Augusta sits on the Savannah River at the fall line, facing North Augusta, South Carolina, across the water. I-20 runs east-west across the northern part of the city toward Atlanta and Columbia, and I-520, the Bobby Jones Expressway, loops around the west and south sides before crossing into South Carolina as the Palmetto Parkway. Washington Road runs northwest toward Martinez and Evans, Gordon Highway angles southwest toward the Army post, Riverwatch Parkway follows the river and the Augusta Canal toward Columbia County, and Walton Way and Wrightsboro Road link the Hill with downtown.
Washington Road and its I-20 interchange back up at rush hour, and the stretch beside the famous golf club becomes gridlocked during the tournament each April. Deans Bridge Road and Peach Orchard Road carry heavy traffic on the south side, and the Bobby Jones Expressway fills with commuters headed for the post and the medical district. A breakdown on I-20 or the expressway is dangerous, and the first move is getting to the next exit and a safe lot.
Augusta Regional Airport sits on the south side of the city, with parking lots a short drive from most neighborhoods. The Army post on the southwest edge is one of the region's largest employers, and many families commute from Grovetown, Evans and Hephzibah. Augusta Transit buses serve the city, but most people drive, and plenty cross the river daily to jobs in South Carolina, including the Savannah River Site. Those cross-river commutes are long and mostly highway, which keeps tires, brakes and cooling systems busier than the city's size might suggest.