The route connects the city of Pineville, as well as the rural area in the northeast corner of the parish, with Esler Regional Airport.

[2][3][4] 2.0 miles (3.2 km) east of Libuse Cutoff Road, LA 116 meets the west entrance of Esler Regional Airport, a small airfield primarily used by the Louisiana National Guard.

The eastern terminus is located 7.6 miles (12.2 km) east of the Pineville Expressway, where LA 28 begins a concurrency with US 167 into downtown Alexandria.

[5] The average daily traffic volume in 2013 is reported as 8,300 from US 167 to a point just west of Esler Regional Airport, decreasing to 3,100 for the remainder of the route.

[7] The western terminus at Camp Beauregard (now Louisiana National Guard Training Center Pineville) was originally a junction with both US 165 and State Route 14, which were co-signed north of Alexandria.

[7][9] Route 309 extended in a straight line to what was then the artillery range of Camp Beauregard, 6.6 miles (10.6 km) distant.

[13][14] During the 1970s, Esler became the principal commercial airport in the Alexandria area, and the extension provided better access to traffic originating east of the city.