Only a dozen major U.S. cities have three major interstates intersecting their downtown districts, and Nashville is one of them.

The region is centrally located at the crossroads of I-24, I-40 and I-65, with Interstate 440 serving as a bypass route that connects the three interstates. In addition, the State Route 840 outer beltway is under construction, with nearly 50 miles now open to highway traffic and linking several counties that surround Nashville.

I-40 in Tennessee was named the best road in the nation in a 2009 survey of truck drivers by Overdrive magazine. It was the fourth straight year that truck drivers rated the stretch of road as the best in the country.

For large trucks hauling freight along Nashville’s interstate highways, the situation couldn’t be much better for getting materials in and out of town. Music City is home to more than 150 truck terminals, and Overdrive has rated Nashville’s smoothly paved highways among the best in the nation.

The region also boasts superior rail connections, including a large CSX Transportation freight rail yard as well as three short-line railways. Also adding to Nashville’s overall reputation as a leading transportation community is the Cumberland River, which can accommodate large barges.

The region’s major commercial air facility is Nashville International Airport, whose convenience and ease of use draw travelers from far outside the region. The airport is served by a dozen major carriers including Southwest Airlines, which offers some 90 flights to and from Nashville each day. The airport serves 9 million passengers each year, operating an average of 385 daily flights to approximately 70 locales and 45 nonstop markets. Those nonstop markets include Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas.

John C. Tune Airport, a small, general aviation reliever airfield on Nashville’s west side, serves corporate and private aircraft. Both Nashville International and John C. Tune are governed by the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. Smyrna Airport in Rutherford County is one of Tennessee’s busiest airports and a destination for corporate and private aircraft.

Nashville International and John C. Tune contribute $3.75 billion in total economic activity, including more than $1 billion in annual wages and nearly 40,000 jobs to the regional economy, says Emily Richard, corporate communications manager with the airport authority.

The airport has undergone a $46 million terminal renovation program over the past couple of years that includes 30 new food, beverage and retail vendors, meeter-greeter areas and a consolidated security checkpoint with 12 screening lanes. A multiphase roof replacement program is also under way. Many elements of Nashville International Airport’s recent terminal renovation project garnered top honors from Airport Revenue News, a leading concessions trade publication.

Also, to make the overall transpor­tation experience a bit easier at Nashville International Airport, a $15 million project was completed in November 2009 to improve the road that surrounds the short- and long-term parking lots. That road provides passengers with access to the terminal and rental car facility.