SR 16 begins at US 41 at an intersection in rural Newton County, just east of Ade. The state road heads east as a two-lane rural highway passing farms and fields, before passing through the town of Brook. East of Brook SR 16 passes over the Iroquois River and through an intersection with SR 55, before crossing into Jasper County. In Jasper County SR 16 crosses over Interstate 65, before an intersection with US 231. Past US 231 the road passes through rural Jasper county before entering White County.