The Yangon Elevated Expressway (YEX) will be developed as a four-lane inner ring road connecting downtown Yangon, Yangon Port, Yangon International Airport, Mingaladon Industrial Zone and the Yangon-Mandalay Highway. YEX is a 47.5-kilometer (km) elevated roadway comprised of east wing, west wing, east-west section and an airport access road to Yangon International Airport. As an inner ring road, it will support the entire expressway network of Yangon by connecting the future outer ring road through radial roads.

The east wing, east-west section and the proposed airport access will form part of the 27.5-km phase 1 of YEX while the west wing will be pursued as phase 2. Phase 1 will span the townships of Mingalar Taung Nyunt, Thingangyun, South Okkalapa, North Okkalapa, Mayangone, Mingalardon and Insein. It will eventually link with Yangon Outer Ring Road (YORR), Yangon Urban Mass Rapid Transport (YUMRT), Yangon Circular Rail (YCR), Yangon-Mandalay Expressway and Hanthawaddy International Airport.

The project aims to alleviate traffic congestion in Yangon and enhance connections across the city. It will be undertaken using a public partnership (PPP) scheme

The Comprehensive Urban Transport Master Plan for Greater Yangon (YUTRA) carried out between 2014 and 2016 with the assistance of JICA Myanmar highlighted the necessity of a citywide transport master plan in Yangon. This plan has identified an urban transport network, expressway network and public transport network. YUTRA’s city expressway network requires development of an inner ring road and an outer ring road.