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

US 49- Phillips Co

Poor

Over: Mississippi River-Dist 1

1 MI E JCT SH 20 & 44, Phillips, AR

Built 1961 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 3,900

CR 103 Benton Co.

Poor

Over: CREEK

7.5 SO OF HIGHFILL, Benton, AR

Built 1930 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 261

CR 57 Izard County

Poor

Over: PINEY FORK

4.42 MI S SH 56 FRANKLIN, Izard, AR

Built 1927 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 316

C.R. 290 - C -4.35

Poor

Over: CANEY CREEK

0.6 MS JCT CO RD 16, Nevada, AR

Built 1929 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 80

George Anderson Rd

Poor

Over: Clear Creek - Springdale

0.5 MI S. Jct Tyson Pkwy, Washington, AR

Built 1945 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 181

Ouachita CR 2 Z-H

Poor

Over: MUD CREEK

2.3 MI WEST JCT CR 55, Ouachita, AR

Built 1967 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 1,831

County Road 1194

Poor

Over: West Fork White River

0.4 MI WEST US 71, Washington, AR

Built 1930 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 89

CR 286-I(911=430)

Poor

Over: POST OAK CREEK

1.5 M W SH90, Clay, AR

Built 1993 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 43

CR 481 - I

Poor

Over: PAYNE CREEK

3.42 SW of Piggot, Clay, AR

Built 1993 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 60

CR 57 Mt. Ida Road

Poor

Over: LITTLE ALUM FORK

.3 SO OF JCT CR 74, Saline, AR

Built 1997 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 10

SH 293-02 LM 0.16

Poor

Over: Ladd Canal

0.16 Mi S SH 54-Dumas, Lincoln, AR

Built 1970 Load: 11.8 t ADT: 270

Us-70/Sec-19/L5.17

Poor

Over: St. Francis River

5.17 Miles East Of Sh 1, St. Francis, AR

Built 1933 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 1,300

Springdale WW Rd.

Poor

Over: Puppy Creek

.11 M N jct. N 56th St., Benton, AR

Built 1970 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 2,200

CR 31/Fulton Co.

Poor

Over: TRACE CREEK

5 M N OF US 62, Fulton, AR

Built 1947 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 310

Belmont Road-CR

Poor

Over: Canal

1.20 Mi W SH 199-Moscow, Jefferson, AR

Built 1965 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 67

North Lehr Drive

Poor

Over: Ten Mile Bayou

.03 Mi No Jct Ross Ave., Crittenden, AR

Built 1960 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 850

Ballard Creek Road

Poor

Over: Ballard Creek

3.39 MI N W SUMMERS, Washington, AR

Built 1988 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 324

CR 408 - H

Poor

Over: JOHNSON CREEK

1.5 MI E KNOB, Clay, AR

Built 1991 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 169

CR 354 - C

Poor

Over: POPLAR CREEK

.63 M W of CR 341, Clay, AR

Built 1994 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 36

CR 502 - A

Poor

Over: WHITE WALNUT CREEK

3 MI SO OF RECTOR, Clay, AR

Built 1996 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 20

SH 37/Jackson Co.

Poor

Over: HATCHETT DITCH

2.33MI W JCT US 67 & 37, Jackson, AR

Built 1930 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 1,300

SH 91-01- LM 3.55

Poor

Over: LINDSEYS CREEK

3.55 MI S JCT US412/91, Lawrence, AR

Built 1931 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 580

SH 134SEC.01-16.55

Poor

Over: MOCCASIN BAYOU

3.0 MI W JCT US 82 & 134, Miller, AR

Built 1957 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 715

SH 168-00- LM 2.36

Poor

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

2.37 MI E JCT SH 228 168, Greene, AR

Built 1941 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 430

SH 233/Indepen Co.

Poor

Over: TWO MILE CREEK

3.7 MI N JCT SH 69 & 233, Independence, AR

Built 1956 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 820

SH 235 Marion

Poor

Over: HAMPTON CREEK

1.8 MI E SH 125, Marion, AR

Built 1960 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 700

State Highway 282

Poor

Over: Frog Bayou-Crawford Co.

