Origin
Covington, LA
Late night in Covington on Tuesday
Local time
3:58 AM
CDT
Current temp
86°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Covington, LA to New Orleans, LA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
54m
Distance
40.9 mi
66 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 50m
★
6 AM
0h 55m
8 AM
1h 4m
10 AM
0h 58m
12 PM
0h 57m
3 PM
0h 58m
5 PM
1h 3m
8 PM
0h 52m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Covington, LA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick transition from the Northshore to the heart of the Big Easy, this 40.9-mile journey is the perfect day trip. You can expect to spend about 54 minutes behind the wheel, making it an incredibly efficient commute between Covington and New Orleans. With a fuel budget of just $6, this trip is highly economical for travelers looking to explore Southeast Louisiana. Since the drive is short, you do not need to worry about overnight logistics; it is designed to be completed in a single session. Whether you are heading into the city for business or leisure, the route is straightforward and reliable.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Causeway Boulevard | 25 mi | 30m |
| US 190 Business | 7.8 mi | 10m |
| Pontchartrain Expressway | 3.5 mi | 4m |
| I 10 | 1.7 mi | 2m |
| East Boston Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Tulane Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| South Claiborne Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| East 21st Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Causeway Boulevard
— 25 mi, about 30m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Covington, LA and New Orleans, LA.
1
Start on this road
150 ft
·
5 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left
44 ft
·
7 sec
3
Turn sharp left
84 ft
·
1 sec
4
Keep slight right at fork
89 ft
·
1 sec
5
Turn slight right onto US 190 Business; LA 21
370 ft
·
7 sec
·
East 21st Avenue
6
Continue on US 190 Business; LA 21
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
East Boston Street
7
Turn slight right onto US 190 Business
7.8 mi
·
10 min
·
US 190 Business
Use the right lane.
8
Turn slight right
0.1 mi
·
41 sec
9
At end of road, turn left
283 ft
·
22 sec
10
At end of road, turn right onto North Causeway Boulevard
25 mi
·
30 min
·
North Causeway Boulevard
11
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
Toward I 10: New Orleans, Baton Rouge
Use the slight right lane.
12
Keep slight left at fork
0.7 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 10 East: New Orleans
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
13
Merge onto I 10
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
I 10
14
Keep slight right at fork onto I 10
3.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Pontchartrain Expressway
Toward New Orleans, Business District
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Keep slight right at fork onto I 10
0.5 mi
·
36 sec
·
I 10
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Exit 234B
Toward Poydras Street, Superdome
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
17
Turn left onto South Claiborne Avenue
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
South Claiborne Avenue
18
Turn right onto Tulane Avenue
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
Tulane Avenue
19
Arrive at destination
Tulane Avenue
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
20 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 40.9 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 20.4 miles from Covington, LA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 145 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 40 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
Turn sharp left
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
7
33.7 mi into trip
|
~43m in
Take the exit toward I 10: New Orleans, Baton Rouge
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 10: New Orleans, Baton Rouge
7
34 mi into trip
|
~44m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 10 East: New Orleans
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward I 10 East: New Orleans
8
36 mi into trip
|
~47m in
|
I 10 / Pontchartrain Expressway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 10 / Pontchartrain Expressway toward New Orleans, Business District
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward New Orleans, Business District
8
40 mi into trip
|
~52m in
Take the exit toward Poydras Street, Superdome
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Exit 234B
Toward Poydras Street, Superdome
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.18 one way
$12.35 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
14 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.21 | $6.78 | $13.56 |
| premium | $4.56 | $7.34 | $14.68 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $9.03 | $18.06 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 14.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 12.3 | 0 | $4.29 | $1.96 |
| Efficient EV | 10.2 | 0 | $3.58 | $1.64 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 16.4 | 0 | $5.73 | $2.62 |
Gas CO2
14 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (64% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
New Orleans, LA
Late night in New Orleans on Tuesday
Local time
3:58 AM
CDT
Current temp
85°F
Partly Sunny
SW 5 to 10 mph
6% chance
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
1 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
54m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
This mixed drive transitions from local roads to major thoroughfares, offering a varied experience behind the wheel. You will spend roughly 32% of your time on highways, utilizing North Causeway Boulevard, US 190 Business, and the Pontchartrain Expressway to reach your destination. The most significant portion of the trip is the 25-mile stretch along North Causeway Boulevard, which serves as the backbone of your travel. As you navigate these segments, the road character shifts from regional corridors into the denser traffic patterns of the city. It is a functional drive that requires your full attention as you move from the quieter Northshore environment into the urban landscape.
32% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 25 mi on North Causeway Boulevard.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive.
Driving Effort
9/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 14 decision points packed into just 40.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 54m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start: Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 33.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 34 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
15 ft
-2 ft
Total Climb
5 ft
Total Descent
20 ft
Highest Point
15 ft
~5.8 mi in
Elevation Range
17 ft
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Covington, LA and New Orleans, LA, road signs point toward Baton Rouge and Business District.
Baton Rouge
33.7 mi in
|
~43m
Business District
36 mi in
|
~47m
|
via I 10
About the Cities
Starting in Covington, LA
Full guide →Covington is a city in the Florida Parishes of Louisiana. The seat of St. Tammany Parish, it's about an hour's drive north of New Orleans.
Arriving in New Orleans, LA
Full guide →Way down yonder in New Orleans (French: La Nouvelle-Orléans), you'll find the roots of jazz and a blossoming culture that is unlike anything else on Earth. Here, the laid-back atmosphere of the riverfront South has mixed with French sophistication, Spanish style, and African-American energy to create something greater than the sum of its parts. "NOLA" is the largest city in Louisiana and one of the top tourist destinations in the United States. "Laissez les bons temps rouler" is what they say here in the Big Easy, and you too can "let the good times roll" with a cool stroll down Bourbon Street, a hot Dixieland band, and even hotter Creole cuisine. Mardi Gras may be the city's calling card, but that's just one day out of the hot and muggy year in New Orleans. Go ahead, take a riverboat down the Mississippi, munch on some beignets, and watch the Saints go marchin' in.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 54m. Total distance: 40.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
54m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (32%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 25 miles on North Causeway Boulevard. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at New Orleans, LA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: near the start: Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 33.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 34 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at New Orleans, LA before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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