The route of the A1086 starts from the A19 junction in Easington and runs to the A179 junction in Hartlepool via Peterlee, Horden, Blackhall Colliery, Blackhall Rocks, Crimdon and Hart Station.

The road is used as a route between Peterlee and Hartlepool for buses and local traffic.

The road has a 30 miles per hour speed limit in built-up areas and a 40 miles per hour speed limit for other areas apart from between Crimdon and Hart Station where the road has the national speed limit of 60 miles per hour, several people have died and suffered serious injuries through drivers exceeding this.

In 2013, a landslip between Blackhall and Horden closed the northbound lane of the A1086 due to heavy rainstorms.

The northbound lane was closed until the repairs to the embankment were completed in early summer 2015 after over a year of disruption.