Gastonia has outstanding transportation access via 8 interchanges on Interstate 85, which runs through the middle of the city limits. Interstate 77 intersects with I-85 approximately 25 miles east of Gastonia. Interstate 40 is approximately 35 miles north via US 321, which is an interstate-quality highway linking Gastonia with Lincolnton and Hickory.
Gastonia is ideally located only ten miles west of the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. The Charlotte-Douglas International Airport is served by 6 major and 4 commuter airlines with over 500 scheduled commercial departures daily and 25.5 million passengers a year. US Airways provides direct flights to London, Germany, Paris and other international destinations. Gastonia also has a municipal airport, which provides general aviation access to the city and county. The facility has one lighted runway of 3,500 feet and one unlighted runway of 2,500 feet.
Gastonia is served by a north-south mainline of Norfolk Southern Railroad entering North Carolina from Danville, VA. traveling through Greensboro, Salisbury, Kannapolis, and Charlotte, and continuing through Gastonia to Spartanburg, SC.