It begins at Highway 4 on the outskirts of Ashkelon, running east-northeast, passing through Kiryat Malakhi and Latrun, and ending just short of Modi'in.

Israel Railways is constructing flying junctions between Highway 3 and the rail tracks that cross it.

The northeast part of Highway 3 begins at Beit Horon Junction near Modi'in.

In the past, Highway 3 reached Ramallah and Jericho and terminated at Allenby bridge across the Jordan River.

15 km of highway 3 had been declared as a red road by the Israeli police in 2015.