SR 32 begins at the North Carolina state line in a rural portion of the city of Suffolk. The border crossing, from which the highway continues south as NC 32, is a short distance west of Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and much closer to the North Carolina community of Corapeake than the developed portion of Suffolk. SR 32 heads north as two-lane Carolina Road, which the highway follows to its intersection with US 13 next to Suffolk Municipal Airport. SR 32 and US 13 continue north along Carolina Road, now a four-lane divided highway, to a partial interchange with the southwestern end of the Suffolk Bypass. US 13 exits onto the bypass toward a junction with US 58 while US 13 Business joins SR 32 as Carolina Road reduces to a five-lane road with center turn lane. The two highways reduce to a four-lane undivided highway as they intersect a Norfolk Southern Railway's Franklin District south of downtown Suffolk. SR 32 and US 13 Business cross over Norfolk Southern Railway's Norfolk District at the southern edge of downtown Suffolk. At their intersection with SR 337, SR 10 begins and joins SR 32 and US 13 Business north as Main Street through downtown Suffolk. The highways intersect CSX's Portsmouth Subdivisionrailroad line before reaching US 58 Business, where US 13 Business turns east and US 460 Business joins SR 32 and SR 10. The three highways cross the Nansemond River and pass through a commercial area as a five-lane road with center turn lane. In the community of Elephant Fork, US 460 Business splits northwest as Pruden Boulevard while SR 32 and SR 10 continue north on Godwin Boulevard. The state highways expand to a four-lane divided highway just south of their partial cloverleaf interchange with the Suffolk Bypass, which carries US 13, US 58, and US 460 around the north side of Suffolk. SR 32 and SR 10 pass Sentara Obici Memorial Hospital and through a commercial area before entering farmland. The two highways reduce to two lanes just before crossing the Western Branch of the Nansemond River. SR 32 and SR 10 intersect SR 125 in the community of Chuckatuck before leaving Suffolk and entering Isle of Wight County, where the highway expands to a four-lane divided highway named Benns Church Boulevard. The two state highways diverge at Benns Church, where SR 32 joins US 258 on Brewers Neck Boulevard. The two highways head east through Carrollton to an intersection with US 17. SR 32, US 17, and US 258 head northeast to cross the James River on the James River Bridge. Just after entering the city of Newport News, the three highways meet US 60 at a partial cloverleaf interchange. Just east of there, the highways cross over CSX's Peninsula Subdivision and SR 32 reaches its eastern terminus at SR 143. US 17 turns north onto Jefferson Avenue toward Yorktown while US 258 continues east on Mercury Boulevard toward Hampton.
