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

SH 87/Stone County

Fair

Over: SO SYLAMORE CREEK

3.4 MI SE OF SH 14, Stone, AR

Built 1984 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 330

State Highway 282

Fair

Over: Frog Bayou - Craw. Co.

0.1MI E JCT SH 60 & 282, Crawford, AR

Built 1985 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 3,906

Mt Olive St SilSp

Fair

Over: SAGER CREEK

.75 M N US 412, Benton, AR

Built 1985 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 6,400

State Highway 246

Fair

Over: Cossatot River Polk Co.

9.37 MI E JCT US 71, Polk, AR

Built 1988 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 140

SH 23 Madison Co.

Fair

Over: HOLMAN CREEK

2.18 MI NO JCT US 412& 23, Madison, AR

Built 1991 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,900

SH 141-01- LM 0.34

Fair

Over: LOST CREEK

.34 MI N JCT US 91, Craighead, AR

Built 1998 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 12,000

Spradley Road

Fair

Over: Flat Rock Creek-Crawford

0.57 MI S US 64-2, Crawford, AR

Built 1930 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 571

CR 19

Fair

Over: Amos Bayou

1.5 Mi N US 65 Winchster, Desha, AR

Built 1927 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 11

Lone Elm Rd- Frank

Fair

Over: Maxey Creek Tributary

LONE ELM, Franklin, AR

Built 1938 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 200

Lone Oak Rd

Fair

Over: Possom Trot Cr -Frank Co

0.75MI NO OF I-40, Franklin, AR

Built 1940 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 184

CR 31/Fulton Co.

Fair

Over: BAY CREEK

3.5MI E SH223, Fulton, AR

Built 1948 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 120

CR 110 Timberlake

Fair

Over: KELLY CREEK

0.6 E SH 227, Garland, AR

Built 1976 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 3,465

CR 111-H Moore Rd

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

1.47MI NW HWY 70, Garland, AR

Built 1940 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,376

CR 65-B (911=835)

Fair

Over: LOCUST CREEK

0.5 MI W OF CO RD 50, Greene, AR

Built 1978 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 60

CR 35-G- 911=305

Fair

Over: CREEK

2MI W OF LAKE CHARLES, Lawrence, AR

Built 1938 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 194

CR 612 - B

Fair

Over: FLOAT RD SLOUGH

0.45MI W SH 231, Lawrence, AR

Built 1939 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 70

HILLDALE ROAD

Fair

Over: OWEN CREEK

.5MI NO SH5, Saline, AR

Built 1960 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 6,500

El Dorado W19 Z F

Fair

Over: CREEK

0.25 MI NW JCT CR 68, Union, AR

Built 1977 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 777

Burnt Ridge Rd

Fair

Over: Pee Dee Creek

1 MI SE JCT SH 16, Van Buren, AR

Built 1962 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,500

CR 18 (W. Sardis)

Fair

Over: CREEK

4.0 E OF SH 183 & CR 18, Saline, AR

Built 1968 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 4,800

Butterfield Coach

Fair

Over: Clear Creek - Wash. Co.

1.3 MI S US 412, Washington, AR

Built 1965 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 5,800

WEST 36TH ST

Fair

Over: PANTHER CREEK

0.1 E I 430, Pulaski, AR

Built 1978 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 3,200

CR 830-H Rock Crk

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

1.85 MI NO SH 70, Garland, AR

Built 1945 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 3,191

CR 86 J Clearcreek

Fair

Over: CLEAR CREEK

JCT CO RDS 86 & 57, Garland, AR

Built 1970 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 650

CO RD 224 ZONE C

Fair

Over: LITTLE BAY DITCH

.25 N SH 69, Poinsett, AR

Built 1975 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 57

CR 88/Independ. Co

Fair

Over: DEVILS FORK

5.10 MI N SH 25, Independence, AR

Built 1941 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 60

Greasy Valley Road

Fair

Over: Blair Creek-Washington

5.3 MI SO SH 62, Washington, AR

Built 1976 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,718

SO FRONT AVE- I

Fair

Over: SUGAR CREEK

0.15 Mi S of Hwy 62, Clay, AR

Built 1942 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 336

SO. SHERMAN STREET

Fair

Over: SPRING BRANCH (CITY)

0.7 MI W R/R ON HWY 27, Howard, AR

Built 1939 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 49

EAST 15TH STREET

Fair

Over: CREEK (CITY)

6BK E OF E19 & US 67, Miller, AR

Built 1965 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 230

SUN VALLEY DR

Fair

Over: CREEK

SUN VALLEY&CHOCTAW, Pulaski, AR

Built 1960 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 508

East Sanders St.

Fair

Over: Spring Creek - Wash. Co.

0.12 E HWY 71, Washington, AR

Built 1965 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 2,500

Hickory St. Camden

Fair

Over: CREEK

.22MI E OF MT HOLLY ROAD, Ouachita, AR

Built 1978 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 128

THORNHILL DRIVE

Fair

Over: BRANCH

0.2 Mi N of SH 176, Pulaski, AR

Built 1979 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 341

Fulton Rd.

Fair

Over: HARRIS CREEK

.13 MI S JCT SH 28, Yell, AR

Built 1986 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 221

CR 427-J Wandering

Fair

Over: Glazy Peau Creek

Jct. Glazy Peau Rd., Garland, AR

Built 1977 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 55

CR334/Z-Dn/L0.59

Fair

Over: Bellhammer Slough

0.59 Mi East Jct 334&30, Crittenden, AR

Built 1982 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 12

Mt Home College St

Fair

Over: BR OF HICKS CREEK

.4 MI N US 62B, Baxter, AR

Built 1986 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 3,000

Massard Road

Fair

Over: Creek City of Ft. Smith

0.1 MI NORTH SH 255, Sebastian, AR

Built 1987 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 17,000

Grant 25-CR

Fair

Over: Creek

0.5 Mi S CR 18-Grapevine, Grant, AR

Built 1940 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 423

CR 44 Sharp County

Fair

Over: UNDERWOOD BR.

.35 MI SW SH 354, Sharp, AR

Built 1989 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 160

N. Jackson Highway

Fair

Over: Creek -Washington County

0.8 MI S OF SH 244&16 JCT, Washington, AR

Built 1989 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,156

CR 413/ Bottoms Rd

Fair

Over: Canal Number 43

2.5 Mi W US 165-Back Gate, Desha, AR

Built 1990 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 60

County Road 34

Fair

Over: Mike Creek Polk County

1.25 M E CO RD 31, Polk, AR

Built 1989 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 98

CR 5099

Fair

Over: Lick Branch

0.10 NE OF JCT CO 30 &407, Johnson, AR

Built 1990 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 70

Free Ferry Road

Fair

Over: Ditch - Sebastian Co.

1.8 MI E ROGERS AVE., Sebastian, AR

Built 1990 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 6,100

Poplar Street

Fair

Over: Scull Cr. - Fayetteville

0.20 W OF GREGG STREET, Washington, AR

Built 1991 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 4,096

Old 12 Crossroads

Fair

Over: McCaslin Branch Trib.

8.6 MI E SH 220, Crawford, AR

Built 1992 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 1,094

CR 664 -I

Fair

Over: MAIN DITCH

1 MI E 1.5 MI N HERGETT, Craighead, AR

Built 1994 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 12

Hardin Reed Rd-CR

Fair

Over: Bayou Bartholomew

1.8 Mi S US 270-Hardin, Jefferson, AR

Built 1994 Load: 25.4 t ADT: 660

Showing 3,151-3,200 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.