Originally named the Autoroute du Vallon for the 17th century road it replaced,[3] in 2006, the Quebec government under then-Premier Jean Charest renamed the highway Autoroute Robert-Bourassa, in honour of a long serving former Quebec Premier.

The A-740 begins at an intersection with Route 175 (Also called Boulevard Laurier) in suburban Quebec City, tracing the western limits of Université Laval along the northbound lanes and Place Sainte-Foy (a regional shopping mall) along the southbound lanes.

The autoroute provides the eastern boundary for a municipal park before meeting the A-40/A-73 (a concurrent route) at a cloverleaf interchange.

The A-740 ends shortly after the A-40/A-73 interchange, passing to the west of the Galeries de la Capitale (another regional shopping mall) to an intersection with Boulevard Lebourgneuf.

The original plans called for the A-740 to continue northward after the first section opened in 1982, and so the government preserved the autoroute's intended path.