Rochester is a compact city with an unusually complete expressway system for its size. I-490 runs east to west straight through downtown, linking Gates and Chili on the west side with Brighton, Pittsford and the Thruway near Victor on the east. I-390 heads south from Greece past the airport toward Henrietta and the Southern Tier, and I-590 runs along the eastern side of the city between I-390 and the 490, continuing north as NY 590 toward Irondequoit and the lake.
NY 104 crosses the north side as an east-west expressway through Greece, Irondequoit and Webster, crossing Irondequoit Bay on its way toward Wayne County, and NY 531 brings commuters in from Spencerport and Ogden. Downtown traffic is lighter than in bigger cities, but the interchange of the 490 and 590 in Brighton, known locally as the Can of Worms, backs up at rush hour and is a familiar place for a car to stall in traffic. The Thruway skirts the southern suburbs, where Henrietta and Victor draw heavy shopping and commuter traffic.
Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport sits just southwest of downtown off I-390, close enough that a car stuck in long-term parking is a short trip for a mobile mechanic. RTS buses connect downtown with the University of Rochester, RIT and the suburbs, and the Genesee River splits the city east and west, with several bridges downtown and fewer as you head north toward Charlotte and Lake Ontario.