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-107/Z-G/L-9.78

Fair

Over: Cypress Creek

0.75 Mi North Jct Cr 111, St. Francis, AR

Built 1992 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 60

Greasy Valley Road

Fair

Over: Creek-Wash. Co.

3.61MI SO SH 62, Washington, AR

Built 1976 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,718

W. Steele Road

Fair

Over: Little Wildcat Creek

2.9 MI W SH 112, Washington, AR

Built 1942 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,000

CR 23 Benton Co.

Fair

Over: COON CREEK

NW GENTRY 2.5 MI, Benton, AR

Built 1940 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 440

Waverley/Z-C/L-1.9

Fair

Over: Ditch Number 19

7.97 Mi South Jct Us 64, Crittenden, AR

Built 1950 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,900

CR 13 Izard County

Fair

Over: CREEK

5.8MI SE SH56, Izard, AR

Built 1951 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 655

CR 5440

Fair

Over: Hignite Hollow

1.6 mi W. Jct CR & SH 21, Johnson, AR

Built 1937 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 50

CR 19-Logan Co.

Fair

Over: Huckleberry creek

0.10 NO SCOTT CO LN, Logan, AR

Built 1936 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 55

Barber Rd-Logan Co

Fair

Over: Polecat Branch

0.05 MI E CORD 505 ZONE I, Logan, AR

Built 1940 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 660

Ouachita CR 55 Z-H

Fair

Over: GUM CREEK

.15 MI NO UNION CO LINE, Ouachita, AR

Built 1966 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 98

County Road 64

Fair

Over: Blaylock Creek Polk Co.

10 M E SH 375 & CO RD 64, Polk, AR

Built 1934 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 40

Co Rd 64 Polk

Fair

Over: Alex Branch

7.22 M E SH 375 & CO R 64, Polk, AR

Built 1934 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 40

CR 64

Fair

Over: Sulphur Creek-Polk Co.

0.19 M E SH 375 & CO R 64, Polk, AR

Built 1940 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 41

Walter Estes Road

Fair

Over: PLUM BAYOU

1.15 E SH 161, Pulaski, AR

Built 1955 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 787

Walter Estes Rd

Fair

Over: ASH FLAT LAKE

1.4 MI E SH 161, Pulaski, AR

Built 1948 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 787

Walter Estes Rd

Fair

Over: PLUM BAYOU

2.3 Mi E of SH 161, Pulaski, AR

Built 1955 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 787

CR 621 Benton Co.

Fair

Over: Phillips Creek

2 MI E ROGERS, Benton, AR

Built 1975 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,522

Melody Lane

Fair

Over: Morris Branch-Crawford

0.9 MI NE OF CO RD 48, Crawford, AR

Built 1978 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 119

CR 80 Benton Co.

Fair

Over: LITTLE SUGAR CREEK

.5MI NW BRIGHTWATER, Benton, AR

Built 1978 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 641

Harrison Lakeshore

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

CITY OF HARRISON, Boone, AR

Built 1963 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,400

NEIL STREET

Fair

Over: TURTLE CREEK

.14MI NE MATTHEWS, Craighead, AR

Built 1971 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,300

BABCOCK ST

Fair

Over: TOWN CREEK

.08 M N BABCOCK & GAIL ST, Hot Spring, AR

Built 1955 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,518

South Chaney Dr.

Fair

Over: STILHOUSE BRANCH

.44 M SE US 167, Independence, AR

Built 1970 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 910

College St.

Fair

Over: Creek

.23 MI S Hwy 64, Johnson, AR

Built 1929 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 655

LAUREL STREET

Fair

Over: BRANCH

.12 N GRAHAM RD(SH 11), Pulaski, AR

Built 1969 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 266

MISTY DR ZONE F

Fair

Over: SALT CREEK

BENTON W OFF SH 5, Saline, AR

Built 1960 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 940

Park Ave-Ft.Smith

Fair

Over: Alexander Branch

0.15MI W HWY 540, Sebastian, AR

Built 1962 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,554

Drive near Haes St

Fair

Over: CREEK

2 BLOCKS S JCT US 70&71, Sevier, AR

Built 1932 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 23

Lake Sequoyah Dr

Fair

Over: Lake Sequoyah - Fayette.

1.1 Mi N Hwy 16, Washington, AR

Built 1958 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 221

W Leroy Pond 873

Fair

Over: College Branch -Wash.

0.1 E RAZORBACK RD., Washington, AR

Built 1977 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,211

West Main Street

Fair

Over: Flood Creek - Johnson

0.34 MI W HEWITT STREET, Washington, AR

Built 1930 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 10,000

BROAD ST. -D -0.36

Fair

Over: NIX CREEK (CITY)

0.1 MI SW OF JCT US 82&67, Miller, AR

Built 1972 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 3,333

PRIDE VALLEY RD

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

MEDIAN RD CHENAL PW, Pulaski, AR

Built 1980 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 888

S Whitehouse Road

Fair

Over: Clock Creek - Wash. Co.

INTER CO RD 40 & 43, Washington, AR

Built 1986 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 403

S. Whitehouse Road

Fair

Over: Savage Branch - Wash. Co

0.7 MI SOUTH CO RD 40, Washington, AR

Built 1986 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 160

Front Street

Fair

Over: Mud Creek - Wash. Co.

0.2 MI SO STEARNS ST., Washington, AR

Built 1972 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,928

Smyrna Rd. - C

Fair

Over: Middle Fk Illinois Bayou

3.8 MI E SH 27 At Nogo, Pope, AR

Built 1934 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 210

SH 192-2 Log 2.07

Fair

Over: LITTLE GLAZYPEAU CREEK

2.1 Mi E SH 227, Garland, AR

Built 1945 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 2,000

Ouachita CR 25 Z-E

Fair

Over: ECORE FABRE BAYOU

2.48 MI NE SH 24, Ouachita, AR

Built 1982 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 386

Ouachita CR 25 Z-E

Fair

Over: ECORE FABRE BAYOU

2.55 MI NE SH 24, Ouachita, AR

Built 1982 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 386

Sweet Home Rd.

Fair

Over: Hogans Creek

0.4 E JCT SH 9 & CR 341, Conway, AR

Built 1980 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 99

CR 325 Madison Co.

Fair

Over: HOG CREEK

1 MI SE PATRICK, Madison, AR

Built 1978 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 193

Beryl Road

Fair

Over: Little Cypress Creek

1.4 MI S US 64 bypass, Faulkner, AR

Built 1984 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 652

CR 16-D

Fair

Over: MAIN DITCH NO. 2

5 MI E OF OTWELL, Poinsett, AR

Built 1986 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 55

Day Rd. Izard Co.

Fair

Over: BENS CREEK

3.4 MI E SH 289 & 354, Izard, AR

Built 1987 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 820

Johnson Avenue

Fair

Over: Spring Creek-Washington

0.48 E US 71-A, Washington, AR

Built 1974 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,546

CR 811/Mimosa St

Fair

Over: Creek

0.7 Mi N SH 133-NCrossett, Ashley, AR

Built 1988 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 535

Alcorn Gill Rd-CR6

Fair

Over: Hurricane Slough

4.63 Mi S US 79-Humphrey, Arkansas, AR

Built 1989 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 10

Buford Cutoff Gsvl

Fair

Over: DITCH

0.48 Mi SE Jct Red Bud Rd, Baxter, AR

Built 1991 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 230

Co Rd 16 Sebastian

Fair

Over: James Fork

1.03 MI E SH 45, Sebastian, AR

Built 1993 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 174

Showing 2,451-2,500 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.