AMES, Iowa – May 6, 2025 – Beginning on Wednesday, May 7, the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Highway Helper program will add Sioux City to its current list of service areas that includes Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, and the Quad Cities.
Keeping you safe and moving on the roads so everyone has reliable drive times and reduced traffic backups is a goal of the program. The free service assists motorists with flat tires, jump starts, and fuel to quickly clear stalled vehicles. If more extensive repairs are needed, Highway Helpers can transport a driver to a safe location where they can make those repair arrangements. Highway Helpers are also available to assist in the removal of remove debris from the roadway and assist first responders by providing additional traffic control, reducing secondary crashes.
Highway Helper services include:
- Debris removal
- Traffic control
- Checking welfare
- Tagging abandoned vehicles
- Providing fuel
- Providing directions
- Jump starting
- Motorist transport
- Push/pull vehicles
- Repair flat tires
If you find yourself stranded and in need of assistance, call the non-emergency number, 712-279-6960. For emergencies dial 911. During normal service hours, law enforcement will contact the Traffic Management Center to dispatch a Highway Helper to your location. Highway Helper vehicles are on patrol during normal service hours in high traffic volume corridors looking for motorists needing assistance. In addition, operators in Iowa DOT’s Traffic Management Center utilize hundreds of traffic cameras around the state to identify stranded motorists and dispatch Highway Helpers.
Highway Helper services are available in the following areas across Iowa from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays:
- Council Bluffs
- Two vehicles focused on patrolling I-29 and I-80.
- Des Moines
- Three vehicles patrol I-235, I-80/35, Iowa 5/U.S. 65 bypass, and I-35 between Ankeny and Ames.
- One truck running in the Des Moines Metro area on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Cedar Rapids/Iowa City
- Two vehicles are focused on patrolling I-80 and I-380 corridor. One additional vehicle is on call for incidents in the I-80/380 construction project.
- Quad Cities
- Two trucks patrolling I-80, I-280, and the I-74 construction zone
- Sioux City
- Two trucks patrolling I-29, U.S. 20, and U.S. 75 beginning on May 7
The Iowa DOT’s service expansion to Sioux City is made possible by a new contract with AutoBase, a company that provides similar services in nine other states.
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For general questions about the Highway Helper program contact Ashley Hochberger, Iowa DOT Traffic Management Center and Highway Helper program manager, at 515-290-2864 or ashley.hochberger@iowadot.us.