Both SR 80 and NM 80 were once part of U.S. Route 80, which traveled through Arizona between San Diego, California and Savannah, Georgia, starting in 1926.

State Route 80 (SR 80) begins at an intersection with I-10 Business (4th Street) in Benson near an Amtrak station.

At the intersection with Apache Powder Road, SR 80 turns eastward, crossing over the San Pedro River and entering St. David as Patton Street.

The road intersects the eastern terminus of SR 90, which heads west towards Fort Huachuca and Sierra Vista.

Downtown Bisbee is accessible from SR 80 via two grade-separated interchanges at Tombstone Canyon Road and Main Street.

After passing both the inactive Copper Queen Mine and the Lavender Pit, the road meets the eastern terminus of SR 92 at a traffic circle.

Immediately west of town, SR 80 intersects with the southern terminus of U.S. Route 191, directly north of the old smelter site.

[3] South of this intersection, Pan American Avenue is designated US 191 Business, which serves the Raul H. Castro Port of Entry between Douglas and Agua Prieta.

SR 80 heads through the San Bernardino Valley, passing through the small hamlet of Apache, where the Geronimo Surrender Monument is located.

[5] On November 11, 1926, it became part of the transcontinental highway U.S. Route 80, which ran between San Diego, California and Savannah, Georgia.