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

Bethel Road

Fair

Over: Smiley Bayou

1.46 mi N of Jct SH 27, Yell, AR

Built 1996 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 1,495

CR 168/Strain Rd.

Fair

Over: East Pigeon Creek

0.34 mi West of SH 201 N, Baxter, AR

Built 1970 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 173

SH 14 Marion

Fair

Over: CAMPGROUND CREEK

0.81 MI SO JCT of US 62, Marion, AR

Built 1929 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 3,000

US 67-19- LM 7.78

Fair

Over: CURRENT RIVER

4.8 MI E JCT SH 166, Randolph, AR

Built 1929 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 6,600

SH 57 S-2 LM 4.38

Fair

Over: BIRCHFIELD CREEK

4.39 MI SE OUACHITA CO LI, Columbia, AR

Built 1954 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 410

US 67-17B-LM 0.63

Fair

Over: VILLAGE CREEK

0.84 MI NO JCT SH 25 & 67, Lawrence, AR

Built 1931 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 4,500

I-555NB-02-LM16.92

Fair

Over: DITCH 60

.6MI E JCT SH14, Poinsett, AR

Built 1973 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 8,500

I-555SB-02-LM15.93

Fair

Over: SAND SLOUGH

1.8 MI E JCT SH 14 & 63, Poinsett, AR

Built 1973 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 8,500

Benton US 412

Fair

Over: ILLINOIS RIVER

11.64 MI E OF OKLAHOMA LN, Benton, AR

Built 1995 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 10,000

SH 5-8 Log 1.17

Fair

Over: CREEK

0.89 MI NO.WEST OF I-30, Saline, AR

Built 1920 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 9,000

SH 5 White County

Fair

Over: CREEK

6.18 MI NO JCT US 64, White, AR

Built 1964 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 4,100

SH 7 S-6 LM 8.66

Fair

Over: TUPELO CR.

2.5 MI SE JCT SH 51, Clark, AR

Built 1956 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 1,700

SH 16

Fair

Over: Creek

2.87 MI E JCT OF US 65, Van Buren, AR

Built 1957 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 1,500

SH 16

Fair

Over: CREEK

3.86 MI E OF JCT US 65, Van Buren, AR

Built 1957 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 1,500

SH 19 SEC. 06-2.01

Fair

Over: BUFFALO CREEK

2.01 MI NW OF NEVADA CO, Pike, AR

Built 1955 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 916

SH 27 Searcy Co.

Fair

Over: BEAVER CREEK

2.18 M N OF US 65, Searcy, AR

Built 1952 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 1,224

SH 28-Scott Co.

Fair

Over: Phipps Branch

12.8 M E OF OKLAHOMA SL, Scott, AR

Built 1956 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 763

SH 53 SEC.04- 4.55

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

2.0 MI N BUCKNER, Lafayette, AR

Built 1964 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 620

SH 53 - 04 - 5.77

Fair

Over: BRANCH OF CLEAR CREEK

0.5 MI N OF BUCKNER, Lafayette, AR

Built 1964 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 620

US 62 Benton 1

Fair

Over: DITCH

.3MI E OF SH 37, Benton, AR

Built 1927 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 2,565

SH 90-05- LM 2.28

Fair

Over: MAIN DITCH

2.28 MI NW JCT SH 34 & 90, Randolph, AR

Built 1956 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 416

SH 90-05- LM 2.57

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

2.57 MI NW JCT SH 34 & 90, Randolph, AR

Built 1956 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 220

State Highway 96

Fair

Over: Cherokee Creek-Seb. Co.

JCT SH 378 & 96 MANSFIELD, Sebastian, AR

Built 1963 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 1,000

SH115 Sharp Co.

Fair

Over: LICK FORK CREEK

1.7 MI E JCT SH 167 & 115, Sharp, AR

Built 1934 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 1,800

SH 229-02 LM 0.84

Fair

Over: North Beaverdam Slough

0.84 Mi NW DallasCo-Leola, Grant, AR

Built 1953 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 320

US 270-5 Log 8.09

Fair

Over: Br. Hallmans Cr.

