The rural divided highway meets Anthony Henday Drive at a large interchange, crossing over the Canadian National Railway and veering slightly northeast through industrial areas of northwestern Edmonton.

Construction was planned in the 1970s and was fully completed by 1984, receiving incremental improvements in subsequent decades; the route now includes a mix of signalized at-grade intersections and interchanges.

Due to heavy congestion, Edmonton outlined a $1 billion plan in late 2016 to upgrade Yellowhead Trail to a freeway, eliminating at-grade intersections and constructing new interchanges.

Widening to six lanes, Yellowhead assumes the unsigned designation of northbound Highway 2 from Henday and passes underneath 184 Street and over the Canadian National Railway, veering slightly northeast into the Armstrong Industrial Area.

It intersects 170 Street at another diamond interchange, then bends east past the Hawin Park Estate, and Dominion industrial areas of northwest Edmonton.

[1] East of St. Albert Trail, the expressway passes north of the Sherbrooke and Prince Charles neighbourhoods and intersects 127 and 121 Streets at-grade, running between Canadian National's Walker Yard and a large area formerly occupied by the Edmonton City Centre Airport.

Climbing from the river valley, the expressway crosses into Strathcona County which officially ends the Yellowhead Trail designation immediately west of a second large combination interchange with Anthony Henday Drive.

[5] The western freeway through the North Saskatchewan River valley and McKinnon Ravine was the most controversial aspect of the plan, with public protests suspending construction shortly after clearing work had begun.

[5] Due to heavy traffic volume, much of which is large trucks, Edmonton sought funding to upgrade Highway 16 within the bounds of Anthony Henday Drive to a freeway.

Conversion to freeway standards west of St. Albert Trail is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023,[needs update] which will see the removal of all at-grade crossings, particularly at 142 and 149 Streets.