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

Woodson Road-CR 2

Fair

Over: Creek

0.6 Mi W SH 276-Hagler, Arkansas, AR

Built 1965 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 30

CR 11 Benton Co.

Fair

Over: CREEK

SW OF GALLATIN 1.5MI, Benton, AR

Built 1970 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 2,144

CR 11 Benton Co.

Fair

Over: BUTLER CREEK

SW GALLATIN 1.25MI, Benton, AR

Built 1961 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 2,144

CR 247 Boone

Fair

Over: CRICKET CREEK

0.5 MI W JCT US 65, Boone, AR

Built 1950 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 50

Bradley CR 6 Z-E

Fair

Over: LAIGLE CREEK RELIEF

.75 MI NE JCT CO RD 66, Bradley, AR

Built 1979 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 7

CR 302 Carroll

Fair

Over: BRANCH OF KEEL CREEK

1.61 MI S of JCT US 62, Carroll, AR

Built 1970 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 470

Wire Road

Fair

Over: Mulberry Relief Creek

0.4 E OF SH 215, Franklin, AR

Built 1940 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 410

Norton Town Road

Fair

Over: Myal Creek-Franklin Co.

0.4 Mi W. of County Line, Franklin, AR

Built 1965 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 234

CR37/Independ Co.

Fair

Over: MILL CREEK

.25MI E SH106, Independence, AR

Built 1946 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 2

Campbell Rd.

Fair

Over: Water Fork Creek

3.16 Mi SW Meyer Creek Rd, Montgomery, AR

Built 1978 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 121

Rushing Rd - E

Fair

Over: Piney Creek

5.58M NW JCT SH 7 & CR 12, Pope, AR

Built 1979 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 131

Greasy Valley Road

Fair

Over: Lurch Creek-Wash. Co.

1.0 MI E MORROW, Washington, AR

Built 1973 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 90

Brentwood Mountain

Fair

Over: White River - Wash. Co.

0.25 MI W OF US 71, Washington, AR

Built 1974 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 270

Stokenbury Road

Fair

Over: Alexander Br. - Elkins

0.86MI NW CORD 32, Washington, AR

Built 1976 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 4,000

CR 91 Baxter

Fair

Over: DIAMOND CREEK

5.33 MI SW JCT CR91&US62, Baxter, AR

Built 1949 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 236

CR 44-Crawford Co.

Fair

Over: Little Mulberry Creek

2.71 MI E OF US 71, Crawford, AR

Built 1940 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 91

S Whitehouse Rd.

Fair

Over: Greasy Creek-Washington

Jct of Co Rd 118 & 43, Washington, AR

Built 1974 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 103

Marshall N.Center

Fair

Over: BRUSH CREEK

0.5 Miles North of US 65, Searcy, AR

Built 1959 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 54

Olive Road - Wash.

Fair

Over: Middle Fork White River

1.6 MI SE OF CR 47, Washington, AR

Built 1982 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 227

CR 4400 - D

Fair

Over: Teagle Creek

0.3 M W Jct SH 21, Johnson, AR

Built 1987 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 362

CR 57-A Landers

Fair

Over: LEAU FRAIS CREEK

3.5 MI NW LONO, Hot Spring, AR

Built 1990 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 220

Cat Island/Z-A/1.6

Fair

Over: Zanone/Black Fish Bayou

1.6 MI NE INT SH 147, Crittenden, AR

Built 1991 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 2

Thomas Rd-Logan

Fair

Over: Petit Jean River

0.4 MI SOUTH SH 10, Logan, AR

Built 1991 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 60

CR 33-I Chaney

Fair

Over: INDIAN BAYOU

1.3 M E SH15, Lonoke, AR

Built 1992 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 2

CR552-I C. Jeans

Fair

Over: INDIAN BAYOU

3.5 Mi E of SH 165 & 15, Lonoke, AR

Built 1992 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 59

CR 189 Goose Pond

Fair

Over: MIDDLE FORK SALINE RVR

.1 M E CORD 57, Saline, AR

Built 1992 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 140

County Road 192

Fair

Over: Massard Creek Seb. Co.

