Honolulu is squeezed between the Koolau Range and the ocean, so its traffic runs in long ribbons rather than a grid. The H-1 is the spine, running from Kapolei past Pearl Harbor, through downtown and out to Kahala, where Kalanianaole Highway takes over toward Hawaii Kai. The Moanalua Freeway offers a parallel route past Tripler Army Medical Center, the H-2 branches north toward Mililani and Schofield Barracks, and Nimitz Highway carries airport and harbor traffic along the waterfront.
Three routes cross the mountains to the Windward side: the Pali Highway, the Likelike Highway and the H-3, each with tunnels and long grades. Those crossings, the elevated stretch of the H-1 near the airport and the afternoon crawl out of downtown are where cars tend to quit. Inside town, the dense street pattern works in a mechanic's favor, because most addresses from Kalihi to Kaimuki sit a few blocks from a main road like King Street, Kapiolani Boulevard or Waialae Avenue.
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport sits beside Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, so airport garages and the hotels along Nimitz Highway are regular service stops. TheBus reaches nearly every neighborhood, and the Skyline elevated rail runs from East Kapolei toward town, which gives you a way to get to work while the car is being repaired in your parking stall.