Known as the Powhite Parkway (first word officially pronounced /ˈpaʊ.haɪt/, similar to Powhatan),[2] the state highway runs 13.04 miles (20.99 km) from SR 652 near Midlothian north to Interstate 195 (I-195) in Richmond.

The Richmond section of the freeway was constructed in the early 1970s; the highway was extended to its current terminus in Chesterfield County in the late 1980s.

The state highway has its first toll plaza just west of its diamond interchange with SR 653 (Courthouse Road).

[1][3] SR 76 veers northeast and meets US 60 (Midlothian Turnpike) at a cloverleaf interchange with collector-distributor lanes.

The southbound entrance ramp has a right-in/right-out interchange with SR 953 (Arboretum Parkway), which serves a business park.

Within that partial interchange, the northbound roadway passes under CSX's North End Subdivision tracks, which begin to run in the median of the freeway.

The toll road's extension southwest beyond SR 288 in Chesterfield County was constructed by VDOT and opened in November 1988.