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 15 FARM TO MARK

Fair

Over: BUCK CREEK

.21 MI SO JCT US 71, Sevier, AR

Built 1994 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 450

WASHINGTON

Fair

Over: CHRISTIAN CREEK

WEST OF JCT GEE ST, Craighead, AR

Built 1995 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 4,800

CR335-C W.Chaple

Fair

Over: WATTENSAW BAYOU

0.3 M S CO RD 99, Lonoke, AR

Built 1995 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 189

CR 292 CHAPEL HILL

Fair

Over: MINE CREEK BRANCH

0.6 MI WEST JCT CO RD 7, Howard, AR

Built 1996 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 107

CR 186-C Chandler

Fair

Over: TEN MILE CREEK

0.1 M E OF US 67, Hot Spring, AR

Built 1996 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 463

Cr-239/Z-D/L-3.45

Fair

Over: Storm Creek

Se of Storm Creek Lake, Phillips, AR

Built 1996 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 30

Co. Rd. 134

Fair

Over: Adamson Creek Seb. Co.

0.1 MI SO OF GREENWOOD, Sebastian, AR

Built 1995 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 99

C.R.47-D (OLD DIER

Fair

Over: WOOLSEY CR

1.4 M W OF HOWARD CO LINE, Sevier, AR

Built 1997 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 240

Port Rd/Z-C/L2.0

Fair

Over: Flood Ditch

2.0 Miles South Of Us 70, Crittenden, AR

Built 1997 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,800

CR 42/Gould Road

Fair

Over: Canal #67

3.98 Mi E SH 1-Watson, Desha, AR

Built 1999 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 20

CR147/Cleburne Co.

Fair

Over: BRANCH LITTLE RED RIVER

AT JCT CR 145 & 147, Cleburne, AR

Built 1999 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 378

CR 28 ZONE G -1.30

Fair

Over: CREEK

1.3 MI E JCT SH 19, Nevada, AR

Built 1999 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 210

CR 324/COUNTRY CLU

Fair

Over: HUSKEY CR

2.44 MI N CR 326 & 324, Hot Spring, AR

Built 2000 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 43

Dallas CR 64 Z-A

Fair

Over: MORO CREEK RELIEF

1.3 E HWY 229, Dallas, AR

Built 2001 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 113

CR 995 Carroll

Fair

Over: OSAGE CREEK

1.6 MI N US 412, Carroll, AR

Built 2001 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 128

Dallas CR 55 S-A

Fair

Over: Creek

1Mi.NW SH 8, Dallas, AR

Built 2003 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 188

Hogan Roberts Lp-B

Fair

Over: Ditch

0.3 M S Jct SH 326 CR247, Pope, AR

Built 2001 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 368

CR 838 (Webb)

Fair

Over: Plum Bayou

2.5 Mi S SH 161, Lonoke, AR

Built 2003 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 19

C.R. 46 -D- 0.66

Fair

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

N.E. EDGE OF WINTHROP, Little River, AR

Built 2005 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 138

Union CR77 Z-E

Fair

Over: Creek

1.9 mi E co rd. #17, Union, AR

Built 2003 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 313

Madison CO RD 328

Fair

Over: WHITE RIVER

.48 MI N of CROSSES, Madison, AR

Built 2005 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 277

CR 16 ZONE A

Fair

Over: LITTLE CORNIE CREEK

3.75 MI S JCT SH 98, Columbia, AR

Built 2006 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 206

CR 841-H(911=W828)

Fair

Over: UPPER SANDY BAYOU

2 MI. SW OF KEISER, Mississippi, AR

Built 2005 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 195

Whittington Ave

Fair

Over: West Fork Hot Springs Cr

.4 Mi W Sh 7, Garland, AR

Built 1930 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,500

Benton CR 36

Fair

Over: SPAVINAW CREEK

0.1 MI.E JCT 36 & CR 533, Benton, AR

Built 2005 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 276

Madison CR 3655

Fair

Over: KINGS RIVER

2.8 MI S JCT SH 74, Madison, AR

Built 2007 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 115

CR 405 PLEASANT V.

