The western segment begins at the South Dakota border northwest of Crawford and ends southeast of Grand Island at an intersection with Interstate 80 (I-80).

The eastern segment begins in Lincoln and ends at the Iowa border at Nebraska City.

Previously, the two segments were connected via a route shared with U.S. Highway 34 (US 34) between Grand Island and Lincoln.

The western segment of N-2 begins at the South Dakota border north of Crawford in a concurrency with N-71.

Passing by Lincoln to the south, N-2 becomes a four-lane divided highway following a diamond interchange with Nebraska Parkway, its former alignment through the city, southeast of it.

After they separate, N-2 heads east and then northeast, meets the eastern end of N-2 Business and crosses the Missouri River over the Nebraska City Bridge and enters Iowa.

To better facilitate this link between I-80 and I-29, in February 2020, the Nebraska DOT began a major project to construct the Lincoln South Beltway to carry N-2.

This modern divided and controlled access freeway will give a direct route from 120th Street to US 77 near Saltillo.

Sterling Morton Beltway, in honor of the creator of Arbor Day and the former Secretary of Agriculture.