 36 & 67, White, AR

Built 1949 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 21,000

State Highway 69B

Fair

Over: POLK BAYOU

0.35 MI SE JCT SH 106 69B, Independence, AR

Built 1930 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 9,200

US 70B-9 Log 0.29

Fair

Over: HOT SPRINGS CREEK

.29 MI E OF SH 7 HOT SPRG, Garland, AR

Built 1929 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 20,000

Us-70/Sec18/L11.35

Fair

Over: Drainage Ditch

4.0 Mi East Of Jct Sh 259, St. Francis, AR

Built 1931 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,600

US 71-Scott Co.

Fair

Over: West Turner Branch

1.8ME NE OF POLK CO LN, Scott, AR

Built 1939 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 2,727

SH 88

Fair

Over: Haw Creek

3.35 M E Sims City Limit, Montgomery, AR

Built 1966 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 250

SH 107

Fair

Over: Creek

0.46 MI N JCT SH 36, Faulkner, AR

Built 1961 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,400

CR 450/Old Hwy133

Fair

Over: Handly Creek Relief

1.67 Mi S SH 35-Wilmar, Drew, AR

Built 1956 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 220

US 167 Sharp Co.

Fair

Over: Creek

0.4 MI N JCT SH 58 W 167, Sharp, AR

Built 1919 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 3,700

SH 186-Franklin Co

Fair

Over: Snake Creek

0.5 MI E US 64, Franklin, AR

Built 1950 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 620

SH 213

Fair

Over: Devils Creek

1.8 MI N SH 247 W, Conway, AR

Built 1960 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 250

State Highway 220

Fair

Over: Creek

7.30 NW JCT SH 59, Crawford, AR

Built 1942 Load: 17.2 t ADT: 1,253

Showing 901-950 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.