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156 Arkansas bridges deficient, 28 are in NEA

Twenty state-owned bridges that carry upward of 100,000 vehicles daily are among 156 Arkansas spans that inspectors consider both structurally deficient and at risk for a catastrophe should a key component fail.  That's according to records in the National Bridge Inventory.  

Most Arkansas bridges considered both deficient and "fracture critical" are on county roads that are less traveled.  But eight are on significant federal highways and 11 are on Arkansas routs maintained by state transportation officials.   Arkansas highway officials say that listing a bridge as fracture critical doesn't automatically mean it is unsafe.  The agency says each bridge in the state must be inspected every two years.  The ones on federal lists are inspected annually, except for one, which is checked every eight months.   

In northeast Arkansas, almost 30 bridges are listed as deficient and fracture critical.  Here is the listing in the KASU listening area:

US Highway 67 in Randolph County crossing the Black River, located 0.25 miles south of US 62.

US Highway 63 in Lawrence County crossing the Black River, located one mile east of SH 117.

AR. Highway 226 in Craighead County the Big Creek Ditch, located 1.6 miles west of JCT SH 349.

AR. Highway 367 in Jackson County crossing the White River, railroad, and 2nd and Front Street, located 0.54 miles north of SH 224. 

AR. Highway 140 in Mississippi County crossing the Little River and Lt. Hnd Chute, located 2.3 miles west of JCT SH 77.

AR. Highway 5 in Baxter County crossing Prospect Street and the Norforlk River, located .5 miles south of JCT. SH 341.

AR. Highway 148 in Mississippi County crossing National or Ditch #6, located 1.1 miles west of JCT I-55.

AR. Highway 77 in Mississippi County crossing Little Channel Little River, located 0.8 miles south of JCT. SH 198.

AR. Highway 373 in Poinsett County crossing Ditch number 23, located one mile south of SH 14.

Craighead County 513 crossing Locust Creek Ditch, located 1.64 miles east of SH 135.

Crittenden County 24 crossing Zanone/Black Fish Bayou, located 1.6 miles northeast of INT SH 147.

Crittenden County 320 crossing Little Cypress Bayou, located 0.65 miles north of JCT SH 77.

Crittenden County 43 crossing Flood Ditch, located .01 miles north of INT US 64.

Cross County 86 crossing Pemiscot Lake Drainage, located 3.9 miles north of CR 86 & SH 184.

Greene County 49 crossing Johnson Creek, located 0.16 miles north of US 412.

Greene County 162 crossing Poplar Creek, located .78 miles north of JCT SH 141.

Greene County 65 crossing Locust Creek, located .40 miles west of US 49.

Independence County 58 crossing Big Bottom Slough, located 2.67 miles south of SH 69.

Independence County 131 crossing Departee Creek, located 2.14 miles west of SH 367.

Izard County 7 crossing East Rocky Bayou, located 1.25 miles west of SH 58.

Izard County 13 crossing Cat Creek, located 2.6 miles southeast  of SH 56.

Izard County 75 crossing Poke Bayou, located 1.9 miles south of SH 58.

Izard County 21 crossing Bailey Creek, located 2.10 miles south of SH 56.

Jackson County 4 crossing Creek, located .65 miles southeast SH 367.

Lee County 2 crossing Creek, located 1.3 miles east of JCT CR 258.

Lee County 34 crossing Big Creek, located .25 west of JCT SH 259 & CR34.

Lee  County 48 crossing Big Creek, located .6 miles west of JCT SH 259.

White County 17 crossing Muddy Bayou, located .45 miles west of CR 19.

White County 66 crossing Little Red River, located .25 miles south of 385 @ Judsonia.

Source: The Associated Press and Arkansas Highway Transportation Department.

Johnathan Reaves is the News Director for KASU Public Radio. As part of an Air Force Family, he moved to Arkansas from Minot, North Dakota in 1986. He was first bitten by the radio bug after he graduated from Gosnell High School in 1992. While working on his undergraduate degree, he worked at KOSE, a small 1,000 watt AM commercial station in Osceola, Arkansas. Upon graduation from Arkansas State University in 1996 with a degree in Radio-Television Broadcast News, he decided that he wanted to stay in radio news. He moved to Stuttgart, Arkansas and worked for East Arkansas Broadcasters as news director and was there for 16 years.