Kansas City, Kansas sits where the Kansas River meets the Missouri River, directly across the state line from Kansas City, Missouri. I-70 runs east-west through the city and crosses into downtown Kansas City, Missouri over the Lewis and Clark Viaduct. I-635 runs north-south through the middle of Wyandotte County, and I-435 loops along the west side near Village West. US 69 follows the 18th Street Expressway across the Kansas River, and K-7 runs north-south along the western edge through Bonner Springs.
Inside the city, State Avenue, Parallel Parkway and Leavenworth Road carry most east-west traffic, and 18th Street, 78th Street and Rainbow Boulevard serve as north-south arterials. The older eastern neighborhoods sit on steep bluffs above the rivers, with hilly streets, sharp turns and sloped driveways. The western half of the county is newer and more open, with subdivisions, the Village West entertainment district and farmland. I-70 and I-635 back up at rush hour, and event days at Village West bring heavy traffic to I-435 and State Avenue. The Kansas River bridges, especially on I-70 and the 18th Street Expressway, become chokepoints when anything goes wrong.
Kansas City International Airport is a drive north in Missouri. RideKC buses serve the city, but most people drive, and many work in the warehouses, rail yards and plants along the rivers and I-70. Work vans and pickups are a big share of the vehicles here, and keeping them running without a trip to a shop keeps a crew on schedule. Kansas City Kansas Community College on the north side also brings commuter traffic to Parallel Parkway.