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 62 & US 412

Fair

Over: Norfork Lake-District 9

8.49 MI E JCT SH 5, Baxter, AR

Built 1982 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 5,300

US 63 S-17 LM17.43

Fair

Over: BEECH CREEK

3.5 MI SW JCT OF SH 160, Bradley, AR

Built 1994 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 1,397

Calhoun CR 219 Z-B

Fair

Over: CANEY CREEK

1.54 MI NE HWY 274, Calhoun, AR

Built 1975 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 190

CR 928 - C

Fair

Over: BIG BAY DITCH NO 1

.89 W LESTER CORD 60, Craighead, AR

Built 1977 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 419

CR65/Texas Eastern

Fair

Over: Chicot Bayou Relief

0.01 Mi S SH 4-Ark City, Desha, AR

Built 1963 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 8

Easterwood Point

Fair

Over: Creek

.14 S SH 89, Faulkner, AR

Built 1939 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 1,506

CR 83C Mill Creek

Fair

Over: MID BR GULPHA CREEK

7.08 M W SH 128, Garland, AR

Built 1948 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 240

CR 609 - H

Fair

Over: CREEK

.77 MI NO OF US 412, Greene, AR

Built 1940 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 780

CR 609 - H

Fair

Over: CREEK

1.26 MI NO OF US 412, Greene, AR

Built 1941 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 780

Reynolds Rd-CR 114

Fair

Over: N Fork Simpson Creek

0.76 Mi S US365-Jefferson, Jefferson, AR

Built 1927 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 239

CR 3631

Fair

Over: Minnow Creek

.8 M NW CORD 145 & SH 123, Johnson, AR

Built 1975 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 366

CORD 44-Logan Co.

Fair

Over: LITTLE ALEX CREEK

1.38MI W OF SH 109, Logan, AR

Built 1970 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 31

Shaver Road

Fair

Over: Shavers Creek-Logan Co.

2.5 M S SH 22, Logan, AR

Built 1942 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 547

Shaver Road

Fair

Over: Shavers Creek-Logan Co.

2 M SO SH 22, Logan, AR

Built 1942 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 547

Shaver Road

Fair

Over: Shavers Creek-Logan Co.

1.5 M S SH 22, Logan, AR

Built 1942 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 85

Artesian Well Road

Fair

Over: Pee Dee Creek - Logan

0.6 MI N SH 22 Logan Co, Logan, AR

Built 1970 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 22

Old Military Road

Fair

Over: Shoal Creek Logan County

1.4 MI E SH 109 Logan Co, Logan, AR

Built 1965 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 50

CO RD16 Madison Co

Fair

Over: GLADE CREEK

2.5 SE HINDSVILLE, Madison, AR

Built 1924 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 630

Bushy Rd. - D

Fair

Over: Brushy Creek

2.25 N Of Oden, Montgomery, AR

Built 1970 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 251

CO RD 70-Polk Co.

Fair

Over: Turner Reeves Creek

5.27 M E US 71 & CO RD 70, Polk, AR

Built 1937 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 6

Co Rd 219-Polk Co.

Fair

Over: Rolling Fork Creek

3 MI E CO RD F-6, Polk, AR

Built 1979 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 49

Ross Mt. Rd. - E

Fair

Over: Slover Creek

0.5 MI S CO RD 159, Pope, AR

Built 1940 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 78

HILARO SPRINGS RD

Fair

Over: LITTLE FOURCHE CREEK

1 MI SO OF SH 338, Pulaski, AR

Built 1936 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 1,499

LEE AVE

Fair

Over: BRANCH

1.33 E SH 107 (I-1), Pulaski, AR

Built 1969 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 1,900

CR 1 Searcy

Fair

Over: Falling Water Creek

2.52 North Pope Co. Line, Searcy, AR

Built 1934 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 15

County Road 202

Fair

Over: Pigeon Creek-Seb. Co.

0.24MI NO OF SH 10, Sebastian, AR

Built 1940 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 126

Chula Rd.

Fair

Over: Reed Creek

.42 M W JCT CR 2 & SH 27, Yell, AR

Built 1950 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 481

CR 27/Fulton Co.

Fair

Over: BRAY BRANCH

5.98 MI E OF SH 223, Fulton, AR

Built 1954 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 230

CR119/Brady Mt Rd

Fair

Over: BEAR CREEK

1.5 N US 270, Garland, AR

Built 1973 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 931

Logan Gap Rd

Fair

Over: Twin Creek

2.56 M S Jct US 270, Montgomery, AR

Built 1938 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 290

CR 37 Newton

Fair

Over: BRANCH of CAVE CREEK

2.68 mi South of SH 74, Newton, AR

Built 1950 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 50

CR 18 (W. Sardis)

Fair

Over: MUDDY BRANCH

5.86 M East SH 183, Saline, AR

Built 1979 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 56

Union Hill Rd

Fair

Over: Branch

.5 M SE of Fannie, Montgomery, AR

Built 1977 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 127

CR91/Bald Mtn Rd

Fair

Over: E BR GULPHA CREEK

1.34 MI E JCT CR 280, Garland, AR

Built 1973 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 1,044

CR 810/Blacksnake

Fair

Over: BULL BAYOU

1.7 M E JCT SH 227, Garland, AR

Built 1973 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 830

Smokey alley/Z-Fw

Fair

Over: Ditch Number 9

22 Miles From Int Cr 30, Crittenden, AR

Built 1980 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 387

"P" Street North

Fair

Over: Creek City of Ft.Smith

0.2 M E SH 255, Sebastian, AR

Built 1950 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 260

East Meadow Street

Fair

Over: Spring Creek - Wash. Co.

0.44 E US HWY 71, Washington, AR

Built 1974 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 552

N. Shiloh Street

Fair

Over: Spring Creek - Wash. Co.

0.1 MI NE HUNTSVILLE ST., Washington, AR

Built 1976 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 666

KIMERY LANE

Fair

Over: STOKES CREEK

.03 from Jct Leonard St., Garland, AR

Built 1973 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 153

OATS STREET-D-0.49

Fair

Over: BRANCH (CITY)

1/2 MI SO OF US 82, Miller, AR

Built 1978 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 139

CR 591 Benton Co.

Fair

Over: Spring Branch Crk

2 MI SE OF VAUGHN, Benton, AR

Built 1980 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 11

Cr-929/Z-G/L-9.67

Fair

Over: Big Creek

.25 W Jct Sh 259 & Lee929, Lee, AR

Built 1986 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 94

CO RD 37-F-Wash

Fair

Over: Muddy Fk. Illinois River

2.1 MI S JCT SH 16, Washington, AR

Built 1986 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 890

Guinn River Rd

Fair

Over: Guinn River

0.85 MI NW JCT CR 40 & 41, Yell, AR

Built 1983 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 265

S. Vanzant Road

Fair

Over: Whitener Creek-Wash. Co.

2.0 MI WEST SH 303, Washington, AR

Built 1974 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 432

Richie Rd.

Fair

Over: Ashley Creek-Logan Co.

0.43 MI S SH 10, Logan, AR

Built 1983 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 190

Harrison Spring St

Fair

Over: DRY BRANCH

.08 MI Nrth of SOUTH AVE., Boone, AR

Built 1963 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 400

Old 12 Crossroads

Fair

Over: Wilson Branch-Crawford

7.7 MI E SH 220, Crawford, AR

Built 1992 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 1,094

Martin Loop

Fair

Over: Briar Creek-Logan Co.

1.19 MI E OF CO RD 40, Logan, AR

Built 1980 Load: 20.9 t ADT: 366

Showing 1,601-1,650 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.