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

State Highway 8

Good

Over: Ditch - Polk County

At JCT OF SH 375&SH8-0, Polk, AR

Built 1997 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,600

US 63-13 LM 10.10

Good

Over: Ditch

0.6 MI E US 65B-PineBluff, Jefferson, AR

Built 1998 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,200

SH 138-03 LM 23.50

Good

Over: Coon Bayou Ditch

500 E US 65-Winchester, Drew, AR

Built 2000 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 654

SH 114-01 LM 5.05

Good

Over: Sanders Creek

0.4 Mi W SH 530-Star City, Lincoln, AR

Built 2001 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,400

SH 106/Indepen. Co

Good

Over: CREEK

1.4 Mi.S.SH.106 LM 11.37, Independence, AR

Built 2002 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 220

SH 72 Benton 2

Good

Over: KCS RAILROAD

.1 MI W US 59, Benton, AR

Built 2002 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 5,300

I-49 Fr. Rd 20.47

Good

Over: Mill Creek

2.16 M.S.Jct.CR.26N& I 49, Miller, AR

Built 2002 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 78

CR 205 LM 5.69

Good

Over: Beaver Pond Creek

1.1 Mi. N Oua. Co. line, Calhoun, AR

Built 2004 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 80

Sh-1/Sec-11/L-4.84

Good

Over: Ditch

1.6 Mi North Of Jct Sh 1B, St. Francis, AR

Built 2003 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,101

Sh-1/Sec-11/L-4.89

Good

Over: Ditch

1.65 Mi North Of Jct Sh1B, St. Francis, AR

Built 2003 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,176

SH 91-02-LM 12.25

Good

Over: ROGERS CREEK

0.13 MI E JCT US 63, Craighead, AR

Built 2005 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,400

CR49(SH214 Sd Drn)

Good

Over: Side Ditch

2.51 M E Jct SH 214 & 163, Poinsett, AR

Built 2012 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 60

SH 18-04- LM 7.71

Good

Over: Little Bay Ditch

3.8 Mi E of Jonesboro, Craighead, AR

Built 2004 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 14,150

S.H. 32 - 06- 0.27

Good

Over: BRANCH OF CANEY CREEK

.3 MI. E. OF JCT. U.S.278, Hempstead, AR

Built 2007 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,200

SH 360 SEC.01-4.85

Good

Over: CREEK

2M W OF SH 53 & 360, Lafayette, AR

Built 2009 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 70

SH 18-04- LM 27.68

Good

Over: Ditch No. 5

2.2 MI E JCT SH 139 & 18, Craighead, AR

Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 7,000

US 412 Sect. 8

Good

Over: Creek

11.2 M E Cache River, Greene, AR

Built 2006 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,268

US 65 Boone

Good

Over: ROLANDS FORK

0.4 MI N JCT US 412, Boone, AR

Built 2007 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 9,825

SH 54-02 LM 1.49

Good

Over: Ditch #6

1.4 Mi W US 65-Dumas, Desha, AR

Built 2007 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,510

SH 59 Benton 2

Good

Over: BRANCH

1.5 MI NORTH JCT US 412, Benton, AR

Built 2008 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 17,000

SH 291-01 LM 0.65

Good

Over: Moores Slough Tributary

0.65 Mi N SH 46-Prattsvil, Grant, AR

Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 320

US 49 Side Ent.

Good

Over: Side Ditch

5.8 M. W. Jct. US 63, Craighead, AR

Built 2009 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 10

US 71 SEC.06 -5.96

Good

Over: COSSATOT RIVER RELIEF

.75 MI NW JCT OF US 70, Sevier, AR

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,772

US 65-16 LM 13.06

Good

Over: Ditch

0.1 Mi N city limit-Gould, Lincoln, AR

Built 2011 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,300

SH 11-05 LM 4.06

Good

Over: Bayou Meto Relief

4.06 Mi N SH 88-Reydell, Jefferson, AR

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 330

SH 275 S-1 LM 0.60

Good

Over: S Frk Frank Lapere Creek

5.4 M S Jct. 275 & 129, Union, AR

Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 780

HWY 226-2-LM. 8.9

Good

Over: Ditch

3.34 mi East SH18, Craighead, AR

Built 2014 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,800

SH 95

Good

Over: Creek

6.1 M N I-40, Conway, AR

Built 2013 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,200

I-40 EB Ex 132 Rp

Good

Over: Ditch

I-40 EB Exit Ramp, Faulkner, AR

Built 2015 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,000

SH 7

Good

Over: Keeland Creek

4.51 MI NW Perry Co, Yell, AR

Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 850

SH 216

Good

Over: Coffee Creek

0.9 MI E JCT SH 9 & 216, Perry, AR

Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,400

SH 226-02 LM 9.06

Good

Over: Emerson Ditch

3.5 miles East of SH 18, Craighead, AR

Built 2014 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 6,800

Us70/Sec-17/L13.32

Good

Over: Piney Ditch

1.30 Mi E Jct Of Us 49, Monroe, AR

Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,300

Us-70/Sec17/L15.93

Good

Over: Maple Slough

1.13 Mi Sw St Francis Co, Monroe, AR

Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,800

I-49 Washington Co

Good

Over: Hamestring Creek

2.19 MI N. JCT US 62 & 49, Washington, AR

Built 2015 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 66,598

SH 141-02-LM 2.86

Good

Over: Creek

2.86 MI N Craighead Co. L, Greene, AR

Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 980

SH 265 - Wash. Co.

Good

Over: Hylton Branch

5.74 MI N JCT HS 265 & 16, Washington, AR

Built 2015 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 21,880

Sh-261/Sec-3/L1.23

Good

Over: Languille Relief

3.21 Mi West Of Jct Sh 1, St. Francis, AR

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 670

Sh-1/Sec-8/L-4.28

Good

Over: Slough

4.28 Mi No Of Jct Us 49, Phillips, AR

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 3,294

Sh 44/sec-03/L4.84

Good

Over: Bee Bayou

11.8 miles south jct sh 2, Phillips, AR

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 391

SH 92

Good

Over: Evansville Creek

2.0 mile NE of Morganton, Van Buren, AR

Built 2015 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,004

US 64

Good

Over: White Oak Creek

3.9 M W Conway Co Line, Pope, AR

Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 2,000

HoneyHillLoopWHITE

Good

Over: Ditch

2.43 Mi N of Jct SH 267, White, AR

Built 2014 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 91

SH13 N.ByPassRmp

Good

Over: Rocky Branch

Jct.N.Main&N.ByPass(Ramp), White, AR

Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 12

SH 289/Fulton Co.

Good

Over: Hubble Branch

2.65 Mi. So. of US 62, Fulton, AR

Built 2016 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,600

SH 9 Fulton Co.

Good

Over: Creek

3.1 Mi. NE Jct. 62 & 9, Fulton, AR

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,300

SH 377 Searcy

Good

Over: GOURD CREEK

2.1 MI SO of JCT SH 74, Searcy, AR

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 200

SH 74 Searcy

Good

Over: GRANNY CREEK

1.9 miles from jct. SH377, Searcy, AR

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 660

SH 74 Searcy

Good

Over: CREEK

2.01 miles N of jct SH377, Searcy, AR

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 660

SH 221 Carroll

Good

Over: FREEMAN BRANCH

0.2 MI SW of US 62, Carroll, AR

Built 2017 Load: 32.7 t ADT: 1,000

Showing 12,001-12,050 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.