Topeka sits on the Kansas River in northeast Kansas, with downtown and the State Capitol south of the river and North Topeka across it. I-70 runs east-west through the city and becomes the Kansas Turnpike east of town toward Lawrence and Kansas City. I-470 loops around the south and west sides, and the turnpike also branches south as I-335 toward Emporia. US 75 runs north-south through the city toward Holton, and US 24 follows the north side of the river toward Manhattan and Lawrence.
Inside the city, Wanamaker Road is the main west-side shopping corridor, Topeka Boulevard runs north-south through downtown, and 10th Street, 21st Street, 29th Street and Gage Boulevard carry most of the crosstown traffic. Wanamaker backs up with shopping traffic on weekends, and I-70 through downtown narrows and curves near the river, which makes it busy at rush hour. Most neighborhoods have driveways or alleys, and the grid makes it easy for a mechanic to reach almost any address without much fuss. Gage Park and the Topeka Zoo sit on the west side, and summer weekends bring heavy traffic around them.
Topeka Regional Airport sits at Forbes Field south of the city, a former air base that still hosts an Air National Guard refueling wing. Philip Billard Municipal Airport serves general aviation near North Topeka. Topeka Metro runs buses across the city, but most people drive, many commuting to state offices downtown or east on the turnpike to Lawrence and Kansas City. Washburn University and the state agencies make central Topeka busy on weekdays, while evenings are much quieter for planned repairs.