NM 154 parallels the railroad tracks of the El Paso Subdivision of BNSF Railway.

The road heads east-northeast through the fields and pecan orchards of Rincon Valley and after 1.68 miles (2.70 km) crosses the Rio Grande river over a 476.1-foot-long (145.1 m) bridge, built in 1941.

The road continues through agricultural area farther for approximately another 1 mile, before turning east.

The road continues as Doña Ana County Route E 10 past the junction.

In 1988 the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) went through a radical road renumbering program, and the stretch from Rincon to Hatch became known as NM 154, whereas the section from Rincon south to NM-185 was designated as NM 140.