Get as far right as you can, onto the shoulder if there is one, and put your hazards on. Stay belted in if you’re stuck in a live travel lane, or get out on the passenger side, away from traffic, if you’ve made it to the shoulder. Louisiana runs a free roadside patrol called the Motorist Assistance Patrol, or MAP, but here’s the part that trips people up: it’s not something you call for. MAP works a fixed patrol schedule on specific roads. If you’re stranded and MAP isn’t already on scene, call local law enforcement, or 911 in an emergency.
What MAP actually covers, and when
MAP is a Louisiana DOTD program, and in the New Orleans area it runs on a defined set of roads and hours, not the whole metro around the clock.
Daytime coverage (5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., seven days a week) runs I-10 from US-61 in Ascension Parish to Michoud Blvd, all of I-610, I-55 from I-10 to Manchac, and US-90B from the I-10 split to Westwood. Nighttime coverage (7:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.) narrows to I-10 from US-51 at LaPlace to Morrison Road, all of I-610, and a shorter stretch of US-90B.
On scene, for free, MAP will change a flat using your own spare, give you about a gallon of emergency fuel, jump a dead battery, top off a radiator with water, handle a repair if it takes less than 15 minutes, and let you make a local phone call. What it won’t do is tow your car away. If your car needs to go somewhere for a real repair, or your breakdown falls outside MAP’s routes or hours, that’s a private tow. Once you’re safely on the shoulder, call (858) 925-5546 and we’ll get a truck moving.
Where I-10 actually gets people, through the metro
I-10 through New Orleans isn’t a simple straight shot, and where you break down changes what happens next.
Through downtown, the Pontchartrain Expressway carries I-10 on an elevated, roughly 7-mile stretch with limited shoulder space. Near Metairie Cemetery, the roadway actually dips to about 12 feet below sea level so a rail line can pass overhead, a known low-lying, flood-prone pinch point. A stall here backs up fast because there’s nowhere for other traffic to get around it.
East of downtown, the High Rise carries I-10 over the Industrial Canal on an elevated, roughly 6,700-foot bridge with essentially no shoulder and no alternate crossing nearby. If your car starts acting up as you approach it, get off at the exit before it if you possibly can.
I-610, the bypass loop around downtown, runs elevated for its back half at 60 mph and carries close to 70,000 vehicles a day. It’s fast-moving with limited room to maneuver if something goes wrong.
None of these corridors were built with a modern breakdown lane in mind, and that changes what “pull over safely” even means here compared to a highway with a wide paved shoulder.
Broke down on the Causeway? That’s a different situation
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway isn’t part of the interstate system, and it isn’t covered by DOTD’s MAP patrol. It has its own 24/7 police force, the Causeway Police Department, run by the Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission. If you’re stranded on the bridge, call *27 or (504) 835-3116.
The Causeway carries roughly 40,000 vehicles a day across 24 miles of open water, and Causeway Police respond to more than 3,000 breakdowns and assistance calls a year, with an average response time under 4 minutes. There’s no continuous shoulder. Instead, Crossovers are spaced roughly every 3.5 miles, with Safety Bays halfway between each pair.
Try to reach a Crossover or a Safety Bay. If you can't make it that far and you're in a lane restriction, don't stop in the open travel lane. Pull into the closed lane against the railing, get out and move safely behind your vehicle, and flag oncoming traffic while you call Causeway Police. Fog season runs roughly October through March, and a ranking officer is on duty at all times, monitoring conditions and deciding whether to run single-lane restrictions or a rolling convoy before authorizing traffic changes.
Once Causeway Police have you safe at a crossover or safety bay, that’s when a call to us gets your car the rest of the way off the bridge.
If your car stalls in floodwater, don’t restart it
New Orleans floods on an ordinary summer afternoon, not just during a hurricane. The Carrollton Avenue underpass and Claiborne Avenue in Uptown are both known repeat trouble spots where the city’s drainage system, run by the Sewerage and Water Board, gets overwhelmed by a normal thunderstorm. SWBNO runs 24 drainage pumping stations with 120 pumps, plus 12 smaller stations built specifically to activate at flood-prone underpasses, but a hard summer storm can still outpace them in the moment.
If your engine stalls while you’re in standing water, do not try to restart it. Water pulled into the engine through the intake can cause catastrophic internal damage the instant you crank it over, turning a simple tow into a full engine replacement. Get to higher ground if the water is still rising, and call for a tow once you and everyone in the car are safe. This isn’t a hypothetical: the National Weather Service’s own report on Hurricane Ida documented a fatality in Orleans Parish involving a driver who entered floodwater at an I-10 underpass. Standing water on a New Orleans street is never worth driving through to save a few minutes.
Check 511la.org before you’re in the middle of it
511la.org is Louisiana DOTD’s official traffic service, with real-time speeds, closures, incidents, construction updates, weather, and camera feeds statewide, reachable by phone at 511 or online. It’s worth checking before any drive through the metro, especially around the Causeway, the High Rise, or downtown.
If you’re evacuating for a hurricane and your car won’t cooperate
When a storm forces a mandatory evacuation, Louisiana can activate contraflow, reversing the normal westbound lanes of I-10 to send traffic eastbound toward the I-12/I-59 junction near Slidell. It’s a last-resort, state-activated measure, not an everyday tool, and when it runs, it’s a metro-wide, days-long surge in traffic and breakdowns. Check your battery and tires before you’re in that lane, not during it. If your car gives out while you’re evacuating, get to the shoulder if you can and call for help immediately. Traffic in an evacuation doesn’t stop for a disabled vehicle the way it might on a normal day.
For more on what to do the moment your car won’t start or overheats, see our guides on a car that won’t start and a vehicle after overheating, or check our roadside assistance and flat tire services.
Frequently asked questions
Can I call Louisiana’s Motorist Assistance Patrol for help?
Not directly. MAP works a fixed patrol schedule on specific roads and hours, it isn’t a call-out service. If you’re stranded and MAP isn’t already on scene, call local law enforcement, or 911 in an emergency.
What does MAP do for free?
A flat tire change using your own spare, about a gallon of emergency fuel, a jump start, radiator water, a repair under 15 minutes, and a local phone call. It moves disabled vehicles out of the travel lane but doesn’t tow them away.
Does MAP cover the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway?
No. The Causeway runs its own 24/7 police force, the Causeway Police Department. Call *27 or (504) 835-3116 if you’re stranded on the bridge.
What do I do if my car fails on the Causeway?
Try to reach a Crossover or Safety Bay. If you can’t and you’re in a lane restriction, don’t stop in the open lane. Pull into the closed lane against the railing, get safely behind your car, and flag traffic while you call Causeway Police.
My car stalled in standing water. Should I try to restart it?
No. Restarting an engine that pulled in water through the intake can cause serious internal damage. Get to higher ground if water is rising, then call for a tow once everyone is safe.
Where can I check real-time road conditions before I drive?
511la.org, Louisiana DOTD’s official traffic service, covers real-time speeds, incidents, closures, and camera feeds statewide, including the New Orleans metro.