The road is mainly newly constructed, being built to regenerate the former coal-mining areas of Barnsley in the late 1990s.

The Dearne Towns Link Road (the dual-carriageway section) was officially opened on Monday 12 October 1998 by Richard Caborn, Minister for the Environment.

The route starts as a dual-carriageway at junction 36 (Tankersley Interchange) of the M1, next to the Birdwell Roundabout with the A61 (for Sheffield, to the south-west), and A6135 (for Hoyland and Rotherham, to the south-east) in Barnsley Borough.

After around barely 300 metres there is the Rockingham Roundabout near Birdwell, with one newly constructed exit; blossoming industry (economic redevelopment) is hoped to find its way to South Yorkshire one day; there is the KFC Rockingham.

It passes under the A6089 and meets the A633 at the Wath Road Roundabout, where the road becomes single-carriageway; nearby is Sematic Group (lift doors) and Cranswick Convenience Foods on the Valley Park Industrial Estate, and the Meadows Brewers Fayre[3] and Barnsley Dearne Valley Premier Inn.

The Grimethorpe Colliery Roundabout at the southern end of Grimethorpe, at an industrial park where Carlton Brick have their Carlton Main Brickworks to the east and Symphony Group make furniture and kitchens in a large factory to the west.

The Ferry Moor Roundabout, to the north, gives access to Grimethorpe, to the east, and the Sash UK site.