11.7 MI W SH 70, Garland, AR

Built 1929 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 4,703

SH296 SEC.01-13.21

Fair

Over: RED CHUTE CREEK

13.0 MI E JCT SH 67 & 296, Miller, AR

Built 1963 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 49

SH 300

Fair

Over: CREEK

9.65 MI E OF SH 113, Pulaski, AR

Built 1962 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 400

State Highway 309

Fair

Over: Howe Creek - Logan Co.

6.09 MI NW JCT SH 22 &309, Logan, AR

Built 1966 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 1,300

Sh-33/Sec-8/L10.47

Fair

Over: Overcup Ditch

10.47 Mile North Of Us 64, Woodruff, AR

Built 1968 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 533

SH 352-Franklin Co

Fair

Over: South Fork of White Oak

2.36 MI E JCT SH 23 & 352, Franklin, AR

Built 1968 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 340

SH 138-03 LM 9.75

Fair

Over: Cut-Off Creek Relief

9.75 Mi N US 278-Mt Tabor, Drew, AR

Built 1967 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 1,100

SH 333

Fair

Over: Lake Dardanelle

0.47 M S Jct. US 64, Pope, AR

Built 1970 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 3,721

SH 298 -5 Log 6.22

Fair

Over: BOOT CREEK

6.22 MI SE JCT 9-298, Saline, AR

Built 1938 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 1,077

SH 395/Fulton Co.

Fair

Over: TOWN CREEK

2.1 MI SO US 62, Fulton, AR

Built 1942 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 390

Sh-260/Sec-2/L0.37

Fair

Over: Creek

0.37 Mi East Of Jct Sh 17, Woodruff, AR

Built 1976 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 40

I-30 Log 93.95

Fair

Over: CREEK

2.74 MI SW JCT SH 171, Hot Spring, AR

Built 1967 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 31,000

State Highway 162

Fair

Over: Mays Branch-Crawford Co.

4.14 MI E JCT 64 & 162, Crawford, AR

Built 1974 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 4,200

State Highway 352

Fair

Over: Creek - Frank. Co.

100 Ft. W. of County Line, Franklin, AR

Built 1975 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 280

SHACKLEFORD RD

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

0.2MI NW OF I 630, Pulaski, AR

Built 1975 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 27,000

US Highway 71

Fair

Over: Tan-a-hill Creek-Scott

0.8 SW OF JCT 270, Scott, AR

Built 1983 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 2,600

US Highway 71

Fair

Over: Northern Creek-Scott Co.

3.59 NO OF Y CITY, Scott, AR

Built 1984 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 3,760

US Highway 71

Fair

Over: Little Buffalo-Scott Co.

8.02 MI NO OF Y CITY, Scott, AR

Built 1983 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 4,700

SH 84 -5 Log 4.35

Fair

Over: WHITE WALNUT CREEK

4.35 MI E CLARK CO LINE, Hot Spring, AR

Built 1986 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 1,100

I-555-03- LM 42.75

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

.27 MI EAST SH 1B, Craighead, AR

Built 1989 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 3,773

US 63-03- LM 11.21

Fair

Over: CREEK

1.5 MNW JCT 117&63, Lawrence, AR

Built 1929 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 6,597

US 270-5 Log 19.39

Fair

Over: Creek

.2 MI S US 70, Garland, AR

Built 1990 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 36,636

State Highway 112

Fair

Over: Town Creek-Washington Co

0.7 MI N JCT 71 540&265, Washington, AR

Built 1996 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 7,866

SH 16

Fair

Over: Weaver Creek Relief

6.53 MI E JCT OF US 65, Van Buren, AR

Built 1996 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 1,500

SH 5 log 2.66

Fair

Over: HAW BRANCH

0.25 MI NE SH 338, Pulaski, AR

Built 1999 Load: 20.0 t ADT: 23,983

Showing 1,501-1,550 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.