[1] The road begins at a turnoff from the Stuart Highway 68 kilometres (42 mi) north of Alice Springs, and finishes at Tobermorey Homestead on the Northern Territory/Queensland border.

Information about its condition may be obtained from the Harts Range police station, 112 kilometres (70 mi) from the Stuart Highway.

On the Queensland side of the border the road has had significant upgrades and is of a hard pack gravel surface.

The Northern Australia Roads Program announced in 2016 included the following project for the Plenty Highway.

The project to progressively seal and provide flood immunity improvements was expected to be complete in late 2021 at a total cost of $25 million.