The Eastern Freeway was built by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and funded by the Central Government through the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM).

Construction was contracted to Simplex Infrastructure Ltd.[3] A 13.59 km stretch of the freeway, comprising two of three segments with one of the twin tunnels, from Orange Gate on P D'Mello Road up to Panjarpol, near RK Studios in Chembur, was opened to the public on 14 June 2013.

[6][7] Heavy vehicles (except public buses),[8] three-wheelers, two-wheelers, bullock carts, handcarts, and pedestrians are prohibited from using the freeway, though bicycles have often been sighted post opening.

[10] Wilbur Smith and Associates, commissioned in 1962 to study transportation in Bombay, recommended construction of a freeway from the southern part of the city to the Western Express Highway near Bandra.

However, the plan was not given serious consideration until about 2003, when work on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL), which was part of the proposed Western Freeway, had begun.

[16] The delay in opening the freeway led to criticism from transport experts and the media,[17][18] and protests from angry Mumbai residents.

[22] All civil work on the remaining stretch from Panjarpol to Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road (GMLR) was completed in January 2014.

The construction of these two ramps had been scheduled to complete in January 2014, but the work was delayed due to unforeseen technical reasons.

[23][35] The third segment consists of a 4-lane elevated 2.8 km flyover from Panjarpol till the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road (GMLR), via Govandi.

[41] All civil work on the final stretch of the Eastern Freeway, from Panjarpol to Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road (GMLR), was completed in January 2014.

Engineers working on the project then concretised the surface of the Panjarpol-Ghatkopar Link Road, which begins at Panjarpol junction near R K Studio in Chembur and ends at the GMLR.

[41][43] The final leg of the 2.8 km Panjarpol-Ghatkopar link road was opened to traffic on 16 June 2014, marking the commissioning of the entire Eastern Freeway.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority plans to extend the southern arm of the freeway by building a 1.5 kilometer extension from Orange Gate, where it currently ends to Mint Road.

[47] Due to safety reasons, the Eastern Freeway does not permit entry of two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and heavy vehicles, with the exception of public buses, with speed limits set at 80 km/h(50 mph).