New Haven sits on its harbor at the northern edge of Long Island Sound, and two interstates meet at its eastern edge. I-95 follows the shoreline east toward Branford and New London and west toward Milford and New York, crossing the Quinnipiac River on the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, which locals know as the Q Bridge. I-91 begins at that junction and runs north toward Hartford. Route 34, the Oak Street Connector, is a short expressway into downtown, and Route 15 passes through the West Rock tunnel on the city's northwest edge.
The I-95 and I-91 interchange near Long Wharf backs up at rush hour, and the stretch of I-95 through the city is busy most of the day. Surface streets such as Whalley Avenue, Dixwell Avenue, Whitney Avenue, State Street, Chapel Street and Grand Avenue carry local traffic, and downtown's one-way streets and the New Haven Green take some getting used to. A breakdown on the Q Bridge or in the interchange backup is a stressful place to be, and moving the car to a safe spot first is the priority.
Union Station sits south of downtown, serving Metro-North, Amtrak, the Hartford Line and Shore Line East, and its garage is busy with commuters. Tweed New Haven Airport lies on the eastern side near the East Haven line. CT Transit buses run throughout the city, and many students and Yale staff walk or bike, but most households still keep a car, and street parking is tight in the denser neighborhoods.