Its southern terminus is at an intersection with Nebraska Highway 8 south of Humboldt.

Its northern terminus is at an intersection with Nebraska Highway 67 west of Brock.

It heads in a northbound direction through farmland, turning slightly to the northeast before entering Humboldt.

At the north edge of the city, the highway meets with NE 4 and runs concurrently to the west for about 3.5 miles (5.6 km).

To the north of Johnson, the highway meets its termination point at NE 67 west of Brock.