Local
Baltimore paid $20,000 to clear lead paint chips from three bridges, but flakes remain
A city emergency contract covered cleanup beneath three bridges from June through September, months after toxic paint chips were first reported. Recent observations found flakes still on the ground and peeling paint on the structures, while the city has not provided a firm timeline for repairs.
Baltimore spent $20,000 this year to remove hazardous lead paint chips from beneath three city-owned bridges, but flakes remained at the sites in October and peeling paint was still visible on the structures.
The Board of Estimates was scheduled to note the emergency procurement on Oct. 21. The agreement with A2Z Environmental Group covered work from June 1 through Sept. 30 — beginning about four months after lead paint chips were reported near the bridges in February.
A visit to the area on Oct. 15 found that most of the material previously scattered beneath the 28th Street Bridge had been removed. But small pieces remained in the grass near the 29th Street Bridge, including some more than two inches long. Orange flakes were also visible down the slope toward the Jones Falls, on rocks and in the waterway.
Peeling paint remained on the girders and other parts of the 28th Street Bridge and two other structures: the JFX Exit 8 off-ramp bridge over Jones Falls and Clipper Mill Road, and the Orleans Street Bridge downtown. The bridges also appeared rusty, according to observations made in October.
Testing earlier this year found lead concentrations in paint chips from all three locations far above the standard limit. The Maryland Department of the Environment reported 180,000 milligrams per kilogram at the 28th Street Bridge, 36 times the limit. Blue Water Baltimore reported 63,500 mg/kg at the JFX Exit 8 bridge, more than 12 times the limit, and 27,300 mg/kg at the Orleans Street Bridge, more than five times the limit.
Lead exposure can damage children’s brains and cause neurological and other health problems in adults if the substance is inhaled or ingested. The city cleanup removed much of the loose debris, but the remaining flakes and peeling paint leave open whether further work will prevent more material from falling.
In August, the Baltimore Department of Transportation said it was looking into plans to address the bridges, but had not provided a firm answer. State Highway Administration spokesperson Shanteé Felix said the agency was working to finish painting 30 Maryland bridges considered likely to contain lead paint by the end of 2026. None are in Baltimore city, she said; eight are in Baltimore County.
The bridge concerns come amid a separate unresolved lead-paint case involving Baltimore’s TV Hill television tower. Paint chips from a 2021 painting project fell into the Woodberry neighborhood, and the city joined residents’ class-action lawsuit in August. Lawyers in that case say the affected area has not been fully remediated.