Miami sits on Biscayne Bay at the southeastern tip of the Florida mainland, and its expressways funnel traffic toward downtown and across the water to the islands. I-95 runs north-south along the city's eastern side and ends just south of downtown, where it meets US 1. The Dolphin Expressway runs west from downtown past the airport, the Palmetto Expressway loops north-south through the western suburbs, and Florida's Turnpike runs farther west still. US 1 follows Biscayne Boulevard north and South Dixie Highway south, the MacArthur and Julia Tuttle causeways cross to Miami Beach, and the Rickenbacker leads to Key Biscayne.
Traffic is heavy most of the day, and the worst stretches are I-95 north of downtown, the Dolphin and Palmetto interchange and the causeways on weekends and event nights. Brickell and downtown streets fill with office traffic, and drawbridges over the Miami River open for boats, adding sudden delays. Express toll lanes and narrow elevated ramps leave almost no shoulder, so after a breakdown the first job is getting to a side street or lot where work can be done safely.
Miami International Airport sits west of the city beside the Dolphin Expressway, ringed by garages and park-and-fly lots, and PortMiami's cruise terminals sit on Dodge Island across from downtown. Metrorail runs from the southern suburbs through downtown toward the airport and Hialeah, and the free Metromover loops through downtown and Brickell. Even with all that, most households drive, and a large share of cars live in condo and apartment garages.