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

CR 375-H Rush Fork

Fair

Over: RUSH FORK CREEK

.07 MI N Amity Rd., Garland, AR

Built 1970 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,600

CR 3630

Fair

Over: Minnow Creek

0.08 E SH 123, Johnson, AR

Built 1942 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 222

CR 269 - H

Fair

Over: CYPRESS CREEK

4MI SE OF SMITHVILLE, Lawrence, AR

Built 1938 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 300

Co. Rd. 49 Zone E

Fair

Over: Ericson Branch-Logan Co.

0.20 MI E HWY 23, Logan, AR

Built 1941 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 547

CR 8060 Marion

Fair

Over: MOCCASIN CREEK

5.29 MI NW SH 178, Marion, AR

Built 1952 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 498

Caddo Ave. - D

Fair

Over: Swindle Creek

N Edge of Norman, Montgomery, AR

Built 1970 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 43

Sweet Home Rd.

Fair

Over: Branch of Hovel Creek

0.5 M E of Jct. SH 27, Montgomery, AR

Built 1975 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 34

Trail 86

Fair

Over: Maumelle River

3.7 M SW JCT SH 10&CR 39, Perry, AR

Built 1936 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 140

County Road 59

Fair

Over: Board Camp Creek - Polk

0.25 MI NW B63, Polk, AR

Built 1960 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 59

CO RD 70-Polk Co.

Fair

Over: Little Alexander Branch

1.39 M E JCT US71 & CR70, Polk, AR

Built 1937 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 334

Treat Rd - E

Fair

Over: Indian Creek

11.62 N Jct. 164, Pope, AR

Built 1950 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 20

Center Valley Rd.

Fair

Over: Bakers Creek

1.8 M W 124, Pope, AR

Built 1970 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,232

Pine St. - C

Fair

Over: Anderson Creek

1.43 M W SH 124 & RD 55, Pope, AR

Built 1940 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 420

W. BASELINE RD

Fair

Over: COLLEGHAM BRANCH

1 MI W OF SH 5, Pulaski, AR

Built 1950 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 11,000

CR 24 RAINES RD

Fair

Over: CALLEGHAN CREEK

.1 MI W CRYSTAL VALLEY, Pulaski, AR

Built 1971 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,639

CR 1-F(FAIRPLAY Rd

Fair

Over: CANEY CR

2MI SE OF NANCE, Saline, AR

Built 1978 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,200

Bluebird Road

Fair

Over: Black Fork Creek - Scott

11.12 M W CO RD 9 & 4, Scott, AR

Built 1936 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 30

Cr-621/Z-A/L-1.3

Fair

Over: Burghes Bayou

1.3 Miles South Of Cr 269, St. Francis, AR

Built 1969 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 44

SH 355 LM4.20 S-7

Fair

Over: BEECH CREEK

1.2 MI NW OF JCT US 371, Columbia, AR

Built 1963 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 530

CR 73 BEAUDRY CIR

Fair

Over: MID FORK SALINE RIVER

2.1 M N JCT CORD 73 & SH7, Garland, AR

Built 1970 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 380

County Road 77

Fair

Over: Brier Creek - Polk Co.

0.58 M SW US 71 & CO RD77, Polk, AR

Built 1939 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 155

Hogeye Road

Fair

Over: Illinois River-Wash. Co.

0.05 M JCT SH 156 & 265, Washington, AR

Built 1972 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,900

S.Whitehouse Rd/43

Fair

Over: Alee Branch - Wash. Co.

4.5 E OF US 71, Washington, AR

Built 1974 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 160

CORD 4-G Ouachita

Fair

Over: JORDON CREEK

.25MI E JCT CORD 219, Ouachita, AR

Built 1975 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 254

Slm SpE TLEQUAH ST

Fair

Over: SAGER CREEK

6 BLOCKS E OF N MT OLIVE, Benton, AR

Built 1950 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,000

S. 12TH ST.

Fair

Over: CREEK

0.3 MI S JCT MAIN ST., Clark, AR

Built 1962 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 48

Helton Rd-Logan Co

Fair

Over: Booneville Creek

0.21 EAST SH 217, Logan, AR

Built 1966 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 146

West C. St - E

Fair

Over: Engr. Ditch

.61 W Hwy. 7, Pope, AR

Built 1978 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 810

W 11 STREET

Fair

Over: SO SUMMIT ST

INTCH OF SUMMIT&11 ST, Pulaski, AR

Built 1930 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 481

Walnut Street

Fair

Over: Coop Creek-Scott Co.

0.15 MI NO CENTER STREET, Scott, AR

Built 1966 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 196

N CANTRELL RD

Fair

Over: Rose Creek

Under bridge A1538, Pulaski, AR

Built 1930 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 3,093

Pace City Road

Fair

Over: Creek- City of Stephens

.35MI SE OF SH 57, Ouachita, AR

Built 1950 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 390

Bradley CR 1 Z-E

Fair

Over: MILL BRANCH

0.3MI NE OF SH 160, Bradley, AR

Built 1972 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 842

CR 56/Jackson Co.

Fair

Over: COW LAKE DITCH

.8 MI E CORD 29 & 109, Jackson, AR

Built 1986 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 70

Pine Hill Rd -D

Fair

Over: Mccoy Creek

.47 MI N CR 85& SH 27, Pope, AR

Built 1986 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 490

Wayne Sellers Road

Fair

Over: Creek - Fayetteville

0.1 MI E Dbl Sprgs Rd, Washington, AR

Built 1979 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 60

CR 204 City Eureka

Fair

Over: Branch of Leatherwood Cr

1.15 NO of SH 62 & CR 61, Carroll, AR

Built 1935 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 25

Weeks Road

Fair

Over: Creek Scott County

8.28 MI SW SH 28, Scott, AR

Built 1981 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 334

Trace Branch Road

Fair

Over: Trace Creek - Wash. Co.

8 MI E OF US 71, Washington, AR

Built 1982 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 499

CR 13 -J (911=N17)

Fair

Over: BUFFALO CREEK DIV.

.93 MI N JCT SH 18, Mississippi, AR

Built 1982 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 348

Madison CR 4605 ZG

Fair

Over: WHITE RIVER

0.10 MILE S SH 16, Madison, AR

Built 1984 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 22

Polk Creek Rd

Fair

Over: Sloan Creek

2 mi W of Norman, Montgomery, AR

Built 1984 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 364

Harrison Maple St

Fair

Over: DRY BRANCH

0.04 MI N CENTRAL, Boone, AR

Built 1963 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 64

CR 55 Baxter

Fair

Over: HICKS CREEK

.75 MI E of SH 201S, Baxter, AR

Built 1988 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,110

Ouachita CR 11 Z-F

Fair

Over: NORTH BAYOU CREEK

1.4 MI SO JCT CR 11 & 12, Ouachita, AR

Built 1991 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 10

Graphic Road

Fair

Over: Creek-Crawford Co.

2.0 MI EAST US 71 JCT, Crawford, AR

Built 1940 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 751

Shiloh Drive

Fair

Over: Creek - Washington Co.

0.1 M S PORTER RD, Washington, AR

Built 1986 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 5,700

CR 25 RED COLONY R

Fair

Over: CREEK

.10 MI SO SH 24, Sevier, AR

Built 1993 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 60

CR 127 - D

Fair

Over: CACHE RIVER

0.8 MI W OF SH 135, Greene, AR

Built 1994 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 230

FRANKLIN ST.

Fair

Over: TOWN CREEK (CITY)

0.48 MI E JCT U.S. 278, Hempstead, AR

Built 1994 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 320

Showing 2,151-2,200 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.