1.25 MI SE OF CO RD 190, Sebastian, AR

Built 1972 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 259

CR 432 - I

Fair

Over: VANCEL CREEK

3 MI N OF RECTOR, Clay, AR

Built 1994 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 29

CR 59 Danville Rd

Fair

Over: CEDAR CREEK

12.5 M W OF SH 9, Saline, AR

Built 1996 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 2,162

CR 72 / Jackson Co

Fair

Over: RUNNING WATER CREEK

1 MILE NE OF JCT 71, Jackson, AR

Built 1996 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 53

Pipkin Rd-CR 116

Fair

Over: Little Post Bayou

1.65 Mi E US 165-Gillett, Arkansas, AR

Built 1996 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 22

CR 148 - E

Fair

Over: MO ARK DITCH

3 MI NE OF CORNING, Clay, AR

Built 1996 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 229

CR 72 C RED WAGON

Fair

Over: CREEK

2.35 E OF SH 67@LOG8.9, Hot Spring, AR

Built 1990 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 164

CR 26 Sharp County

Fair

Over: Reeds Creek

1.65 MIN. N SH 230, Sharp, AR

Built 1997 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 115

Cr-521/Z-G/L-7.0

Fair

Over: Ditch

1.4 Miles North Of Sh 284, Cross, AR

Built 1997 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 83

Hesser Levee Rd-CR

Fair

Over: Point Deluce Bayou

1.3 MI N SH 44-LaFargue, Arkansas, AR

Built 1998 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 80

Cr-233/Z-I/L-0.03

Fair

Over: Old Town Lake Drain

.3 Miles North Co Rd 30, Phillips, AR

Built 1999 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 180

CR 803 - B

Fair

Over: HURRICANE DITCH

0.5 MI. E OF US 49, Greene, AR

Built 2003 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 76

C.R.293-JAMISON RD

Fair

Over: COLEMAN CREEK

2.75 MI. N.W OF NASHVILLE, Howard, AR

Built 2006 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 136

CR 25 Madison Co.

Fair

Over: KINGS RIVER

7.6 MI N E ALABAM, Madison, AR

Built 2008 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 397

St Francis WMA Rd.

Fair

Over: Ditch 41

1.5 miles W of Marked Tre, Poinsett, AR

Built 1960 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 50

S. Appleby Rd

Fair

Over: Hale Creek - Farmington

0.1 Mi S Hwy 170, Washington, AR

Built 1978 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 109

Ouachita CR 43 Z-D

Fair

Over: Creek

.95 mi. NE SH 7, Ouachita, AR

Built 2012 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 360

CR 39 Newton

Fair

Over: Big Creek

.26 Mi SE of SH 123, Newton, AR

Built 2011 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 100

South Boundary Rd

Fair

Over: Vache Grasse Cr BR 009

2.94 Mi E Jct 1st Street, Sebastian, AR

Built 1956 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 100

Old Chismville Rd

Fair

Over: Creek BR 030 Ft Chaffee

1.26 mi E. of S. Boundary, Sebastian, AR

Built 1939 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 50

Bradley CR65 Z-F

Fair

Over: Creek

1 Mi SE Jct CR69, Bradley, AR

Built 2012 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 163

Cr-129/Z-I/L-0.12

Fair

Over: Piney Ditch

.12 Mi No Jct Cr 2 & 275, Lee, AR

Built 2013 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 74

Skipper Lane

Fair

Over: Branch of Bayou Meto

1.6 MI E SH 381, Lonoke, AR

Built 2012 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 28

SH 148-02- LM 5.09

Fair

Over: DITCH NO. 26

2.1 MI W I 55, Mississippi, AR

Built 1938 Load: 9.1 t ADT: 200

Showing 251-300 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.