Meishin Expressway sign
Meishin Expressway
E1 名神高速道路
Route information
Part of AH1
Maintained by the Central Nippon Expressway Company and the West Nippon Expressway Company
Length193.9 km[1] (120.5 mi)
ExistedJuly 16, 1963–present
Major junctions
East end Tōmei Expressway in Komaki, Aichi
West end Kobe Route in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo
Location
CountryJapan
Highway system

The Meishin Expressway (名神高速道路, Meishin Kōsoku-dōro), or Nagoya-Kōbe Expressway 193.9 kilometres (120.5 mi) is a toll expressway in Japan. It runs from a junction with the Tōmei Expressway in Komaki, Aichi (outside Nagoya) west to Nishinomiya, Hyōgo (between Osaka and Kobe). It is the main road link between Osaka and Nagoya, and, along with the Tōmei Expressway, forms the main road link between Osaka and Tokyo. East of the Chūgoku Expressway near Osaka, it is part of Asian Highway Network ( AH1).

The part east of interchange 29 (Yōkaichi) is owned by the Central Nippon Expressway Company; the rest is owned by the West Nippon Expressway Company.

History

The Meishin Expressway was the first expressway in Japan, with a section near Osaka and Kyoto opening July 16, 1963.

The Meishin Expressway parallels the old Nakasendō between Kyoto and Nagoya, now Route 8 and Route 21. The Meihan National Highway is a mostly non-tolled freeway between Osaka and Nagoya, lying further south and built to lower standards. The Shin-Meishin Expressway is an under-construction route between Osaka and Nagoya, lying between the two other high-speed roads, that will connect to the Shin-Tōmei Expressway (via the Isewangan Expressway) and the Sanyō Expressway. It roughly parallels the old Tōkaidō (Route 1).

During the Great Hanshin earthquake of January 17, 1995, the Meishin Expressway was lightly damaged but could only be used by emergency vehicles for weeks after the earthquake. It was the only remaining link between Osaka and Kobe for some time after the quake.

List of interchanges and features

This article contains a bulleted list or table of intersections which should be presented in a properly formatted junction table. Please consult this guideline for information on how to create one. Please improve this article if you can. (November 2021)

Interchanges not yet opened, closed, or abandoned are shown with a gray background. Exit numbers continue from the sequence of the Tomei Expressway.

