The Old River Bridge in Saline County is one of the oldest structures of its kind in Arkansas. In fact, this bridge which spans the Saline River is said to be the second oldest bridge in the state.
Construction of the original bridge was completed in 1891!
How to Get to the Old River Bridge in Saline County
I had a little bit of a hard time finding the bridge as my GPS originally took me to the wrong spot.
My GPS wanted to take me to the end of Airlane Dr. at which point the road currently is closed by a gate.
Instead I had to back track and turn onto Mary Kay Blvd and then take a right on River St. This route will take you through a neighborhood right to the river and the bridge.
In other words the bridge is at the end of River St.
Hopefully, it will soon be accurate in the GPS systems.
History of the Old River Bridge in Saline County
In 1889 the Saline County Court appropriated $5,000 for the building of a bridge to carry traffic across the Saline River at the Military Road.
The Military road had been built along an even older trail used by Native Americans, soldiers and pioneers called the Southwest Trail.
Check out Historic Washington State Park which is another famous Arkansas spot along the Southwest Trail.
Saline County hired the Youngstown Bridge Company of Youngstown, Ohio to build the bridge.
The bridge was an engineering marvel which spanned 260 feet and was composed of iron beams, two large trusses, and a wooden platform supported by iron columns.
By the 1970’s the bridge had fallen into disrepair.
In fact, in 1974 a truck carrying concrete blocks actually fell through the wooden floor of the bridge.
Because of this accident the bridge was closed but not torn down. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Although unusable for traffic it remained a popular fishing spot for locals over the years.
Reopening of the Old River Bridge
The Old River Bridge was officially reopened for pedestrians and cyclists on June 24, 2025.
After more than 50 years of being closed the bridge has been completely restored.
Saving the Old River Bridge
One of the things that I think is really cool is that the bridge was saved because of a grassroots effort by locals.
First, the land around the bridge was donated by Bill White, owner of White’s Furniture in Benton.
Then, the Saline Crossing Regional Recreational Group was formed with the goal of preserving and restoring the Old River Bridge and turning its grounds into a regional park.
Due to their efforts the county was eventually awarded enough grant money for the project to begin.
Restoring the Bridge
The story of the restoration is also pretty fascinating!
The bridge was painstakingly dismantled in 2018 and each piece was identified and labeled. Then in 2021 it was all sent to Michigan to a company that specializes in restoring historic bridges.
This company carefully documented and rehabilitated every single piece of the bridge.
In 2022 the pieces of the bridge were finally brought back in pieces to Saline County where the reassembling and reconstruction process began right at the original location!
Brad Deaver who is Vice President of Mobley Contractors which was the company in charge of the entire process, said:
“Each piece we have to be extremely careful with it, each piece goes in a specific spot, it can’t be damaged, it can’t be altered,” Deaver said. “We have one shot to get this right, and on the first span, we got it right, and we are very proud of that.”
This quote is from KARK.com
The Bridge in Slingblade
Did you know that the bridge was even was a backdrop in the 1996 film Sling Blade? Director Billy Bob Thornton had several scenes that featured the bridge.
There was even a famous poster from the film that showed a silhouette of the bridge, with Thornton’s character, Karl Childers, standing at its center.
The New Southwest Trail
But this bridge is more than a standalone historical landmark.
The plan is for it to become part of a new Southwest Trail which will be a paved 65 mile recreational bike and pedestrian path that connects Little Rock and Hot Springs.
The hope is that it will be a vital connector and an excellent draw for local tourism in the area.
I just had the chance to visit the newly reopened Old River Bridge in Saline County and it was such a fun experience.
Walking across the wooden decking and seeing the iron trusses that have literally connected generations is a little bit surreal, like stepping into history.
The original route, the southwest trail, is a part of the history of our nation – not just of that of Saline County or of Arkansas.
I highly suggest a walk across this bridge if you are in the Benton area.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
