National Route 116 mainly functions as an alternative route to National Route 8 and the Hokuriku Expressway between the cities of Kashiwazaki and Niigata. It runs closer to the coastline of the Sea of Japan, while the aforementioned highways take a more inland route. It also takes a more rural route between Kashiwazaki and Niigata. While National Route 8 travels through the center of the cities Nagaoka, Mitsuke, and Sanjō, National Route 116 passes only through the center of the city of Tsubame. A section of the highway in Niigata makes up the southernmost section of the Niigata Bypass, a limited-access road that travels along the eastern edge of the city's center.
