The Jones Falls Expressway, known to local residents as the "JFX", is a 13-mile long freeway that carries Interstate 83 from downtown Baltimore to the northern suburbs. It is the area's true north-south artery, because Interstate 95 runs mostly east-west through much of the city. Its southern terminus is at Fayette Street, and its northern terminus is at the Baltimore Beltway (I-695). An interesting fact is that the JFX does not provide a direct connection to US 40/Orleans Street, which crosses over it on a viaduct. US 40 can be accessed via the side streets of downtown.

Between Exits 3 and 4, there is a 90-degree turn that sometimes requires motorists to slow down just before entering it. The curve is located between the Guilford Avenue and Preston Street overpasses.

For the majority of its route, the JFX is parallelled by its namesake river, the Jones Falls , on one side, and the Baltimore Light Rail system on the other. Closer to downtown, the light rail line peels off in a different direction, while the Falls flows directly underneath the elevated freeway.

In 2005, a prominent Baltimore city planner unveiled a proposal to tear down the elevated portion of the JFX that leads into downtown. If it happened, Baltimore would join San Francisco, Boston and Milwaukee as the large cities that have removed their downtown elevated freeways. In the JFX's place, President Street would be extended north to Eager Street, where the elevated section ends. City officials, who were not consulted about the plan, were quoted as being generally supportive of the idea, but balked at providing city funds for the massive reconstruction project.

Originally, the JFX was to continue through the Southeast Baltimore neighborhood of Fells Point to a junction with I-95, but it was met with the same opposition that killed the I-70 extension into the city. As a result, the JFX was truncated at Fayette Street, and President Street was widened to handle the traffic going on and off the freeway.

Exit list

• Exit 1 - Fayette Street (not a true interchange, as it involves a traffic light; I-83 is President Street south of Fayette Street, and an access road, the Fallsway, branches off from the northbound side)
• Exit 2 - Pleasant Street (southbound only; northbound entrance from Gay Street)
• Exit 3 - Chase Street (northbound only; southbound entrance from Eager Street); Guilford Avenue (southbound only; northbound entrance from Madison Street)
• Exit 4 - St. Paul Street (southbound only; northbound entrance from Charles Street)
• Exit 5 - Maryland Avenue (southbound only; no entrance in either direction)
• Exit 6 - US 1/Truck US 40/North Avenue
• Exit 7 - 28th Street/Druid Park Lake Drive (entrances also available from 29th Street)
• Exit 8 - MD 25/Falls Road (northbound exit/southbound entrance)
• Exit 9 - Cold Spring Lane
• Exit 10 - Northern Parkway
• Exit 12 - Ruxton Road (northbound exit/southbound entrance)
• Exit 13 - Baltimore Beltway/I-695/To MD 25/Falls Road