Vancouver sits on the north bank of the Columbia River directly across from Portland, and most of its traffic is shaped by the two bridges between the states. I-5 crosses the river on the old Interstate Bridge near downtown and runs north toward Ridgefield, Woodland and Seattle. I-205 crosses on the Glenn Jackson Bridge on the east side and loops north to rejoin I-5 near Salmon Creek. SR 14 heads east along the river toward Camas, Washougal and the Columbia River Gorge, SR 500 cuts across the middle of the city toward Orchards, and SR 503 runs north toward Battle Ground. Mill Plain and Fourth Plain boulevards are the main east-west surface streets.
For a mobile mechanic, the bridges are the defining feature. Thousands of commuters cross into Portland every day, and both I-5 and I-205 back up at rush hour in both directions. A car that stalls on either bridge gets towed off quickly, but one that fails at home in Hazel Dell or Fisher's Landing can be fixed on-site without anyone fighting the bridge traffic. Most neighborhoods sit on wide arterials with driveways, which makes on-site work easy, though the newer subdivisions to the north and east have HOA rules worth checking.
Portland International Airport sits just across the river, closer to many Vancouver homes than most of Portland. C-TRAN runs buses and The Vine rapid bus lines along Fourth Plain and Mill Plain. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and the waterfront redevelopment sit near downtown, and WSU Vancouver in Salmon Creek, Clark College and the hospitals in central Vancouver and Salmon Creek draw steady daily traffic.