It extends 7 miles (11 km) northeast from the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike (HEFT) in southwestern Kendall to SR 826 (Palmetto Expressway) in Glenvar Heights, allowing traffic from the far south of Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys to move to more central regions of metropolitan Miami and vice versa, bypassing communities along US 1, while also permitting local access to the Kendall district.

SR 874 begins at an interchange with the HEFT on the boundary of the communities of Three Lakes, Richmond Heights and Kendall,[3] about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Downtown Miami.

After turning to the northeast and entering Kendall, the six-laned Don Shula Expressway subsequently parallels CSX's Homestead Subdivision past predominantly residential neighborhoods for its entire route.

The Don Shula Expressway continues on for 1.1 miles (1.8 km), passing through another toll gantry, before reaching an interchange with Kendall Drive (SR 94).

Once past the Snapper Creek Expressway, SR 874 features no interchanges for the remainder of its route.

One-quarter mile (400 m) past the accident investigation sites, the Don Shula Expressway swings north over the railroad, crossing over Galloway Road (SR 973) in the process, and resumes its northeasterly orientation, now forming the boundary between the communities of Olympia Heights, to the road's north, and Glenvar Heights, to the south.

[10] The history of the Don Shula Expressway can be traced back to 1957 when, in planning for the Palmetto Expressway's routing, Dade County Commissioner Ralph Fossey proposed an alternative southern alignment of the expressway to follow the then Seaboard-owned railroad southwest from near Miller Drive (Southwest 56th Street) to Southwest 117th Avenue, before heading south to US 1 at Goulds, instead of heading due south to Kendall.

[10] As part of its long-term plans for the region, GMX is seeking to improve access to the Don Shula Expressway from its surrounding communities, particularly from the areas west of the HEFT.