There was no sign of the other two men, who were presumed dead. The river, swollen from recent rains, was moving too swiftly for divers to search the waters.
The three had been installing waterlines under and across the Interstate 430 bridge when their work platform collapsed shortly before 11 a.m., officials said.
The rescue operation turned into a recovery effort when there was no sign of the men for more than an hour after their fall, Little Rock Fire Capt. Jason Weaver said.
Recovery crews hooked what appeared to be the fallen scaffolding, but the structure weighed as much as 10,000 pounds and officials decided to close northbound lanes of the interstate so they could bring in a heavy-duty crane.
Around 7 p.m., the crane lifted the scaffolding from the water and lowered it onto a barge. The wreckage landed on the barge's deck with a crash audible several hundred yards away.
The body of one worker was found entangled in rope attached to the platform, said John Rehrauer, a spokesman for the Pulaski County sheriff's office.
Authorities did not identify any of the workers. Rehrauer said the men were believed to be from Texas.
Rehrauer said the scaffolding was taken by barge to a nearby marina, where federal workplace safety inspectors would examine the platform and other materials raised with it. Some of the workers' equipment was also raised.
Charles Jackson, a worker on the project, said he'd been on the platform earlier in the day and noticed no safety problems. He said he knew the three missing men well.
Jackson said that, if the men were tethered to the platform for safety, they would be able to get unhooked.
The platform was big enough to hold the men, two generators and a welding machine, Weaver said.
"A lot of metal, a lot of weight," he said.
Central Arkansas Water utility spokeswoman Marie Crawford said the men worked for Renda Contracting Inc.
Corey Wells, treasurer and controller for Renda Contracting of Roanoke, Texas, said the company was contacting the workers' families.
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