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

CO RD 5 ZONE F

Poor

Over: KELLY BAYOU

3.5 MI SW DODDRIDGE, Miller, AR

Built 1974 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 309

CR 278 Searcy

Poor

Over: BEAR CREEK

0.04 W SH 27, Searcy, AR

Built 1971 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 25

CR 32B Staton

Poor

Over: BAYOU METO

1.6 Mi W of SH 381, Lonoke, AR

Built 1995 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 25

CR 50-C-Parrish Rd

Poor

Over: DITCH NO 11

JCT CO RD 50&51, Poinsett, AR

Built 1996 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 11

SH 56 Izard County

Poor

Over: CREEK

2.6 MI E JCT SH 289 & 56, Izard, AR

Built 1957 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 1,228

SH 84 - 03 - 4.23

Poor

Over: ANTOINE CREEK

4.3 MI E OF KIRBY, Pike, AR

Built 1956 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 840

Sh-149/Sec-1/L4.34

Poor

Over: Fifteen Mile Bayou

0.1 Mi So Jct Sh 50 & 149, St. Francis, AR

Built 1957 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 200

SH 166-01- LM 1.21

Poor

Over: CREEK

1.23 MI N JCT US 67 & 166, Randolph, AR

Built 1955 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 537

Sh-20/Sec-1/L-9.73

Poor

Over: Cypress Slough

9.8 Miles Se Elaine, Phillips, AR

Built 1970 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 130

State Highway 378

Poor

Over: Kings Creek - Scott Co.

2.15 MI E SEBASTIAN CO LN, Scott, AR

Built 1971 Load: 3.6 t ADT: 298

SH 11-03 LM 13.28

Poor

Over: Deep Bayou

3.9 Mi S US 65-Grady, Lincoln, AR

Built 1949 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 412

US 61-03- LM 19.01

Poor

Over: DITCH NO 30

3.18 MI SW of Pemiscot Co, Mississippi, AR

Built 1951 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 2,600

CR 950 (Old 70)

Poor

Over: UPSHAW BAYOU

.2 MI E WHITE RIVER, Prairie, AR

Built 1931 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 296

Sh-17/Sec-5/L4.65

Poor

Over: Cache River Relief

4.65 Miles North Of Us 64, Woodruff, AR

Built 1948 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 920

Cr10/Fulton County

Poor

Over: CREEK

.52MI W SH223, Fulton, AR

Built 1948 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 110

CR 299-H-HOOPER LN

Poor

Over: OTTER CREEK

0.17 M S SH 373, Poinsett, AR

Built 1976 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 101

Sunnyside Rd

Poor

Over: Union Pacific RRCrawford

0.21 MI SO OF US 64, Crawford, AR

Built 1952 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 1,252

CR 36 Izard County

Poor

Over: NASTY CREEK

.9 MI N SH 56, Izard, AR

Built 1939 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 1,460

Co Rd 18-Polk Co.

Poor

Over: LIttle Hickory Creek

0.23 MI N SH 246, Polk, AR

Built 1920 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 64

CR 75 Izard County

Poor

Over: POKE BAYOU

1.9 S SH 58, Izard, AR

Built 1991 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 705

CR 21 Izard County

Poor

Over: BAILEY CREEK

2.10 MILES SOUTH SH 56, Izard, AR

Built 1993 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 755

CR 4 / Jackson Co.

