The Highway Helper program provides incident response and free assistance to stranded motorists on the roadways in the Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City and Quad Cities metros. The focus of the Highway Helper program is to provide travelers and emergency responders with a safe and efficient transportation system. The Highway Helper services can quickly address the needs of stranded motorists by providing; jump starts, tire changes, up to two gallons of fuel, and transportation to a safe location. In addition, each truck is equipped to provide traffic control and quick clearance for emergency responders.
Highway Helper trucks patrol the freeway and interstate systems and are dispatched to other Iowa DOT roadways in Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, and Quad Cities metro areas from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays in Des Moines; and some holidays and special events. In addition to patrolling the area, the Iowa DOT Traffic Management Center uses traffic cameras to monitor roadways, and dispatches Highway Helper trucks to needed locations.
Hours of Operation
List items for Highway Helper Routes
Three Highway Helper Vehicles
Monday–Friday: 5:00 AM – 9:00 PM
The I-80/380 construction zone includes provisions to extend time frames as necessary to support major construction activities.
| Routes | Patrol Route | On-Call Route |
|---|---|---|
| I-80 | MM 230-246 | MM 230-225 MM 246-249 |
| I-380 | MM 25 -0 | MM 25-28 |
| U.S. 30 | MM 254-248 | MM 248-246 MM 254-259 |
| U.S. 218 | MM 0-91 | MM 91-89 |
Two Highway Helper Vehicles
Monday–Friday: 5:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Including coverage of the I-74 construction zone
(Map coverage coming soon)
| Routes | Patrol Route | On-Call Route | Extended Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-74 | MM 1 to I-80 | - | - |
| I-80 | 1-284 | MM 284-277 | - |
| I-280 | - | - | MM 11 to I-80 |
| U.S. 61 | I-60 to MM 125 | MM 125-129 | - |
Two Highway Helper Vehicles
Hours of Operation:
Monday–Friday: 5:00 AM – 9:00 PM
| Routes | Beat 1 | Beat 2 |
|---|---|---|
| I-29 | Exit 151 to Exit 133 | |
| U.S. 75 | Exit 2 to Exit 105 | |
| U.S. 20 | From U.S. 75 to Exit 12 |