It begins at Giza, at the northwest corner of Cairo's regional ring road,[2] and ends in Alexandria (Kilo 21).

In 2007, the Egyptian government represented by the General Authority for Roads, Bridges and Land Transport planned to develop the Cairo-Alexandria-Marsa Matrouh desert road and turn it into a freeway in compliance with global standards.

• Evaluating the engineering situation for the existing road with its different intersections and detecting its traffic capacity to the targeted year 2025.

• Enhancing the road's specifications to comply with international freeway standards.

The GARBLT's plan to develop the road was divided into four phases as shown below: