NY 9R begins opposite the entrance to the on-ramp for Interstate 87 (I-87) exit 7 at an intersection with US 9 (Loudon Road) in the Colonie hamlet of Latham, located north of the city of Albany.

NY 9R heads east as the four-lane Columbia Street Extension, initially passing through a commercialized area centered around the route's intersections with US 9 and the nearby Old Loudon Road.

The commercial strip ends at Johnson Road, where the route turns northeastward and narrows to two lanes as it heads into a lightly populated area of Colonie.

This section of Columbia Street Extension passes by some commercial buildings; however, most of the development along the highway is residential, with most of the homes located in cul-de-sacs leading away from NY 9R.

[4][5] Roughly 0.5 miles (0.8 km) west of an intersection with NY 470 on the western edge of the city of Cohoes, the area surrounding the highway changes drastically as the route becomes lined with residential dwellings.