The North Bank development was formerly proposed to alleviate the visual disruption of the expressway and recapture Brisbane for pedestrians.

The Expressway runs the entire western length of the Brisbane CBD from Coronation Drive to the Captain Cook Bridge at Gardens Point, an estimated 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) before becoming the Pacific Motorway which ends at the Gold Coast.

have praised the dramatic and visually arresting views of the Brisbane River, city skyline and surrounds experienced by drivers and passengers on the elevated expressway.

In 2016, the road was the most congested in the state with average traffic speeds in afternoon peak times slowing to 19 km per hour.

Construction on the Riverside Expressway began in late 1968, when the pylons for the bridge were laid on the north bank of the Brisbane River.

During September and October 2006, roadworks occurred on the Expressway, and surrounding structures, including the Captain Cook Bridge.

On 17 October 2006, parts of the expressway were closed due to safety concerns regarding hairline cracks in the Alice Street and Ann St ramps.The initial conclusion reached by engineers is that the hairline fracture, measuring over 2 metres long and 0.4 mm wide, was caused by the stress on the structure due to "The weight of both ramps is [now] balanced on one bearing and they are failing to shift their weight to their other bearings as designed.