Paul Huff Parkway was originally constructed between 1985 and 1988 to serve as a connector between I-75 and an industrial area in the northeastern part of Cleveland.

About 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) later it reaches Mouse Creek Road, which serves a number of residential neighborhoods to the north.

The road then passes between an elementary school and a shopping center on the opposite side, before coming to an intersection with Freedom Parkway.

In response, the city and state reached a land use agreement in 1983 that required restrictions on access points on the stretch between I-75 and Mouse Creek Road, but still acknowledged that the areas would eventually be developed.

[10][23] Not initially planned to take place for many more years, this project's acceleration was made possible by the passage of the Better Roads Program by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1986.

While still under construction, the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post began a push to name the road after Command Sgt.

[38] In December of that year, the first traffic light in Cleveland with a flashing yellow arrow was installed at the intersection between the parkway and SR 60.

[39] The speed limit was reduced from 50 to 45 miles per hour (80 to 72 km/h) in early 2016, and that same year, city officials began debating proposed safety improvements to the parkway.

By 2018, the crash rate on parts of the parkway was five times greater than that of the area, prompting the city to begin preliminary plans for safety improvements to the corridor.

[43] In October 2019, the first blank-out sign in Cleveland, which restricts right turns on red when illuminated, was installed at the intersection of Paul Huff Parkway and Peerless Road.

[44] On October 14, 2021, TDOT broke ground on a widening project on the connecting section of SR 60, which will include the construction of additional turn lanes at the intersection with the parkway.

[51][52] A residential construction boom began in the 1990s along Freewill Road, located approximately 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) west of the western terminus of Paul Huff Parkway.

In response to increased traffic commuting from this area into Cleveland, a concept for extending Paul Huff Parkway to Freewill Road arose.

[54][55] In early 2011, the Cleveland Area Metropolitan Planning Organization listed the extension as a possible future project pending federal funding.