State Road 556 begins at Tramway Boulevard's intersection with Central Avenue, which carries NM 333 and is also the historic route of US 66.

NM 556 proceeds north from this intersection, passing through a half-diamond interchange with Interstate 40.

The route travels north through the northeastern areas of Albuquerque, along the base of the Sandia Mountains.

This portion of the route is a four-lane divided expressway with a speed limit of 55 mph.

It eventually intersects Paseo del Norte (NM 423), a major east-west arterial through northern Albuquerque, before coming to a stop sign at Tramway Road, which provides access to the Sandia Peak Tramway.