Bellevue sits on the bluffs above the Missouri River just south of Omaha, and the Kennedy Freeway, US 75, is its main link north to the city and south toward Plattsmouth. Nebraska 370 runs west from Bellevue toward Papillion and Gretna, and US 34 crosses the river to Iowa south of town. Fort Crook Road runs north-south past Offutt Air Force Base, and Cornhusker Road, Galvin Road and Harlan Lewis Road carry most of the east-west and crosstown traffic through the neighborhoods.
The Kennedy Freeway backs up every weekday as commuters head north into Omaha, and the gates at Offutt create short rushes of traffic at shift changes. Breakdowns pile up on the freeway and around the base approaches at those times. Off the main roads, Bellevue is mostly residential, with older streets near the river and newer subdivisions spreading west toward Papillion, so a mechanic can reach most driveways quickly. Rail crossings and the steep bluff roads near Olde Towne can slow arrival a bit, especially in snow.
Eppley Airfield in Omaha is the nearest commercial airport, a short drive north. Bus service connects Bellevue with Omaha along the main corridors, but nearly everyone drives. Some families keep a second car that sits for long stretches during deployments, and that car is often the one that won't start.
Offutt Air Force Base, headquarters of U.S. Strategic Command, shapes daily life here. Many military families live in Bellevue, often for just a few years, and a car that won't start can throw off a whole duty schedule.