Bridgeport sits on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Pequonnock River, and I-95 runs right through it on a series of elevated stretches and bridges. The interstate heads west toward Fairfield, Norwalk and New York and east toward Stratford and New Haven. Route 8 starts downtown and climbs north through the Naugatuck Valley toward Shelton and Waterbury, and Route 25 splits from it toward Trumbull and Newtown. The Merritt Parkway crosses the northern edge of the city, and US 1 follows the old Post Road through the neighborhoods.
I-95 through Fairfield County is one of the most congested stretches of interstate in the Northeast, and the Bridgeport section backs up daily, especially at the Route 8 interchange downtown. The Merritt Parkway is a scenic, tree-lined road with tight curves, narrow shoulders and low stone bridges, and it's closed to trucks and trailers. Surface streets such as Main Street, Park Avenue, Boston Avenue, North Avenue and Fairfield Avenue carry heavy local traffic. A breakdown on I-95 or the Merritt is dangerous, and moving to a safe spot first is essential.
Bridgeport's downtown station serves Metro-North and Amtrak, and the ferry to Port Jefferson on Long Island leaves from the harbor near downtown, drawing traffic from across the region. Sikorsky Memorial Airport, owned by the city, sits just over the line in Stratford and serves private aviation. Most travelers fly from New York or Hartford. Local buses cover the city, but most households here depend on cars, and many of them park on the street.