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 67-SEC.02-6.03

Fair

Over: PEAVINE CR

4.50 MI NE OF I-30, Hempstead, AR

Built 1930 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 2,927

US 67 - 02 - 6.30

Fair

Over: SANDY BOIS DARC

4.70 MI NE OF I-30, Hempstead, AR

Built 1930 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 2,927

US 82 S7 LM 1.26

Fair

Over: LAPILE CREEK

1.26 MI E OF STRONG, Union, AR

Built 1931 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 2,600

SH 59-Washington

Fair

Over: Little Branch

1.80 MI N JCT OF SH 45, Washington, AR

Built 1931 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 840

SH 7-10 Log 11.00

Fair

Over: COLEMAN CREEK

1.00 MI N JCT OF SH 298, Garland, AR

Built 1933 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 1,851

Old Hwy 65

Fair

Over: Batesville Creek

2.2 MI N JCT US 65, Faulkner, AR

Built 1940 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 50

US 71-SEC.06-11.88

Fair

Over: PEPPER CREEK

1.75 MI E OF DE QUEEN, Sevier, AR

Built 1940 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 6,800

SH 165-03 LM 7.82

Fair

Over: Big Bayou Slough

2.5 Mi S US 65-Dermott, Chicot, AR

Built 1938 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 1,671

Wright Ave.

Fair

Over: UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD

2600 WRIGHT AVE, Pulaski, AR

Built 1940 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 11,000

US 71 - Polk Co.

Fair

Over: Barren Creek

1.8 MI S OF COVE, Polk, AR

Built 1940 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 4,500

US 71 Benton 1

Fair

Over: PINION CR

.25 MI S JCT SH 340-US 71, Benton, AR

Built 1940 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 34,000

SH 23-Logan Co.

Fair

Over: Freeman Creek

0.33 N OF SCOTT CO, Logan, AR

Built 1949 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 1,700

U.S. 412 Benton 2

Fair

Over: OVER KCS RR

1.78 MI E OF OKLAHOMA LI, Benton, AR

Built 1960 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 27,000

US 64

Fair

Over: Spadra Creek

.24 M E Jct of Hwy 103, Johnson, AR

Built 1960 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 11,000

I 30 EB log 132.82

Fair

Over: GEYER SPRINGS ROAD

.5 MI E JCT OF US 70, Pulaski, AR

Built 1960 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 76,467

Us-49/Sec-11/L0.25

Fair

Over: Drainage Ditch

.74 Mi W Of Mississippi, Phillips, AR

Built 1961 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 4,400

George Town Rd

Fair

Over: I 40-SEC 22

1.25 M E Johnson Co Line, Pope, AR

Built 1964 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 254

JONESBORO STREET

Fair

Over: I 630 SEC 21 LOG 3.80

4.01 MI W I-30, Pulaski, AR

Built 1965 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 158

Cr-219/Z-F/L-0.14

Fair

Over: I-40/Sec-51/L-236.45

3.28 Mi East Of Sh 261, St. Francis, AR

Built 1965 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 189

SH 74 Searcy Co.

Fair

Over: CALF CREEK

7 MI W OF JCT US 65, Searcy, AR

Built 1975 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 660

Rainer/Z-C/L-3.83

Fair

Over: Ten Mile Bayou

3.83 Mi West Int 7 & 16, Crittenden, AR

Built 1974 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 1,400

CR 9-Scott Co.

Fair

Over: Denton Creek

4 M S SH 248 & CO RD 9, Scott, AR

Built 1975 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 200

FREE STREET- D

Fair

Over: VILLAGE CREEK

0.12 Mi S of Memorial Lan, Lawrence, AR

Built 1978 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 330

CR 12 JOHNSON BR

Fair

Over: BRANCH OF MUD CREEK

5.9 MI W JCT CO RD 19, Sevier, AR

Built 1980 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 421

CR29/Cleburne Co.

