It is 261 kilometres (162 mi) long[1] and connects Fredericton to the south with Miramichi and Bathurst to the north.

It uses the old alignment of the TCH between there and Route 7 before heading north on the Princess Margaret Bridge.

In 2006, Route 8 was realigned on a two-lane bypass of part of Newcastle in Miramichi.

This prompted the government of New Brunswick to ban the use of 15-passenger vans for student transport.

A bypass for the Fredericton suburbs of Marysville and South Portage, north of Taymouth, was started in 2007 before officially opening August 26, 2014.