The street was built on the filled-in Morris Canal, a portion of which became the underground right-of-way for the Newark City Subway.

The road carries traffic from the interchange at the west end of the Pulaski Skyway (U.S. Route 1/9) and U.S. Route 1-9 Truck in the Ironbound, passing thorough historic Riverbank Park and abutting Newark Riverfront Park on the Passaic River.

The Eleven 80 building, an Art Deco office tower and one of the tallest buildings in Newark, is named for its Raymond Boulevard address, across from Military Park.

The avenue crosses Broad Street two blocks north of Four Corners, the traditional center of the city.

Proceeding west, it passes the campuses of Rutgers–Newark and New Jersey Institute of Technology.