Knoxville sits along the Tennessee River in a valley between the Cumberland Plateau and the Great Smoky Mountains, and its highways follow the ridges. I-40 and I-75 share a busy stretch through West Knoxville before I-75 splits north, and I-640 loops across the north side as a bypass around downtown. I-275 runs north from downtown to rejoin I-75. Pellissippi Parkway connects Oak Ridge, Hardin Valley and the airport on the west side, Alcoa Highway runs south to Maryville and the airport, and Chapman Highway heads south toward Seymour and the Smokies. Kingston Pike remains the main surface route west through Bearden.
The ridges funnel traffic onto a handful of roads, and those are where trouble happens. The I-40 and I-75 merge in West Knoxville and the interchanges near downtown back up daily, and Alcoa Highway carries heavy airport and Blount County traffic. On football Saturdays, Neyland Drive and the roads around campus jam for hours. Away from those corridors, though, most neighborhoods are easy to reach, and a mechanic can pull into a driveway in Fountain City, a lot in Cedar Bluff or a curb in Fort Sanders without much trouble.
McGhee Tyson Airport sits south of the city in Alcoa, and its parking lots are a common service stop. Knoxville Area Transit runs city buses through the core. The University of Tennessee campus and the UT Medical Center across the river bring constant traffic, and the hospital campuses in Fort Sanders and West Knoxville add large staff lots where a repair can happen during a shift. Students and staff without a free hour can have the work done while they are in class or on the clock.