It begins as a major arterial road within Tel Aviv, becoming a freeway as it exits the city northward, continuing to Haifa.

The northern sections are also congested at times, especially during weekends and holidays, when many Israelis travel north for vacation.

The first section of the highway between Tel Aviv and Netanya was built in the early 1950s as a two-lane road with at-grade intersections.

Deteriorating road conditions caused by years of neglect led to this section being downgraded from its original freeway status.

As part of this effort, works to rebuild and widen the division between Havatzelet HaSharon and the Olga interchange are expected to commence in 2020 for NIS1.2 billion (equivalent to US$330 million in 2018 dollars).