Cedar Rapids straddles the Cedar River, and I-380 runs right through downtown on its way north to Waterloo and south to Iowa City. US 30, the old Lincoln Highway route, crosses the south side of the city toward Mount Vernon and Tama, and US 151 heads northeast through Marion toward Dubuque and southwest toward the Amana Colonies. Collins Road, part of IA 100, is the main commercial corridor on the north side, and IA 13 runs along the east side past Marion. I-380 is the backbone of the Corridor, and traffic between Cedar Rapids, North Liberty and Iowa City runs heavy in both directions every weekday.
Inside the city, 1st Avenue is the main east-west street, running from downtown through the northeast side toward Marion. Edgewood Road, 16th Avenue and Wilson Avenue carry most of the west-side traffic. The I-380 S-curve through downtown and the Collins Road corridor at rush hour are where breakdowns cause the most trouble. The city uses a quadrant system, with addresses marked NE, NW, SE or SW, so including the quadrant saves time when you share your location, since the same street number can exist in more than one part of town.
The Eastern Iowa Airport sits southwest of the city near I-380, and its lots see plenty of no-starts after winter trips. Cedar Rapids Transit runs buses across the city, but most people drive, many commuting along the I-380 corridor between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. City hall sits on Mays Island in the middle of the river, which says a lot about how central the Cedar River is to life here.