The route extends for 8.02 miles (12.91 km) from the far northwestern suburbs of Rochester to the town of Gates located just west of the city.

In the mid-2000s, a number of grants were given by various agencies to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to finance research and planning for a potential extension of NY 531 westward to Redman Road in Brockport.

Ultimately, the first two options were ruled out in 2009, at which time NYSDOT announced only small-scale projects to alleviate areas of traffic congestion will be considered.

The work is intended to improve capacity and safety of the busy main corridor from Brockport to the city of Rochester.

It heads past farmland for 2 miles (3.2 km) before turning southward a short distance east of an overpass carrying Gillett Road.

[3] The Spencerport Expressway was conceived as part of a plan to link Rochester and Buffalo with a limited-access, toll-free highway.

Although this plan was ultimately scrapped,[2] the first segment of the expressway from I-490 west to Elmgrove Road in Gates was built in the early 1960s and completed by 1964.

[2] In April 1987, plans to extend the expressway further westward to NY 36 in Ogden were set in motion.

At that time, New York State Senator Ralph E. Quattrociocchi and State Assemblyman Steve Hawley introduced legislation requesting $15 million (equivalent to $40.2 million in 2025) for the extension of NY 531 west to Washington Street (NY 36).

[9] Despite the presence of funding, construction was delayed on the extension until 1993 due to opposition from residents of the communities surrounding NY 531's future routing—namely Gates, Spencerport and Ogden.

[13] Later, in September 2005, another $5.92 million was secured by Monroe County through efforts coordinated by then-United States Representative Tom Reynolds.

As the annual budget of all of NYSDOT Region 4 equates to $90 million, the project would have to be constructed as financing became available.

[15] On March 26, 2009, NYSDOT announced that they were no longer considering extending NY 531 to Redman Road.