The road, approximately 443 kilometres (275 mi) in length, was designated as National Route 80 from its terminus at Halls Creek through to Nicholson.

[3] The road began as a 1949 proposal to help the beef industry that was developing in the Kimberley region of Western Australian.

[4]: 137 Further work occurred after the federal government passed the Western Australian Grants (Beef Cattle Roads) Act 1961.

[4]: 167–8  It was part of a scheme to improve export revenue by allocating funds for the construction and upgrading of roads in the north of Australia.

[4]: 167–8  The scheme, which ran throughout the 1960s, enabled the upgrading of the route between Wyndham and Nicholson, and its extension to Halls Creek.