Construction on the first portion of the elevated roadway, from the Inner Ring Road to Hongqiao Airport, began on 28 November 1995 and was completed on 2 December 1996.[1] The expressway originally stretched down the whole length of Yan'an Road, ending with a left-turning ramp onto the surface road of the Bund. In 2008, to improve cityscape in the historic area near the Bund, the easternmost section of the expressway was demolished.
Part of the elevated expressway is decorated by blue neon lights, which were featured in James Bond movie Skyfall.