[3] Construction of the Roman Superhighway began on April 7, 1973 during the Martial Law period and completed on July 16, 1977.

It was originally intended to be an expressway to serve BEPZ in Mariveles, Bataan, but it later became an at-grade highway when local residents built houses and businesses along it.

Phase 1 of the total project covered from Dinalupihan to Alauli Junction in Pilar and it measured 24 kilometers (15 mi) long and complemented with 14 steel-concrete bridges.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) designed and supervised the construction of the ₱164 million road project.

The project also involved alignments that would combine with old existing roads which are the highway's Jose Abad Santos Avenue, Layac, Dinalupihan to Culis, Hermosa, Daan Pare to Puting Buhangin, Orion, and Alangan, Limay to Mariveles segments.

Recently, some sections of the highway have guard rails to divide the northbound and southbound and lights for better visibility at night.

The road passes into nine towns (Dinalupihan, Hermosa, Orani, Samal, Abucay, Pilar, Orion, Limay, and Mariveles) and one city (Balanga) in Bataan.

The highway starts at Layac, Dinalupihan at a t-junction with the Jose Abad Santos Avenue (Olongapo-Gapan Road).

The highway then passes through residential areas of Hermosa, Bataan before it turns westward and continues on a straight direction.

It will cross to San Pedro Street, pass through Dona Elementary School, and continues northbound until it intersects Governor Pascual Avenue, with left going to Orani town proper and right going to Sinagtala and Mount Santa Rosa through Binutas Trail.

Between Daan Pare and Puting Buhangin exits, the highway and Bataan National Road combine temporarily.

It continues on a straight direction and turns eastward, passing to Mamala and T. Kaliwa Bridges, with Petron Limay station between them.

View (where the Old National Road ends and Blessed Regina Protmann Catholic School (BRPCS) is located), and Alasasin.

It continues to Baseco Country through Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB) checkpoint where the Mariveles substation of National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and Mariveles Coal-Fired Power Plant are visible from the highway and a bypass road going to Sisiman is located.