Tests confirm that a fourth Maryland bridge – the third identified in Baltimore – is shedding hazardous lead paint: the Jones Falls Expressway off-ramp (Exit 8) leading to Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood.

Blue Water Baltimore collected some of the orange-and-white paint chips found below the city-owned bridge that spans Clipper Mill Road and the Jones Falls and released independent laboratory results today.

The chips tested positive for lead at 63,500 mg/kg, according to Barbara Johnson, Blue Water Baltimore’s Sr. Manager of Water Protection and Community Advocacy.

That means the samples, observed on the ground and in the waterway, were more than 12 times the standard limit of 5,000 mg/kg for paint chips.

PCBs, another toxic substance, were also found to be present in the chips, as with the other three locations where the watchdog group has confirmed the presence of lead paint flakes:

• The city-owned 28th Street Bridge (dropping chips onto Falls Road and adjacent properties, the Jones Falls waterway and the Jones Falls Trail.)

• The city-owned Orleans Street Viaduct (dropping the chips onto Guilford Avenue and the Jones Falls Expressway below.)

• And the state-owned I-95 overpass in Anne Arundel County (dropping the chips onto Arbutus Avenue, Amtrak’s railroad tracks and the Halethorpe community.)

Johnson said her group has received reports of other possible locations, but has not yet had a chance to investigate.

Jones Falls Expressway Exit 8 8 ramp above Clipper Mill Road, which has been dropping lead paint flakes. (Barbara Johnson/ Blue Water Baltimore)

The Jones Falls Expressway Exit 8 ramp above Clipper Mill Road, which has been dropping lead paint flakes. BELOW: A video showing the orange flakes at a nearby location, 2801 Falls Road below the 28th Street Bridge. (Barbara Johnson, Blue Water Baltimore/ Baltimore Brew YouTube)

Last month, The Brew and Blue Water Baltimore reported to the state the presence of orange paint flakes below the 28th Street Bridge. The chips were confirmed to have extremely high levels of lead.

• Flaking orange paint from the 28th Street Bridge is littering Falls Road and the Jones Falls (2/7/26)

• Paint flakes falling from the 28th Street Bridge contain lead and are hazardous, MDE says (2/20/26)

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) found a lead concentration of 180,000 mg/kg, making the flakes 36 times the standard limit for paint chips.

“Based on the lead content of the paint, you are advised to manage the paint chips as hazardous waste,” the MDE violation notice said.

The agency charged the city with violating state pollution laws and ordered officials to “remove all paint chips from the ground and stream.”

Today, three weeks later, the scattering of large flakes and small bits around 2801 Falls Road remains – and appears even more profuse, carpeting the grass, getting ground-up in the gutter and dotting the Jones Falls Trail and waterway.

Lead paint flakes on the Jones Falls Trail. (Fern Shen)

Lead paint flakes this week are still on the Jones Falls Trail and (BELOW) on Falls Road. (Fern Shen)

City Response

Mayor Brandon Scott was asked about the paint chips at last week’s press availability and began his reply this way:

“I would like to back us up a little bit and understand that these bridges were painted in that fashion in the year of 1988 when I was four years old,” Scott said, adding that DOT is “working with a contractor to clean up the chips.”

“Understand that these bridges were painted in that fashion in the year of 1988 when I was four years old” – Mayor Brandon Scott.

Asked whether the city would survey all Baltimore bridges for the presence of flaking paint, Baltimore Department of Transportation officials had this to say:

“We are working with state agencies to establish an approved action plan, ensuring this situation is handled responsibly, spokeswoman Kathy Dominick said.

In his remarks last week about the 28th Street Bridge, Scott said “bridges surrounding that bridge will be proactively tested . . . and any other bridges that test positive will be added to the remediation program.”

Peeling paint on Baltimore's Orleans Street overpass is falling onto Guilford Avenue near Bath Street. (Fern Shen)

Peeling paint on Baltimore’s Orleans Street overpass is falling onto Guilford Avenue, near Bath Street. BELOW: Lead paint flakes on Baltimore Streetcar Museum tracks. (Fern Shen)

State Response

State officials were also asked about proactive efforts – would officials try to identify possible flaking lead paint on Maryland bridges and overpasses?

“Our bridge inspection crews have been instructed to immediately report any paint chips observed during the routine bridge condition inspections,” State Highway Administration spokeswoman Shanteé Felix said in an emailed reply.

“In addition, we are reviewing existing inspection records to identify any structures where peeling or deteriorating paint was previously noted so that appropriate follow‑up and remediation can be prioritized,” she said.

As for the overpass in Halthorpe, Felix said it is part of the second phase of I-95 “overlay” work.

“In addition to the bridge deck repairs and upgraded parapet walls (like the first phase at the Beltway), we are adding repairs and cleaning and painting the structure,” she noted, adding that once an agreement with Amtrak is completed, the project will advance.

Orange lead paint flakes along Arbututus Avenue below the I-95 overpass. (Barbara Johnson, Blue Water Baltimore)

Orange lead paint flakes along Arbutus Avenue below the I-95 overpass. (Barbara Johnson, Blue Water Baltimore)

Felix also provided this information about Maryland bridges generally:

“Of the 5,286 bridges in the State, SHA maintains 2,574 bridges. SHA repaints approximately 20 to 30 bridges each year.

Over the past three decades, the federally funded Local Bridge Program, along with bridge replacements that do not contain lead, has significantly reduced the presence of lead-based coatings across the state system.

When repainting a bridge, all removal of existing coatings is conducted in strict compliance with federal, state, and local regulations governing lead-removal and environmental protection.”