The , or Nagoya-Kōbe Expressway 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 ().

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 on 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 suffered light damage 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

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

IC - interchange, SIC - smart interchange, JCT - junction, PA - parking area, SA - service area, TN - tunnel, BS - Bus stop (S - open, X - closed)

No.NameConnectionsDist. (km)from TokyoBusStopNotesLocationThrough to 24Komaki ICNational Route 41 (Meinō Bypass)Nagoya ExpresswayRoute 11 (Komaki Route)346.7KomakiAichiBSIwakura Bus stop350.7XIwakuraPAOwari-Ichionomiya PA353.2352.4Ichinomiya25Ichinomiya ICNational Route 22 (Meigi Bypass)Nagoya ExpresswayRoute 16 (Ichinomiya Route)355.025-1Ichinomiya JCT Tōkai-Hokuriku ExpresswayIchinomiya Nishikō Road (Planned)359.4BSBisai Bus stop362.9XBRKisogawa BridgeHashimaGifuPAHashima PA366.0XPA: westbound only25-2Gifu-Hashima ICPref. Route 46 (Gifu-Hashima Interchange Route)368.1BRNagaragawa BridgeAnpachiBSAmpachi Bus stop371.3X 25-3Ampachi SIC371.6BRKisogawa BridgeOgaki26Ogaki ICNational Route 258374.9S26-1Yoro JCT Tōkai-Kanjō Expressway378.5YoroBSYoroguchi Bus stop379.6X26-2Yoro SA/SIC381.7PAKami-Ishizu PA388.1westbound onlyabandoned on December 20, 2001Ogaki27Sekigahara ICNational Route 365389.4SekigaharaTNImasu Tunneleastbound: westbound: TNSekigahara Tunneleastbound: westbound: MaibaraShigaBSSanto Bus stop396.8XPAIbuki PA398.0398.8BSMaibara Bus stop403.7X27-1Maibara JCT Hokuriku Expressway405.5TNMaibara Tunneleastbound: westbound: HikoneTNHikone Tunneleastbound: westbound: 28Hikone ICNational Route 306413.4XSATaga SA418.0STagaPAKora PA421.3Xabandoned on September 29, 2005Kora28-1Koto-Sanzan PA/SICPref. Route 344 (Koto-Sanzan Interchange Route)424.6424.3XAishoBSHyakusaiji Bus stop428.2SHigashiomi29Yokaichi ICNational Route 421Pref. Route 327 (Koto-Yokaichi Route)434.6SPAKuromaru PA438.0BSGamo Bus stop440.4X 29-1Gamo SICPref. Route 41 (Tsuchiyama Gamo Omihachiman Route)441.2BSRyuo Bus stop443.6XRyuo29-2Ryuo ICNational Route 477447.2PABodaiji PA451.7451.9SKonanBRYasugawa BridgeRitto 29-3Ritto-Konan ICKoka Konan Road457.0Koka Konan Road←→Nagoya: no access30Ritto ICNational Route 8Yasu Ritto Bypass (planned)National Route 1Pref. Route 55 (Kamitoyama Kamimagari Route)458.2XJapan's first expressway route (to Amagasaki): opened on July 16, 1963BSKusatsu Bus stop461.7XKusatsu30-1Kusatsu JCTShin-Meishin Expressway Otsu Connection Route464.4PAKusatsu PA465.6Otsu30-2Seta-higashi JCT/IC Keiji Bypass (toll route) National Route 1 (Keiji Bypass free route)467.5westbound exit, eastbound entranceSeta-nishi IC/Bus stopPref. Route 57 (Seta-nishi Interchange Route)469.0Xeastbound exit, westbound entranceBRSetagawa Bridge31Otsu IC/SAPref. Route 56 (Otsu Interchange Route)474.6XTNOtsu Tunneleastbound: westbound: BRSemimaru BridgeTNSemimaru Tunneleastbound: westbound: 32Kyoto-higashi ICPref. Route 143 (Shinomiya Yotsuzuka Route, Sanjo Street)National Route 1 (Gojo Bypass)National Route 161 (Nishi-Otsu Bypass)477.9Yamashina-ku, KyotoKyotoBSYamashina Bus stop481.0XBSFukakusa Bus stop486.0SFushimi-ku, Kyoto -Kyoto-minami JCTSecond Keihan Highwayplanned for 202133Kyoto-minami ICNational Route 1 (Keihan National Road)487.6entrances, westbound exit33-1eastbound 1st exit33-2eastbound 2nd exitBRKatsuragawa BridgePAKatsuragawa PA490.433-3Oyamazaki JCT/IC Kyoto Jukan Expressway Keiji BypassNational Route 171495.7SLeft RouteOyamazakiTNTennozan Tunneleastbound Right Route: eastbound Left Route: westbound Right Route: westbound Left Route: ShimamotoOsakaTNKajiwara TunnelKajiwara Daini Tunnel eastbound Right Route: Kajiwara Daini Tunnel eastbound Left Route: Kajiwara Daini Tunnel westbound Right Route: Kajiwara Tunnel westbound Left Route: Kajiwara Daiichi Tunnel eastbound Right Route: Kajiwara Daiichi Tunnel eastbound Left Route: Kajiwara Daiichi Tunnel westbound Right Route: TakatsukiPASakurai PA503.5Abandoned in March 199811Takatsuki JCT/ICShin-Meishin ExpresswayOsaka Pref. Route 79 (Fushimi-Yanagitani-Takatsuki Route)504.0BSTakatsuki Bus stop506.3S34Ibaraki ICNational Route 171511.7SIbaraki35Suita JCT/IC Chugoku Expressway Kinki ExpresswayPref. Route 2 (Osaka Chuo Kanjosen)514.5Chugoku Expwy←→Nishinomiya: no accessSuitaSASuita SA517.8TNSenriyama TunnelToyonaka36Toyonaka IC Hanshin Expressway Route 11 Ikeda LinePref. Route 10 (Osaka Ikeda Route)524.5BRInagawa BridgeAmagasakiHyogo37Amagasaki ICPref. Route 13 (Amagasaki Ikeda Route)529.4Japan's first expressway route (to Ritto): opened on July 16, 1963BRMukogawa BridgeNishinomiya38Nishinomiya IC Hanshin Expressway Kobe Route (for Kobe) National Route 43536.2Meishin-Wangan Connection Route (planned)

References

External links

Central Nippon Expressway Company (English) West Nippon Expressway Company (English) Transport in Greater Nagoya Transport in Keihanshin