Fair

Over: MINE CREEK BRANCH

2 MI NO OF NASHVILLE, Howard, AR

Built 2008 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 99

Col. CR 60 Z:D

Fair

Over: creek

.1 mi. E CR 45, Columbia, AR

Built 2009 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 180

CR 10 Fulton Co.

Fair

Over: Bennett Creek

2.6 Mi W SH 223, Fulton, AR

Built 2011 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 386

Bradley CR 134 Z-F

Fair

Over: Mill Creek

.25 mi N CR 2 E, Bradley, AR

Built 2014 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 36

County Road 124

Fair

Over: Mackenay Creek - Seb. Co

0.2 Mi E Jct Hwy 253, Sebastian, AR

Built 2009 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 13

CR34/ClearfieldsRd

Fair

Over: Deep Bayou

1.4 Mi E SH 11-Varner, Lincoln, AR

Built 2010 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 42

S.CalhounRd. Z-D

Fair

Over: Branch

.2 mi N. Jct Emerson St., Columbia, AR

Built 2013 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 85

Marietta Church Rd

Fair

Over: Creek BR 024

4.08 mi NE of Auburn Rd., Sebastian, AR

Built 1940 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 100

Peacefull Hills Rd

Fair

Over: Lost Creek

0.04 Ml south hwy 70, Garland, AR

Built 2013 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 189

Ouachita CR 36 Z-D

Fair

Over: Creek

4.9 mi. East of Jct SH 7, Ouachita, AR

Built 2005 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 10

Gulf Mountain Rd

Fair

Over: Creek

0.36 Mi W of Jct. Hwy 389, Van Buren, AR

Built 2005 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 397

Chad Colley Blvd

Fair

Over: Ditch City of Ft. Smith

1.1 Mi. S. Jct SH 255, Sebastian, AR

Built 2008 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 4,000

Custer Blvd

Fair

Over: Ditch City of Ft. Smith

1.21 M SE. Wells Lake Rd, Sebastian, AR

Built 1950 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 1,249

Calhoun CoRd. #38

Fair

Over: Emerson Branch

5.2 Mi Jct. 38 & SH 278, Calhoun, AR

Built 2010 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 20

Altheimer Rd-CR 56

Fair

Over: Main Canal

4.71 Mi E SH 88-Altheimer, Jefferson, AR

Built 2019 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 89

Union CR 500 Z-E

Fair

Over: Holmes Creek

0.1 MI W JCT CR 711, Union, AR

Built 2019 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 527

State Highway 22

Fair

Over: Cane Creek-Logan Co.

1.7 MI E JCT 109@ SUBIACO, Logan, AR

Built 1928 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,800

US 63-03- LM 7.17

Fair

Over: HARDING CREEK

7.17 MI SE SHARP CO LINE, Lawrence, AR

Built 1929 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 6,100

US 167 Sharp Co.

Fair

Over: PINEY FORK

11.31 MI N INDEPENDENCE, Sharp, AR

Built 1928 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 3,400

US 79 S-1 LM 11.57

Fair

Over: HORSEHEAD CREEK

11.57 MI NO LOUISIANA ST., Columbia, AR

Built 1956 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,700

SH 35-08 LM 14.24

Fair

Over: Cut-Off Creek

14.24 Mi E US 278-Collins, Drew, AR

Built 1959 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,058

US278 /5 /22.22

Fair

Over: CANEY CREEK

.2 MI SO JCT SH 73, Hempstead, AR

Built 1950 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 4,700

SH 355 - 01- 7.42

Fair

Over: PLUM CREEK RELIEF

2.41 MI N HEMPSTEAD CO, Howard, AR

Built 1954 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 2,700

I-55SB-12-LM 28.91

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH NUMBER 1

1 MI NO CRITTENDEN CO LIN, Mississippi, AR

Built 1960 Load: 22.7 t ADT: 10,000

Showing 2,201-2,250 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.