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-64/Sec-17/L7.21

Fair

Over: Ditch Number 1

4.2 Mi E Jct Us 64/Sh 118, Crittenden, AR

Built 1961 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 5,150

SH 107

Fair

Over: Muddy Bayou Relief

1.06 MI N JCT OF SH 36, Faulkner, AR

Built 1961 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,400

SH 107

Fair

Over: Muddy Bayou Relief

1.32 MI N JCT OF SH 36, Faulkner, AR

Built 1961 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,400

SH 107

Fair

Over: Muddy Bayou

1.46 MI N JCT OF SH 36, Faulkner, AR

Built 1961 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,400

SH 149-06- LM 4.80

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH NUMBER 1

1.0 MI S JCT OF US 63, Poinsett, AR

Built 1961 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,500

SH 149-06- LM 4.84

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH NUMBER 47

1 mile S of I555, Poinsett, AR

Built 1961 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,500

SH 27

Fair

Over: Fourche LaFave River

1.4 M S of Rover, Yell, AR

Built 1961 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 830

SH 36

Fair

Over: Palarm Creek

1.9 MI N JCT OF US 64, Faulkner, AR

Built 1961 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,900

SH 36

Fair

Over: Muddy Bayou Relief

2.0 MI NE of Naylor, Faulkner, AR

Built 1962 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,200

SH 206 Boone

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

.50 MI E JCT OF SH 7, Boone, AR

Built 1962 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,106

SH 160 S-7 LM 6.59

Fair

Over: MORO CREEK

2.0 MI W OF JERSEY, Calhoun, AR

Built 1963 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 480

CR46-K Pauschert

Fair

Over: I 40-SEC 41LOG 183.54

1.0 MI E SH 13 & I-40, Lonoke, AR

Built 1963 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 960

Madison SH 16

Fair

Over: WHITE RIVER

6.57 MI E JCT SH 23-16, Madison, AR

Built 1962 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 500

State Highway 217

Fair

Over: Prairie Creek - Franklin

2.73 MI N JCT OF SH 22, Franklin, AR

Built 1963 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 810

SH 217 - Franklin

Fair

Over: Sulphia Springs Branch

3.79 MI N JCT OF SH 22, Franklin, AR

Built 1963 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 810

SH 237 SEC.01-4.44

Fair

Over: DAYS CREEK

4.5 MI. S.OF SH237 & US71, Miller, AR

Built 1964 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,311

Lost BeachCrossing

Fair

Over: Interstate 40 - Crawford

2.5 MI W OF ALMA, Crawford, AR

Built 1965 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 897

SH 152-00 LM 2.37

Fair

Over: Bayou Meto

2.37 Mi SE US 79-Humphrey, Arkansas, AR

Built 1964 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 380

Sh-357/Sec-1/L9.01

Fair

Over: Blackfish Ditch

.36 Miles South Of Us 70, St. Francis, AR

Built 1965 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 120

SH 234 -01-5.61

Fair

Over: FLAT CREEK RELIEF

5.61 MI SE SH 41, Little River, AR

Built 1966 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 380

SH 234 - 01- 8.50

Fair

Over: WARD CREEK

8.50 MI SE SH 41, Little River, AR

Built 1966 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 380

SH 208-03 LM 5.78

Fair

Over: Clay Bayou

5.78 Mi SE DeshaCo-Halley, Chicot, AR

Built 1964 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 320

SH 9/Stone County

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK TOMAHAWK CK

5.6 M SW SH 66, Stone, AR

Built 1966 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,236

SH 12 Madison Co.

Fair

Over: STANLEY CREEK

1.2 MI W OF CLIFTY, Madison, AR

Built 1964 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,199

SH 12 Madison Co.

Fair

Over: STANLEY CREEK

W CITY LIMITS CLIFTY ARK., Madison, AR

Built 1964 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,199

SH 160 S4 LM 4.53

Fair

Over: CROOKED CREEK

4.53 MI E OF TAYLOR, Columbia, AR

Built 1965 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 520

SH 267 White Co.

