Owensboro sits on the south bank of the Ohio River in western Kentucky, directly across from Indiana. The Wendell H. Ford Expressway, part of US 60, loops around the south side of the city as a bypass, and I-165 heads south toward Bowling Green. US 231 crosses the river on the William H. Natcher Bridge east of town, and the Glover Cary Bridge connects downtown with the Indiana side. US 431 runs south along Frederica Street toward Central City, and KY 54 heads east toward Philpot and Whitesville. Owensboro is the regional hub for the surrounding counties, so drivers come in from Hancock, McLean and Ohio counties for work, shopping and medical care.
Inside the city, Frederica Street is the main north-south corridor, running from the riverfront through the commercial strip to the bypass. Parrish Avenue, Triplett Street and 18th Street carry much of the crosstown traffic. The bypass and Frederica back up at rush hour and on weekends, but traffic is light by big-city standards. Most neighborhoods have driveways or alleys, and the flat terrain makes it easy for a mechanic to set up almost anywhere in town. Outside the bypass, the city gives way quickly to farmland, and county roads stretch for miles between small communities.
Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport sits on the south side of the city. The Owensboro Transit System runs buses across town, but most people drive, many commuting from the farms and small communities across Daviess County or from across the river. Distances in the county add up fast, and a repair that comes to you saves a long trip into town and back.