Central Coast Highway commences at the intersection with Wisemans Ferry Road and the southbound ramps of Pacific Motorway at Kariong and heads east in an easterly direction as a four-lane, single-carriageway road widening into a 6-lane, dual-carriageway road through West Gosford, then narrows back to a four-lane, single-carriageway once past the Brian McGowan Bridge in central Gosford, and then follows Dane Drive and Masons Parade through Gosford, York and Victoria and George Streets through East Gosford, The Entrance Road from Erina to The Entrance, Oakland Avenue and Coral Street through The Entrance, Wilfred Barrett Drive from The Entrance North to Noraville, along Budgewoi Road from Noraville to Budgewoi, and finally along Scenic Drive from Budgewoi, where the highway terminates at the intersection with Pacific Highway and Wyee Road in Doyalson.

9) on 8 August 1928, running from Kariong to Gosford (and continuing south via Peat's Ferry and Hornsby to North Sydney, and northwards via Swansea and Newcastle to Hexham).

[8] Main Road 509 was declared from Wyee to the intersection with Pacific Highway in Doyalson on 27 September 1939,[9] but was later extended past Doyalson via Budgewoi to Noraville (and continuing west to the intersection with Pacific Highway at Kanwal) on 4 April 1951;[10] Main Road 335 was extended north, from The Entrance via The Entrance North to the intersection with Main Road 509 in Noraville, on 22 February 1967,[11] shortly before construction on the replacement The Entrance Bridge commenced.

With the conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in 2013, this was replaced with route A49 for the entire length of the declared highway.

[16] A 4.4-kilometre (2.7 mi) section of the highway between Carlton Road at Erina and Ocean View Drive at Wamberal was upgraded to two lanes per direction with a dividing median in 2012 and 2013.