1,547 street miles. 149 bridges. 72,000 catch basins.

Divisions

 

The Department of Public Works (DPW) is comprised of five (5) divisions:

  • Engineering
  • Ground Transportation Bureau
  • Maintenance
  • Traffic 
  • Parking & Towing

To report an issue for one of these divisions, click here to contact 311.

Not all infrastructure issues are the responsibility of the Department of Public Works. Water, sewer and drainage complaints are addressed by the Sewerage & Water Board (SWB). 

Engineering 

DPW offers Construction Engineers working in the City specific guidelines to ensure they meet all City codes and standards. 

Ground Transportation Bureau

GTB oversees permitting, regulating and enforcement of vehicles and drivers operating for-hire, including taxis, pedicabs, and buses, as well as tour guides, tour planners and tour companies within the city of New Orleans. The GTB office is closed to the public so all applications for GTB are required to be submitted online.

Maintenance

The DPW Maintenance Division is responsible for filling potholes, and cleaning and clearing catch basins of debris.  To report a maintenance issue, click here to contact 311.

Traffic

The Department of Public Works Traffic Division is responsible for installing and maintaining the city's traffic signs, signals, and roadway striping. The Division also handles permits for street closures and construction activities in public rights-of-way, including work on streets, sidewalks, and underground utilities.

Additionally, the Traffic Engineering Division oversees the city's streetlight system. This includes repairing and replacing streetlight fixtures, poles, pole bases, wiring, circuitry, and junction boxes. To report a traffic-related issue, click here to contact 311.

Parking & Towing

The Department of Public Works Parking & Towing Division issues tickets when parking regulations, outlined in the City of New Orleans Municipal Code, are violated. Avoid parking tickets by referencing the list of frequently violated parking regulations here.

The Division is also responsible for enforcement of City ordinances in regard to public safety by managing curb space (on-street parking) in certain densely populated areas. Measures include ticketing and towing violating vehicles, immobilizing vehicles, and towing abandoned vehicles. Additionally, this Division is responsible for establishing and managing residential parking zones throughout the City. The City may tow cars immediately in the interest of public safety.

DPW Main Division

Email DPW Main Division
1300 Perdido Street 6W03 New Orleans, LA 70112

9am—5pm
Monday—Friday

Department of Public Works includes:

Department of Public Works
Services

Programs & Initiatives
Accessibility of Streets and Sidewalks

The Department of Public Works (DPW) addresses a variety of issues that impact the accessibility of streets and sidewalks within Orleans Parish These include providing physical accessibility features on City of New Orleans streets, a process for public accommodation requests, a means by which accommodation grievance procedures can be initiated, and tracking progress toward compliance.

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Programs & Initiatives
Mobility and Safety

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Programs & Initiatives
RoadWork

The City of New Orleans Department of Public Works (DPW) and Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) are working together to implement an unprecedented program to restore our damaged infrastructure. Using local and federal funds, the $2.3B program is the most comprehensive that our region has seen in a generation.

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Department of Public Works
Topics

Department of Public Works
Latest News

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December 6, 2024 | From City of New Orleans

TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Temporary Street Closures to Begin in French Quarter

The City of New Orleans announced that, effective immediately, the Department of Public Works (DPW) contractor, Boh Bros Construction Co., LLC, will begin temporary closures on various streets in the French Quarter to perform mill and overlay operations. Project completion is expected by February 2025, weather permitting. Construction will typically occur Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Streets will reopen each evening to vehicular traffic.

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December 6, 2024 | From City of New Orleans

Traffic Advisory: I-10 Westbound Right Lane and Poydras Street On-Ramp Closure for Lighting Repairs

The City of New Orleans today announced that starting Saturday, December 6, 2024, the Department of Public Works (DPW), in close coordination with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD), will close the right lane of westbound I-10 between Gravier Street and the Broad Street Overpass. In addition, the I-10 on-ramp from Poydras Street will be closed from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

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December 4, 2024 | From City of New Orleans

CITY OF NEW ORLEANS CELEBRATES COMPLETION OF $12 MILLION POYDRAS STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

The City of New Orleans Department of Public Works (DPW), in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) and the Sewage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO), today celebrated the completion of the $12 million roadway improvement project on Poydras Street bounded by Claiborne Ave. to Liberty Street and Convention Center Blvd to Loyola Ave.

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November 26, 2024 | From City of New Orleans

TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Lane Closure on Lincoln Beach Boulevard between Congress Drive and Press Drive

The City of New Orleans announce that beginning on Monday, Nov. 25, from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the Department of Public Works (DPW) contractor, Boh Bros Construction Co., LLC will close Lincoln Beach Boulevard between Congress Drive and Press Drive to perform milling operations.  

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November 26, 2024 | From City of New Orleans

Traffic Advisory: Temporary Closure of Howard Avenue and Loyola Avenue

The City of New Orleans announce that the Department of Public Works will be proactively closing Howard Avenue (from Rampart to Loyola) and the right lane of Loyola Avenue (from Howard to Julia) until further notice.

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November 20, 2024 | From City of New Orleans

City of New Orleans and Downtown Development District Receive Dual Safe Streets and Roads for All Awards to Advance Comprehensive and Supplemental Traffic Safety Planning

The City of New Orleans announces today that the Downtown Development District and the City, through the Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Office of Resilience & Sustainability (ORS), have each been awarded grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Planning Program. Funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act/Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (IIJA/BIL), these two grants represent a collaborative step forward in addressing traffic safety challenges and creating safer streets for all New Orleanians.

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