BALTIMORE — Baltimore drivers say potholes along the Jones Falls Expressway are costing them, blowing tires and leaving cars stranded with no repaving planned for I-83 this year.
For Paul Petrov and Emily Morgan, it happened in seconds. A pothole on the southbound JFX took out two tires at once.
"Historically, I know the middle lane can be a little hairy going downtown, so I avoid it, but this time around. It just happened and it accidentally blew not just one but two tires, which kind of soured the night a little bit," Petrov said. "We had to get a tow truck to come out through AAA, and then we found out that some of these tire businesses around here make a killing on the daily."
That night they were not the only ones dealing with vehicle damage on the side of I-83.
"There was another car fixing a tire at the same time we were, so he said he's popped like 4 or 5 tires in the last year or something like that," Morgan said.
Harsh winter weather took a toll on Baltimore roads. In February, crews filled nearly 9,000 potholes. The city is now in a 90-day push to fill 25,000 more.
However, many drivers say the patches on I-83 are not holding.
"We just drove past a big, big hole in the merging lane that was like, it's not even a band-aid. It's like, how did I describe it? It was like, if you were spending your own money on the project, this wouldn't be the way you would do it," Petrov said.
The mayor acknowledged the problem in a letter to the Maryland Department of Transportation last year, stating I-83 is in poor condition and needs reconstruction. He estimated the cost at around $300 million, with about $30 million needed just to keep the roads at "an acceptable level."
The city also noted safety features on I-83, including guardrails and barriers, are mostly outdated and require a major upgrade. There is no word on when those improvements will take place, but the project is estimated to cost over $500,000.
Baltimore recently launched a new tracking tool called Repave Baltimore so residents can see what is being fixed. Currently, there are no paving projects scheduled on the JFX this year aside from routine pothole filling or urgent repair needs.
WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii asked how Repave Baltimore projects are decided and prioritized. A DOT spokesperson said: "The Department of Transportation is prioritizing improvements to Baltimore City’s roadways by targeting the streets in greatest need of repair. DOT reviews road conditions, community requests, and planned projects to ensure that repairs are made where they will have the greatest impact for residents and travelers."
The Department of Transportation director was unavailable for an interview, but a spokesperson confirmed there are no planned improvements to I-83 this year. The last paving work on the JFX was a southbound exit ramp in 2023.
Baltimore relies heavily on Highway User Revenue (HUR), state funding distributed by the Maryland Department of Transportation, to repair roads and fund transportation projects. This year, the city is expected to receive about $267 million, slightly below last year’s nearly $272 million allocation. While recent increases have helped boost transportation projects, city budget documents warn that a potential drop in funding as early as fiscal 2028 could limit future road improvements.
The city also has another funding source tied directly to I-83 — speed cameras. Baltimore expects to generate about $7.6 million from I-83 speed cameras in Fiscal 2027, a roughly 40 percent increase from the prior year, driven in part by higher fines and additional cameras installed along the corridor. While only two cameras can issue tickets at a time under state law, the city rotates them keeping citation numbers steady.
Drivers who see a pothole can report it to 311 online or by phone. Residents can also file a claim with the city's law department, but they must prove the city knew about the problem and failed to fix it.
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