No. Name Connections Dist. (km)
from Tokyo 		Bus
Stop 		Notes Location
Through to Tōmei Expressway
24 Komaki IC National Route 41 (Meinō Bypass)
Nagoya ExpresswayRoute 11 (Komaki Route) 		346.7 Komaki Aichi
BS Iwakura Bus stop 350.7 X Iwakura
PA Owari-Ichionomiya PA 353.2
352.4 		Ichinomiya
25 Ichinomiya IC National Route 22 (Meigi Bypass)
Nagoya ExpresswayRoute 16 (Ichinomiya Route) 		355.0
25-1 Ichinomiya JCT Tōkai-Hokuriku Expressway
Ichinomiya Nishikō Road (Planned) 		359.4
BS Bisai Bus stop 362.9 X
BR Kisogawa Bridge 1,014 m (3,327 ft)
Hashima Gifu
PA Hashima PA 366.0 X PA: westbound only
25-2 Gifu-Hashima IC Pref. Route 46 (Gifu-Hashima Interchange Route) 368.1
BR Nagaragawa Bridge 630 m (2,070 ft)
Anpachi
BS Ampachi Bus stop 371.3 X
25-3 Ampachi SIC 371.6
BR Kisogawa Bridge 349 m (1,145 ft)
Ogaki
26 Ogaki IC National Route 258 374.9 S
26-1 Yoro JCT Tōkai-Kanjō Expressway 378.5 Yoro
BS Yoroguchi Bus stop 379.6 X
26-2 Yoro SA/SIC 381.7
PA Kami-Ishizu PA 388.1 westbound only
abandoned on December 20, 2001 		Ogaki
27 Sekigahara IC National Route 365 389.4 Sekigahara
TN Imasu Tunnel eastbound: 380 m (1,250 ft)
westbound: 400 m (1,300 ft)
TN Sekigahara Tunnel eastbound: 223 m (732 ft)
westbound: 240 m (790 ft)
Maibara Shiga
BS Santo Bus stop 396.8 X
PA Ibuki PA 398.0
398.8
BS Maibara Bus stop 403.7 X
27-1 Maibara JCT Hokuriku Expressway 405.5
TN Maibara Tunnel eastbound: 170 m (560 ft)
westbound: 150 m (490 ft)
Hikone
TN Hikone Tunnel eastbound: 430 m (1,410 ft)
westbound: 427 m (1,401 ft)
28 Hikone IC National Route 306 413.4 X
SA Taga SA 418.0 S Taga
PA Kora PA 421.3 X abandoned on September 29, 2005 Kora
28-1 Koto-Sanzan PA/SIC Pref. Route 344 (Koto-Sanzan Interchange Route) 424.6
424.3 		X Aisho
BS Hyakusaiji Bus stop 428.2 S Higashiomi
29 Yokaichi IC National Route 421
Pref. Route 327 (Koto-Yokaichi Route) 		434.6 S
PA Kuromaru PA 438.0
BS Gamo Bus stop 440.4 X
29-1 Gamo SIC Pref. Route 41 (Tsuchiyama Gamo Omihachiman Route) 441.2
BS Ryuo Bus stop 443.6 X Ryuo
29-2 Ryuo IC National Route 477 447.2
PA Bodaiji PA 451.7
451.9 		S Konan
BR Yasugawa Bridge
Ritto
29-3 Ritto-Konan IC Koka Konan Road 457.0 Koka Konan Road←→Nagoya: no access
30 Ritto IC National Route 8
Yasu Ritto Bypass (planned)
National Route 1
Pref. Route 55 (Kamitoyama Kamimagari Route) 		458.2 X Japan's first expressway route (to Amagasaki): opened on July 16, 1963
BS Kusatsu Bus stop 461.7 X Kusatsu
30-1 Kusatsu JCT Shin-Meishin Expressway Otsu Connection Route 464.4
PA Kusatsu PA 465.6
Otsu
30-2 Seta-higashi JCT/IC E88 Keiji Bypass (toll route)
National Route 1 (Keiji Bypass free route) 		467.5 westbound exit, eastbound entrance
Seta-nishi IC/Bus stop Pref. Route 57 (Seta-nishi Interchange Route) 469.0 X eastbound exit, westbound entrance
BR Setagawa Bridge 500 m (1,600 ft)
31 Otsu IC/SA Pref. Route 56 (Otsu Interchange Route) 474.6 X
TN Otsu Tunnel eastbound: 430 m (1,410 ft)
westbound: 418 m (1,371 ft)
BR Semimaru Bridge 62 m (203 ft)
TN Semimaru Tunnel eastbound: 387 m (1,270 ft)
westbound: 376 m (1,234 ft)
32 Kyoto-higashi IC Pref. Route 143 (Shinomiya Yotsuzuka Route, Sanjo Street)
National Route 1 (Gojo Bypass)
National Route 161 (Nishi-Otsu Bypass) 		477.9 Yamashina-ku, Kyoto Kyoto
BS Yamashina Bus stop 481.0 X
BS Fukakusa Bus stop 486.0 S Fushimi-ku, Kyoto
- Kyoto-minami JCT Second Keihan Highway planned for 2021
33 Kyoto-minami IC National Route 1 (Keihan National Road) 487.6 entrances, westbound exit
33-1 eastbound 1st exit
33-2 eastbound 2nd exit
BR Katsuragawa Bridge
PA Katsuragawa PA 490.4
33-3 Oyamazaki JCT/IC Kyoto Jukan Expressway
E88 Keiji Bypass
National Route 171 		495.7 S Left Route Oyamazaki
TN Tennozan Tunnel eastbound Right Route: 1,718 m (5,636 ft)
eastbound Left Route: 2,010 m (6,590 ft)
westbound Right Route: 1,488 m (4,882 ft)
westbound Left Route: 1,440 m (4,720 ft)
Shimamoto Osaka
TN Kajiwara Tunnel Kajiwara Daini Tunnel eastbound Right Route: 180 m (590 ft)
Kajiwara Daini Tunnel eastbound Left Route: 180 m (590 ft)
Kajiwara Daini Tunnel westbound Right Route: 150 m (490 ft)
Kajiwara Tunnel westbound Left Route: 870 m (2,850 ft)
Kajiwara Daiichi Tunnel eastbound Right Route: 740 m (2,430 ft)
Kajiwara Daiichi Tunnel eastbound Left Route: 700 m (2,300 ft)
Kajiwara Daiichi Tunnel westbound Right Route: 820 m (2,690 ft)
Takatsuki
PA Sakurai PA 503.5 Abandoned in March 1998
11 Takatsuki JCT/IC Shin-Meishin Expressway
Osaka Pref. Route 79 (Fushimi-Yanagitani-Takatsuki Route) 		504.0
BS Takatsuki Bus stop 506.3 S
34 Ibaraki IC National Route 171 511.7 S Ibaraki
35 Suita JCT/IC Chugoku Expressway
Kinki Expressway
Pref. Route 2 (Osaka Chuo Kanjosen) 		514.5 Chugoku Expwy←→Nishinomiya: no access Suita
SA Suita SA 517.8
TN Senriyama Tunnel 508 m (1,667 ft)
Toyonaka
36 Toyonaka IC Hanshin Expressway Route 11 Ikeda Line
Pref. Route 10 (Osaka Ikeda Route) 		524.5
BR Inagawa Bridge Amagasaki Hyogo
37 Amagasaki IC Pref. Route 13 (Amagasaki Ikeda Route) 529.4 Japan's first expressway route (to Ritto): opened on July 16, 1963
BR Mukogawa Bridge
Nishinomiya
38 Nishinomiya IC Hanshin Expressway Kobe Route (for Kobe)
National Route 43 		536.2
Meishin-Wangan Connection Route (planned)

References

  1. ^ Kenji Asai "A Dictionary Understanding Roads and Roads", published in Japanese Business Publishing Company, November 10, 2001, first edition. ISBN 4-534-03315-X.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Meishin Expressway.

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