The expressway is a core section of the road connecting the capital to the Port of Djibouti and serves as a vital land route to southern neighboring countries like Kenya. Built as a fully access-controlled expressway spanning approximately 78.61 kilometers, it was constructed entirely using Chinese technologies and standards. Opened to traffic on April 20, 2014, the project slashed the travel time between the capital, Addis Ababa, and the second-largest city, Adama, from over 2 hours to just 1 hour.