The highway connects Fortaleza, Ceará, one of the largest Northeast Brazil metropolises, to the southern city of Jaguarão, Rio Grande do Sul, on the border with Uruguay.

It connects major urban centers, including Fortaleza, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Porto Alegre.

[5][6] Major cities directly served by the BR-116 are: Fortaleza, Chorozinho, Russas, Tucano, Itaobim, Governador Valadares, Realeza, Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Barra Mansa, São Paulo, Juquiá, Curitiba, Mafra, Lages, Caxias do Sul, Pelotas, and Jaguarão.

This dual carriageway begins south of São Paulo and ends north of Rio de Janeiro thus connecting the two largest cities in Brazil.

On the same day, a 144 kilometer section between the cities of Duque de Caxias and Sapucaia was granted to a company named CRT.