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

SH 367/Jackson Co.

Poor

Over: WHITE RIVER RELIEF

6.95MI N WHITE CO LINE, Jackson, AR

Built 1936 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 1,800

Us-79/Sec-15/L6.77

Poor

Over: Little Hog Tusk Creek

1.0 Mi West Of Jct Sh 238, Lee, AR

Built 1952 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 580

Sh-20/Sec-1/L22.44

Poor

Over: Long Lake

0.3 MI S JCT 49 & 20, Phillips, AR

Built 1966 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 1,000

Camp Karefree/Z-A

Poor

Over: Zanone Bayou

.01 Miles South Of 276, Crittenden, AR

Built 1960 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 31

CR 88 C SPRING St

Poor

Over: GULPHA CREEK

2.0 M. E. OF Westing.Dr., Garland, AR

Built 1930 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 110

Industrial Park Rd

Poor

Over: Flat Rock Creek-Crawford

1.38 MI E JCT I-540, Crawford, AR

Built 1964 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 7,700

County Road 67

Poor

Over: Big Fork Creek-Polk Co.

1.91 M S SH 88 & CO RD 67, Polk, AR

Built 1915 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 70

N Jackson Highway

Poor

Over: Beatty Branch-Washington

2.34MI NO OF LINCOLN, Washington, AR

Built 1940 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 1,156

CR 18/Indepen Co.

Poor

Over: SHOAT BRANCH

1.3 MI SO SH 157, Independence, AR

Built 1990 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 282

County Road 31

Poor

Over: Six Mile Creek - Polk Co

5.69 MI N SH 246&CO RD31, Polk, AR

Built 1992 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 901

C.R. 22 - B - 5.11

Poor

Over: CREEK

.10 MI E JCT SH 313, Lafayette, AR

Built 1998 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 75

Cr-347/Z-C/L-0.77

Poor

Over: Johnson Bayou

0.4 Miles North Of Cr 42, Phillips, AR

Built 1999 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 26

Cr-747/Z-H/L-4.87

Poor

Over: Lick Creek

2 Mi East Of CR 71 & Sh 1, Cross, AR

Built 1999 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 52

CR 2/Stone County

Poor

Over: MEADOW CREEK

5.8 MI N. OF SH 110, Stone, AR

Built 1990 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 1,024

Moccasin Creek Rd.

Poor

Over: Moccasin Creek

1.93 Mi. Jct SH5 & Mocca, Izard, AR

Built 1998 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 50

SH 37/Jackson Co.

Poor

Over: POMPEYS CREEK

1.92 MI W JCT US 67, Jackson, AR

Built 1930 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 1,300

SH 69-06- LM 1.51

Poor

Over: DITCH NO 7

1.21 MI E JCT SH 163, Poinsett, AR

Built 1962 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 1,666

SH 86 Log 3.79

Poor

Over: WATTENSAW BAYOU

3.8 MI S JCT SH 38, Prairie, AR

Built 1945 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 190

Sh-364/Sec1/L12.41

Poor

Over: Creek

1.5 West Jct Sh 364 & 1, Cross, AR

Built 1976 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 290

Sh-17/Sec-5/L-4.86

Poor

Over: Cache River

4.86 Miles North Of Us 64, Woodruff, AR

Built 1948 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 920

SH 31 White County

Poor

Over: CYPRESS BAYOU

.1 MI N OF LONOKE CO LINE, White, AR

Built 1955 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 4,059

US 63/Sharp Co.

Poor

Over: MARTIN CREEK

.5 MI E JCT OF SH 58 63, Sharp, AR

Built 1961 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 6,300

SH 115 Sharp Co.

Poor

Over: BIG CREEK

1.35 MI W OF LAWRENCE CO, Sharp, AR

Built 1967 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 1,000

Co Rd 109 Zone C

Poor

Over: Quachita River - Polk Co

Acorn, Polk, AR

Built 1929 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 40

Viney Grove Road

Poor

Over: Creek

0.2MI SO JCT SH 16, Washington, AR

Built 1931 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 890

Cove Creek Road

Poor

Over: Cove Creek - Wash Co.

