As the first and currently the only expressway directly connecting Guangzhou with Shenzhen and Hong Kong at the Huanggang border, the GS Superhighway is a major artery in the developing PRD expressway network, forming a north-south corridor running through the eastern PRD.

Many large towns and important facilities including Shenzhen Baoan Airport and various seaports are connected to this expressway's 23 strategically placed interchanges. The GS Superhighway is also well connected to other major highways in PRD. In particular, as the shortest expressway connection between Shenzhen and the Humen Bridge, the GS Superhighway is the most important route for traffic between locations in the western and south-eastern parts of the PRD.