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Baltimore DOT urges state, federal support to address decades of deferred maintenance
Summary
Director Veronica Macbeth told the City Council budget committee that Baltimore’s transportation systems face a massive deferred-maintenance backlog and that new and sustained capital funding — including leveraging Highway User Revenues and federal discretionary dollars — is essential to avoid loss of critical infrastructure.
Veronica Macbeth, director of Baltimore City Department of Transportation, told the City Council budget committee that Baltimore’s streets, bridges and signals face “decades of deferred maintenance” and that the department is asking the council and the city’s state delegation to press for sustained capital support.
“Decades of deferred maintenance have left critical infrastructure in need of urgent repair,” Macbeth said. “If our city fails to secure necessary capital funding in the long term, we may be unable to realistically afford the replacement of things like the Russell Street Viaduct, the Hanover Street Bridal, or even large swaths of I‑83.”
Why it matters: Macbeth framed the department’s FY‑26 budget request as a response to an infrastructure gap that threatens daily mobility and the city’s economic role in Maryland. She said DOT manages more than 4,700 lane miles, hundreds of bridges and a large portfolio of federally funded projects, and pointed to recent efforts — such as accelerated ADA ramp work and reactivation of a harbor master — as examples of progress that still fall short of needed investment.
Details from the hearing: - Macbeth listed agency responsibilities and scale: more than 4,700 lane miles, roughly 3,600 miles of sidewalks and more than 1,300 signalized intersections. She said the agency completed nearly 400 ADA curb ramps in 2024 and 150 so far in 2025. - The department plans to use Highway User Revenues (HUR) and other funds to double resurfacing lane‑mile productivity in the coming paving season, and staff described HUR dollars as both direct funding and match to leverage federal grants. - Macbeth said the city has sought new state and federal discretionary funds for large bridge and roadway replacements and cited the recent removal of the sunset on speed cameras along I‑83 as a legislative win that improved public safety along that interstate. - Board of Estimates action: MACbeth noted that on May 7 the Board of Estimates approved new docking fees and that the Harbor Master’s Office secured a $1,000,000 state grant for dredging and a warfage agreement estimated to bring $50,000 annually in revenue for cruise operations at Pier 5.
Macbeth and council members emphasized tradeoffs: the department must balance short‑term maintenance, staffing and operations against long‑term capital projects. Deputy chief for government affairs Luciano Diaz noted that recent increases in HUR — and a larger FY‑26 capital plan — give the city a narrow window to address a multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar backlog.
Looking ahead: Council leadership pledged to advocate in Annapolis and with federal partners for discretionary funding. Macbeth asked council members to join the administration in advocacy to secure the capital necessary to avoid worsening infrastructure failure.
Ending: Council members asked the department to provide district‑level breakdowns of HUR allocations and capital projects; DOT staff agreed to provide that detail in short order to assist district planning and oversight.