2.40 SO OF CO RD 21, Washington, AR

Built 1977 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 386

2nd Street Perry

Poor

Over: Haydon Branch

Jct. of 2nd St. & SH 9, Perry, AR

Built 1910 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 32

River Rd

Poor

Over: Md Fk Little Red River

NW City Limits of Shirley, Van Buren, AR

Built 1910 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 78

Cr-722/Z-J/L-0.96

Poor

Over: Tuni Creek

.96 Mi S Sfc 734 & Sfc736, St. Francis, AR

Built 1991 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 24

CR/31 Sharp County

Poor

Over: Strawberry River

.24 miles NW of SH 58, Sharp, AR

Built 1935 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 37

SH 25/Independ. Co

Poor

Over: BLUE CREEK

1.0 M W OF SH 233, Independence, AR

Built 1955 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 5,500

State Highway 28

Poor

Over: Jerico Branch-Scott Co.

12.3 M E OF OKLAHOMA SL, Scott, AR

Built 1956 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 763

SH 83-02 LM 2.76

Poor

Over: Lower Cut-Off Creek

2.76 Mi N US 278-RoseHill, Drew, AR

Built 1931 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 1,149

SH 223 Izard Co.

Poor

Over: CREEK

4.18 MI N JCT SH 56 & 223, Izard, AR

Built 1969 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 420

SH 387 - 01- 2.28

Poor

Over: (MILL CR.)WHITE OAK LAKE

2.3 MI S OF BLUFF CITY, Nevada, AR

Built 1971 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 150

Sh-50/Sec-1/L13.54

Poor

Over: Stream

1.4 Mi W Jct Sh 149 & 50, St. Francis, AR

Built 1972 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 80

SH 195 -05 - 3.96

Poor

Over: COLLINS BAYOU

4.12 MI NE OF SH 371, Hempstead, AR

Built 1930 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 390

Hwy 27 Side Drain

Poor

Over: Creek

3.73 M N of Mont. Co Line, Yell, AR

Built 1968 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 610

RIVER ROAD

Poor

Over: HIGHWAY 71 BORROW DITCH

S.E. PORTION OF REFUGE, Sevier, AR

Built 1970 Load: 10.0 t ADT: 30

SH 135-01-LM 6.03

Poor

Over: DITCH NO 47

3.0 MI N OF SH 118, Poinsett, AR

Built 1954 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 1,492

CR59/Fulton County

Poor

Over: STRAWBERRY RIVER

1.6 M W OF SH 289, Fulton, AR

Built 1938 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 180

CORD 454 Madison

Poor

Over: Clift Creek - Madison Co

.01 MI N SH 12, Madison, AR

Built 1964 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 18

Cr-336/Z-C/L-0.29

Poor

Over: Ditch

.5 Miles East Of Sh 85, Phillips, AR

Built 1947 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 11

CR 176 Madison Co.

Poor

Over: WAR EAGLE CREEK

1 MI NW WITTER, Madison, AR

Built 1999 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 47

SH 90-07-LM 2.16

Poor

Over: EASSIS CREEK

2.16 MI SW JCT SH 90 & 93, Randolph, AR

Built 1939 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 680

SH 103 Carroll

Poor

Over: CREEK

8.79 MI N of JCT US 412, Carroll, AR

Built 1964 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 1,400

SH 223/Fulton Co.

Poor

Over: BIG CREEK

1.0 MI S JCT US 62, Fulton, AR

Built 1919 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 740

SH 168-00- LM 1.31

Poor

Over: MAIN LATERAL DR. DITCH

1.33 MI E JCT SH 228 168, Greene, AR

Built 1968 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 430

Sh-20/Sec-1/L16.16

Poor

Over: Floyd Bayou

7.3 Miles South Of Sh 49B, Phillips, AR

Built 1970 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 130

SH 158-05- LM 2.35

Poor

Over: LITTLE BAY DITCH

2.3 W OF SH 463, Craighead, AR

Built 1980 Load: 10.9 t ADT: 1,100

Showing 12,451-12,500 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.