Fair

Over: LITTLE CANE CREEK

2.75 MI NE JCT SH 31 &267, White, AR

Built 1966 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,300

SH 13 Log 10.15

Fair

Over: COLLINS CREEK

0.7 MI NE JCT SH 236 & 13, Lonoke, AR

Built 1966 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 442

PrincetonPikeRd-CR

Fair

Over: Creek

0.5 Mi W I-530-Pine Bluff, Jefferson, AR

Built 1974 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,500

Bailey Branch Rd.

Fair

Over: Petit Jean River

1.8 M S JCT CO RD 18 & 19, Yell, AR

Built 1974 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 490

Ouachita CR 22 Z-E

Fair

Over: WHITE OAK CREEK

3.6 MI NW INTCH 22 24&21, Ouachita, AR

Built 1971 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 325

Ouachita CR 85 Z-C

Fair

Over: STEAM BOAT CREEK

.5MI S JCT 89 & 85, Ouachita, AR

Built 1976 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 271

Grant 8-CR

Fair

Over: Lost Creek

5.0 Mi W US 167-CrossRoad, Grant, AR

Built 1978 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 810

County Road 30

Fair

Over: Old Prairie Creek Seb Co

1.96 W OF US 71, Sebastian, AR

Built 1980 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 470

CR 59/Panther Br

Fair

Over: Bayou Bartholomew

0.2 Mi W SH922-LakeWallac, Drew, AR

Built 1980 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 40

CR 811 Carroll

Fair

Over: LONG CREEK

.25 MI South of DENVER, Carroll, AR

Built 1982 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,038

CO RD 24

Fair

Over: I 40-SEC 31

JCT I-40 & CO RD 24, Conway, AR

Built 1967 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,900

SH 293-02 LM 3.32

Fair

Over: Bayou Bartholomew

3.32 Mi S SH 54-Gourd, Lincoln, AR

Built 1967 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 270

SH 154

Fair

Over: Chickalah Creek Relief

4.28 MI E JCT SH 27, Yell, AR

Built 1969 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 560

SH 305 White Co.

Fair

Over: HOG THIEF BAYOU RELIEF

1.4 MI SW JCT SH 36, White, AR

Built 1968 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 980

SH 305 White Co.

Fair

Over: HOG THIEF BAYOU RELIEF

1.3 MI SW JCT SH 36, White, AR

Built 1968 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 980

US 64 - District 4

Fair

Over: ARK RVR & ARKMO/BN RRS

AT OKLAHOMA & ARK ST LN, Sebastian, AR

Built 1973 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 25,000

SH 289/Fulton Co.

Fair

Over: WILD HORSE

4.5 MI N JCT US 62, Fulton, AR

Built 1970 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 450

State Highway 250

Fair

Over: Dutch Creek - Scott Co.

11.1 MI E JCT US 71B, Scott, AR

Built 1973 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 310

SH 356

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK CADRON

2.38 MI E JCT SH 92, Van Buren, AR

Built 1974 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 410

State Highway 295

Fair

Over: White River-Madison Co.

0.25 MI N JCT SH 16 & 295, Madison, AR

Built 1974 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 210

Sh-184/Sec-2/L1.38

Fair

Over: Tyronza River

1.55 Mi No Of Jct Us 64, Crittenden, AR

Built 1981 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 20

SH 283 S01 LM 1.62

Fair

Over: DE ROCHE CREEK

1.62 M N JCT SH 7/SH 283, Clark, AR

Built 1981 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 900

SH 221 Carroll

Fair

Over: OSAGE CREEK

2.3 MI SO US 62, Carroll, AR

Built 1982 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,000

SH 303-Washington

Fair

Over: Whitener Creek

2.24 Mi N of Jct SH45, Washington, AR

Built 1985 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 650

Showing 3,101-3,150 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.