Located near downtown, the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is serviced by 23 airlines with direct flights from most cities in the United States and several locations abroad. More than 108,000 passengers are served on a daily basis, which is comparable to the Miami and San Francisco airports. Its importance to the area is highlighted by an estimated $72 million daily economic impact.
Interstate routes into the city are Interstate 10 (the Papago Freeway), entering from the west, and Interstate 17 (the Black Canyon Freeway), entering from the north. These highways join at Van Buren Street and 27th Avenue, becoming the Maricopa Freeway and then forming the Pima Freeway southeast of the city. State Route 89 (Grand Avenue Expressway) enters diagonally from the northwest, joins State Route 60 at Van Buren Street downtown then intersects the city laterally to the east, becoming the Superstition Freeway. A 20-year "Regional Transportation Plan" was passed by voters in November 2004 to alleviate excessive traffic congestion by building new or renovating existing freeways; 2007 is the earliest projected start date.
Phoenix made the top ten list in 2003 for most improved transit systems by the trade journal, Metro Magazine. Travel in the city is facilitated by the simple grid layout. The Phoenix Transit System provides daily bus service in the metropolitan area.