The road is divided into five sections. The southernmost section is the WestCharlestown Bypass, which is a freeway standard road that was opened to traffic in 2003. The second section leads up the ridge and consists of parts of Charlestown Road and Lookout Road, which were widened into a divided dual carriageway non-freeway configuration during the 1980s. The third section is a planned freeway diverging from Lookout Road near the intersection of McCaffrey Drive, skirting around the west of the John Hunter Hospital and passing over Newcastle Road to join the fourth section, the Jesmond bypass, which is a freeway that was constructed during the 1990s. The fifth section is another freeway section from the northern end of the Jesmond Bypass to the Pacific Highway at Sandgate. With the third section of the route not yet completed, a more circuitous route through suburban roads remains in use for the gap between the second and fourth sections. From the end of the Charlestown Bypass, it is necessary to follow Lookout Road, which becomes Croudace Street, before turning left onto Newcastle Road. Approximately after turning left, the Inner City Bypass is rejoined by turning right at the Jesmond roundabout. Pre-construction early works for the northernmost section, between Shortland and Sandgate, began in June 2010. The work to be completed as part of that contract was for digging a cutting where the Sandgate Road bridge has been built over the bypass and filling two other areas, including constructing retaining walls and relocating water mains. The contract for construction of that section was awarded to Reed Constructions in February 2011, with work starting in April 2011. On 28 May 2012 Roads and Maritime Services terminated its contract with Reed Constructions which had been placed in liquidation, and remaining works were completed by Thiess, the prime contractor for the Hunter Expressway. The Shortland – Sandgate section of the bypass was unofficially opened on 16 January 2014 and opened to traffic on 23 January 2014.