Fair

Over: LOST BRANCH

1 MI SO CORD 29 & SH 16, Cleburne, AR

Built 1984 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 471

CR 1 (TEN MI RD)

Fair

Over: TEN MILE CREEK

0.5 MI SO OF JCT US 70, Saline, AR

Built 1982 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 319

SH 246-Polk County

Fair

Over: Mountain Fork Little Red

2.03 MI E OKLA. ST LINE, Polk, AR

Built 1966 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 390

SH 108 - 02- 3.55

Fair

Over: FLAT CREEK

3.55 MI NE JCT SH 41, Little River, AR

Built 1970 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 1,163

SH 90-07- LM 9.56

Fair

Over: JANES CREEK

9.56 MI SW OF JCT SH 93, Randolph, AR

Built 1969 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 1,000

SH 7SB LNS LM3.19

Fair

Over: GOODWIN CREEK

0.3 MI N JCT SH 7 & 355, Union, AR

Built 1972 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 9,993

ASU Blvd.

Fair

Over: US 67 WHITE

1.2 MI N JCT 67-64 Beebe, White, AR

Built 1973 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 5,400

CR 476 White Co.

Fair

Over: US 67-SEC 12

3 MI S JCT US67-SH11, White, AR

Built 1973 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 34

Sh-238/Sec-2/L4.13

Fair

Over: Big Creek

4.13 East Monroe Co Line, Lee, AR

Built 1970 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 260

Sh-17/Sec-4/L-2.19

Fair

Over: Drainage Ditch

1 Mile East Of Jct Sh 38, Woodruff, AR

Built 1969 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 530

SH 90-07- LM 10.54

Fair

Over: FERGUSON CREEK

2.71 MI N OF LAWRENCE CO, Randolph, AR

Built 1969 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 1,000

SH 28

Fair

Over: GAFFORD CREEK

6.89 MI E SCOTT CO.LIN, Yell, AR

Built 1969 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 350

SH 84 - 02 - 2.05

Fair

Over: LITTLE MISSOURI RIVER

2.05 MI E HOWARD CO LINE, Pike, AR

Built 1971 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 420

SH -301 - 01- 8.70

Fair

Over: VAUGHN CREEK

4.70 MI W JCT OF SH 195, Pike, AR

Built 1971 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 261

SH 369 - 03 - 5.45

Fair

Over: LITTLE BLOCKER CREEK

0.5 MI S OF LANGLEY, Pike, AR

Built 1973 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 201

SH 164

Fair

Over: N Fork of Dirty Creek

4.3 M N Jct 64 & 164, Johnson, AR

Built 1972 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 640

SH 229 S-O LM 1.25

Fair

Over: COOKS CREEK

1.19 MI N JCT SH 8, Dallas, AR

Built 1971 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 700

SH 229 S-0 LM 3.13

Fair

Over: HURRICANE CREEK

3.3 MI N JCT SH 8, Dallas, AR

Built 1971 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 700

State Highway 23

Fair

Over: Welden Creek-Logan Co.

0.22 MI SO SH 22 JCT, Logan, AR

Built 1971 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 1,801

S. Donaghey Ave.

Fair

Over: Stone Dam Creek

0.5 MI S JCT SH 60, Faulkner, AR

Built 1971 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 8,700

Sh-260/Sec-1/L5.31

Fair

Over: Cache River

1.03 Miles West Jct Sh 17, Woodruff, AR

Built 1972 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 290

SH 289/Fulton Co.

Fair

Over: FLAT BRANCH

4.8 MI N JCT US 62, Fulton, AR

Built 1970 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 450

Sh-243/Sec-2/L2.85

Fair

Over: Big Creek

1.2 Mi West Of Jct Sh 121, Lee, AR

Built 1973 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 220

SH 15 Log 0.36

Fair

Over: BAYOU METO

0.36 MI N OF US 70, Lonoke, AR

Built 1972 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 1,200

SH 56 SHARP CO.

Fair

Over: WHALEY CREEK

3.4 MI E OF JCT US 167, Sharp, AR

Built 1973 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 420

State Highway 162

Fair

Over: Cedar Creek-Crawford Co.

5.35MI E OF JCT SH 59&162, Crawford, AR

Built 1974 Load: 31.8 t ADT: 920

Showing 4,401-4,450 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.