Low-water bridge in Ponca, Arkansas, to be restored

To many, it's more than just a way to get from one side of the Buffalo National River, to the other.

Caven Clark, a public information officer with Buffalo National River, said, "A lot of baptisms took place at that location. It's one of the few places where there's a bridge across the Buffalo."

The Ponca low-water bridge was opened in 1943, and is one of the few remaining bridges of its kind in Arkansas.

"At this point in time it's the oldest bridge across where you can stand, look down into the water, look at the fish. You can't really get that experience anywhere else on the bridge," Clark said.

With funding from the Eastern Federal Highways Program, the bridge is being restored. That includes stabilization of the original bridge foundation, resurfacing of the road deck, and patching of weak spots throughout the structure.

Officials with the Buffalo National River said many people are excited the bridge is being restored, but others not so much.

Clark said, "It's a little bit controversial...One of the reasons for the Buffalo National River being with the National Park Service was in recognition of it being un-damed unimpeded, well that bridge impedes the flow of the human traffic along the river...But by the same token there's an equally supportive faction of people that would hate to see it go. There's a lot of tradition. A lot of family experiences associated with the bridge that would be lost with a loss of the bridge."