Poor

Over: DEPARTEE CREEK

0.3 MI E JCT CR 4 & UPRR, Jackson, AR

Built 1997 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 504

CR 72 D Unity Road

Poor

Over: Lees Creek

2.5 Mi. W SH 9, Saline, AR

Built 2002 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 226

ShawneeDropZone Rd

Poor

Over: Creek-Ft. Chaffee BR 016

0.87 Mi W Jct Hwy 96, Sebastian, AR

Built 1939 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 100

SH 18-03- LM 11.08

Poor

Over: DITCH

0.8 MI SO OF SH 91, Craighead, AR

Built 1960 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 560

SH 86 Log 3.92

Poor

Over: WATTENSAW BAYOU REL

3.9 MI S JCT SH 38, Prairie, AR

Built 1931 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 190

SH 148-02- LM 8.10

Poor

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH NO. 29

0.7 MI E JCT SH 181, Mississippi, AR

Built 1963 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 200

Sh-42/Sec-3/L12.56

Poor

Over: St Francis River

.02 Mi E Jct Sh 75 & 42, Cross, AR

Built 1968 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 295

SH 34-04- LM 11.06

Poor

Over: AUNT BETTY DITCH

1.88 MI W JCT SH 139 & 34, Greene, AR

Built 1969 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 480

SH 230-06- LM 2.90

Poor

Over: WEST FORK CACHE RIVER

2.90 MI E JCT SH 91-230, Lawrence, AR

Built 1967 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 740

SH 141-02- LM 3.85

Poor

Over: POPLAR CREEK

2.25MI SW OF WALCOTT, Greene, AR

Built 1977 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 980

Archey Rd - D

Poor

Over: Archey Creek

1.39 MI N Jct SH 16, Van Buren, AR

Built 1956 Load: 4.5 t ADT: 183

SH 77-02- LM 5.97

Poor

Over: LITTLE RIVER

.75 MI N JCT OF SH 158, Mississippi, AR

Built 1954 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 1,700

Clark CR 8 Z-G

Poor

Over: SOUTH BOAT DITCH

1.1 MI S JCT CO RD 76, Clark, AR

Built 1928 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 69

CR 309-Madison Co.

Poor

Over: HOCK CREEK

8 MI SW HUNTSVILLE, Madison, AR

Built 1960 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 68

Cr-514/Z-I/L-1.48

Poor

Over: Ditch

.5Mi W Jct Cr 251 & 73, Phillips, AR

Built 1975 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 2

County Road 70-B

Poor

Over: Nesbitt Creek-Polk Co.

16.11MI E US 71, Polk, AR

Built 1960 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 100

CR 1048/Griffin Rd

Poor

Over: S FORK SPRING RIVER

.12 MI E SH 175, Sharp, AR

Built 1965 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 569

CR 66 White Co.

Poor

Over: LITTLE RED RIVER

.25MI SO OF 385 @ JUDSONI, White, AR

Built 1924 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 67

County Road 67

Poor

Over: Little Lee Branch Polk

6.6MI S SH 88, Polk, AR

Built 1945 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 100

CR 281/Fulton Co.

Poor

Over: TRACE CREEK

1.8 M E MAMMOTH SPRINGS, Fulton, AR

Built 1946 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 19

Cammack Rd SHARP

Poor

Over: TOWN BRANCH

.12 M S MAIN ST, Sharp, AR

Built 1975 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 91

Lick Skillet Road

Poor

Over: Rocky Creek-Scott Co.

1.1 MI S. SH 80, Scott, AR

Built 1993 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 55

CR 59D Danville Rd

Poor

Over: MIDDLE FORK SALINE RIVER

10.4 M W SH 9, Saline, AR

Built 1997 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 208

CR 263 - H

Poor

Over: DITCH NO. 1

3 MI N SH 90 RTE 304, Clay, AR

Built 2003 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 145

CR30/Ruby McGehee

Poor

Over: Ditch

1.31 Mi S US 82-Montrose, Chicot, AR

Built 2013 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 24

SH 310/White Co.

Poor

Over: CREEK

2.1 MI NE JCT SH 36, White, AR

Built 1938 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 401

CR948 - LM 6.28

Poor

Over: DITCH

1.0 MI W JCT SH 230 & 135, Craighead, AR

Built 1968 Load: 5.4 t ADT: 650

SH 17/Jackson Co.

Poor

Over: VILLAGE CREEK

1.0 MI E JCT SH 224, Jackson, AR

Built 1948 Load: 6.4 t ADT: 3,852

US 79-B S-4 LM 2.2

Poor

Over: OUACHITA RIVER

1.08 MI NE JCT SH 7, Ouachita, AR

Built 1947 Load: 6.4 t ADT: 3,700

Showing 12,351-12,400 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.