Erie International Airport, Tom Ridge Field, is located 6 miles from downtown and serves 170,000 passengers annually. For those approaching the city by car, access is made easy by a network of superhighways and access roads. Amtrak carries train passengers to the city.
Erie was laid out in a grid pattern based on a modified plan of Washington, D.C., by two surveyors who were associated with the designer of the nation's capital. Bus service is provided by the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority. Over the past five years, $270 million has been spent on improvements to Interstates 79, 86, and 90.