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

C.R.27A-graves cha

Fair

Over: TRENT CREEK

1.97 M. SO. JCT. S.H. 27, Sevier, AR

Built 2002 Load: 0.9 t ADT: 120

CR 173 Carroll

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

.15 MI S JCT US 62, Carroll, AR

Built 1941 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 210

Clark CR 8 Z-G

Fair

Over: NORTH BOAT DITCH

.35 MI S JCT CO RD 76, Clark, AR

Built 1928 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 69

CR 149-D

Fair

Over: STONE QUARRY CREEK

.2 MI SO SH 51, Hot Spring, AR

Built 1960 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 104

CR 65/Indepen Co.

Fair

Over: WATSON CREEK

.3 MI S SH 25, Independence, AR

Built 1939 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 445

CR 90 Izard County

Fair

Over: TOWN BRANCH

0.37 MI S SH 56, Izard, AR

Built 1953 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 28

Tyler Rd - A

Fair

Over: UPRR

1.5 M SE US 64 & RD 38, Pope, AR

Built 1937 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 2,300

CR16E Caney Rd

Fair

Over: CREEK

3MI NW FRIENDSHIP, Hot Spring, AR

Built 1950 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 298

PORT ARTHUR ST

Fair

Over: LITTLE BEAR CR (CITY)

.22 MI NO JCT US 70, Sevier, AR

Built 1923 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 47

County Road 22

Fair

Over: Buffalo Creek-Polk Co.

0.6 MI SOUTH SH 4, Polk, AR

Built 1986 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 24

CR 982 Carroll

Fair

Over: OSAGE CREEK

.01 MI W JCT CR 933, Carroll, AR

Built 1994 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 84

C.R. 19 - E - 1.53

Fair

Over: NFK TERRE ROUGE CREEK

1.5 M W JCT SH 29, Hempstead, AR

Built 1995 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 104

CR30/Ruby McGehee

Fair

Over: Dry Bayou

2.0 Mi S US 82-Montrose, Chicot, AR

Built 1995 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 24

C.R-12; MT CARMEL

Fair

Over: MESSERS CREEK

1.7 M. S. JCT CP. RD. 112, Howard, AR

Built 1997 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 452

C.R.20 ZONE D-1.95

Fair

Over: COX CREEK

0.1 MI E. JCT.C.R.35&20, Nevada, AR

Built 2002 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 162

CR 41/Stafford Rd

Fair

Over: Hungry Run Creek

3.72 M N US 278-Wilmar, Drew, AR

Built 2002 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 88

CR259/Black Bottom

Fair

Over: Cousart Bayou

0.5 Mi S JeffersonCo-Tamo, Lincoln, AR

Built 2006 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 17

Crossett Road-CR

Fair

Over: Ditch

0.49 Mi W CR 16-SulphurSp, Jefferson, AR

Built 2006 Load: 1.8 t ADT: 26

C.R.13H(RED BRIDGE

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK RELIEF

.5 M SO DEQUEEN, Sevier, AR

Built 1960 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 690

CR 173 Carroll

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

.36 MI S of JCT US 62, Carroll, AR

Built 1941 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 210

Elam Trail - Scott

Fair

Over: Pack Saddle Creek

0.26 N HWY 71, Scott, AR

Built 1940 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 89

CR 42 Sharp County

Fair

Over: LOVE CREEK

0.71 MI E US 167, Sharp, AR

Built 1935 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 50

Greasy Valley Road

Fair

Over: Fly Creek - Wash Co.

6.98MI SO OF US62, Washington, AR

Built 1935 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 1,718

Cr-722/Z-C/L-0.40

Fair

Over: Hawkins Bayou

.4 Miles East Of Cr 735, Lee, AR

Built 1984 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 51

C. R. 55 -B-1.42

Fair

Over: LITTLE TERRE ROUGE CK

2 MI N EMMET, Hempstead, AR

Built 1984 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 40

Luther D Road-CR

Fair

Over: King Bayou Ditch

1.1 Mi E SH 343-Stuttgart, Arkansas, AR

Built 1986 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 87

Cleve CR 51 Z-A

Fair

Over: CREEK

1.1 MI S JCT SH 35, Cleveland, AR

Built 1988 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 78

CR 18 - Scott Co.