3.06 MI N OF US71 & 15, Crawford, AR

Built 1935 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 190

Sh-20/Sec-1/L14.45

Poor

Over: Floyd Bayou

8.4 Miles South Of Sh 44, Phillips, AR

Built 1970 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 130

Sh-364/Sec-1/L9.17

Poor

Over: Ditch

9.5 Mi E Jct Sh 49 & 364, Cross, AR

Built 1950 Load: 12.7 t ADT: 290

Vine Prairie Rd

Poor

Over: CottonwoodSloughCrawford

2.4 MI SO OF US 64, Crawford, AR

Built 1965 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 120

County Road 37

Poor

Over: Paul Branch - Polk Co.

2.49 S OLD POTTER, Polk, AR

Built 1922 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 221

County Road 37

Poor

Over: Thompson Creek-Polk Co

0.68 MI S OF POTTER, Polk, AR

Built 1925 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 221

Griffin Flat Rd-B

Poor

Over: Creek

2.8 M N hwy. 247, Pope, AR

Built 1970 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 10

Barber Road

Poor

Over: Greasy Creek-Logan Co.

1.51 MI W SH 23, Logan, AR

Built 1970 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 998

SH 16 White County

Poor

Over: BIG CREEK RELIEF

.50 MI N JCT SH 310, White, AR

Built 1958 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 5,400

SH 25-06- LM 1.45

Poor

Over: CANEY CREEK RELIEF

1.45 M N INDEPENDENCE COL, Lawrence, AR

Built 1962 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 1,000

SH 76 SEC.01-5.88

Poor

Over: W FORK CANEY

3.6 MI E OF WATERLOO, Nevada, AR

Built 1955 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 140

SH 95

Poor

Over: BRADLEY CR

4.0 MI SW CLINTON CITY L, Van Buren, AR

Built 1956 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 480

Sh-121/Sec-2/L7.19

Poor

Over: Larkin Creek

0.8 Mi East Of Jct Sh 261, Lee, AR

Built 1957 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 400

SH 123

Poor

Over: Gee Creek

7.44 M W Pope Co Line, Johnson, AR

Built 1960 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 60

SH 166-01- LM 3.30

Poor

Over: FOURCHE RIVER

3.3 MI NE JCT US 67, Randolph, AR

Built 1942 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 180

Sh-75/Sec-00/L4.66

Poor

Over: Creek

4.0 Mi No Of Jct Sh 50, St. Francis, AR

Built 1975 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 100

Sh-269/Sec-1/L2.29

Poor

Over: Creek

2.3 Mi East Jct Sh 37, Woodruff, AR

Built 1976 Load: 13.6 t ADT: 200

SH 140-01- LM 9.11

Poor

Over: LITTLE RIVER

0.7 MI W JCT SH 135, Poinsett, AR

Built 1948 Load: 14.5 t ADT: 2,700

SH 31 White County

Poor

Over: CYPRESS CREEK RELIEF

2.9 MI S JCT 67B, White, AR

Built 1955 Load: 14.5 t ADT: 3,700

SH 77-02- LM 6.34

Poor

Over: LITTLE RIVER

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

Built 1954 Load: 14.5 t ADT: 1,700

SH 214-01-LM 11.01

Poor

Over: LANGUILLE RVR

2.9 MI W JCT OF SH 1, Poinsett, AR

Built 1966 Load: 14.5 t ADT: 220

SH 214-01-LM 11.11

Poor

Over: Languille Relief

2.8 MI W JCT OF SH 1, Poinsett, AR

Built 1966 Load: 14.5 t ADT: 220

SH 27 SEC.01-7.59

Poor

Over: SALINE RIVER

0.04 W OF HOWARD CO, Sevier, AR

Built 1964 Load: 14.5 t ADT: 1,500

CR 31/Fulton Co.

Poor

Over: BAY CREEK

3.6MI E SH223, Fulton, AR

Built 1950 Load: 14.5 t ADT: 120

Showing 12,501-12,550 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.