Fair

Over: Fourche LaFave River

0.78 MI SE JCT US71, Scott, AR

Built 1988 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 375

Bull Creek Rd.

Fair

Over: Muddy Bayou

1.0 SE JCT SH 36&CO RD 65, Faulkner, AR

Built 1989 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 23

Cr-810/Z-F/0.14

Fair

Over: Branch Of Larkin Creek

.14 Miles Jct C r17 & 38, Lee, AR

Built 1988 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 63

CR324/Country Club

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

4.5 MI W GRANT CO. LINE, Hot Spring, AR

Built 1990 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 430

CR 233 Carroll

Fair

Over: BUTLER CREEK

.01 MI S JCT 187 & CR 233, Carroll, AR

Built 1991 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 56

CR 492B - I

Fair

Over: PAYNE CREEK

1.5 Mi SW of Greenway, Clay, AR

Built 1991 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 25

CR/1 Izard County

Fair

Over: TWIN CREEK

1.2 MI EAST SH 9, Izard, AR

Built 1995 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 291

CR 20-K Geridge

Fair

Over: BAYOU METO

3 MI N SH 165, Lonoke, AR

Built 1995 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 51

CR332/LakeWallace

Fair

Over: Lake Wallace

0.5 Mi W US165-LkWallace, Chicot, AR

Built 1997 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 10

CR203/Griffis Road

Fair

Over: Ditch

0.12 Mi E CR 81-IndianSpr, Chicot, AR

Built 1997 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 32

Cr-619/Z-G/L-0.25

Fair

Over: Drainage Ditch

0.25 Mi South Jct Sh 284, Cross, AR

Built 2011 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 6

CR 270 Madison Co.

Fair

Over: KINGS RIVER

0.2 MI N JCT US 412, Madison, AR

Built 1999 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 142

CR 393/Piney Cr Rd

Fair

Over: Piney Creek

0.16 Mi S US278-Monticell, Drew, AR

Built 2007 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 127

TindallDrierRd-CR

Fair

Over: Elm Prong Mill Bayou

1.96 Mi E US165-Stuttgart, Arkansas, AR

Built 2015 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 34

Old Hwy 389 - E

Fair

Over: W Fk Point Remove Creek

3.0 M W Jct SH 95, Van Buren, AR

Built 1940 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 110

Clark CR 17 Z-B

Fair

Over: WAGGLE CR

.7 MI NE JCT CO RD 121, Clark, AR

Built 1930 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 21

CR 71-D Military

Fair

Over: CREEK

3.7 MI SW OF I-30, Hot Spring, AR

Built 1960 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 254

CO RD 39-C- 1.25

Fair

Over: OZAN CREEK

1.25 N JCT SH 29, Hempstead, AR

Built 1986 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 75

Keener Rd-Scott Co

Fair

Over: Mud Creek

1.18 MI NE SH 28, Scott, AR

Built 1985 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 120

CR 7-A Tar Bottom

Fair

Over: INDIAN BAYOU

1.5 MI E SH15, Lonoke, AR

Built 1996 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 180

Brumett Rd/CR 229

Fair

Over: BAYOU METO

3 Mi N of SH 165, Lonoke, AR

Built 1996 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 79

CR89/Plantersville

Fair

Over: Handly Creek

2.2 Mi W US 425-Montongo, Drew, AR

Built 2001 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 80

Walnut St.

Fair

Over: CALICO CREEK

0.05 E. SH 5 LM 0.050, Izard, AR

Built 2001 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 319

Showing 51-100 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.