The is a national

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is owned and operated by NEXCO Central.

Naming

Officially the expressway is designated as the Chūō Expressway Nishinomiya Route (from Takaido Interchange to Komaki Junction), the Chūō Expressway Nagano Route (from Takaido Interchange to Okaya Junction), and the Chūō Expressway Fujiyoshida Route (from Takaido Interchange through

Ōtsuki Junction Ōtsuki may refer to: *Ōtsuki, Yamanashi, a city in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan *Ōtsuki Station, a railway station in Ōtsuki, Yamanashi, Japan *Ōtsuki, Kōchi 270px, Ōtsuki Town Hall is a town in the Hata District, Kōchi Prefecture, Ja ...

to Kawaguchiko Interchange, this section being a branch of the main route). These designations do not appear on any signage as all sections are signed simply as the Chūō Expressway.

Overview

The Chūō Expressway is a major roadway connecting the greater

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

and

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

urban areas, a role also shared by the

Tōmei Expressway The is a national expressway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is operated by Central Nippon Expressway Company. The expressway is designated as E1 under the "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering", because it parallels Nati ...

. While the Tōmei Expressway follows a coastal route, the Chūō Expressway follows an inland route through the mountainous regions of

Kanagawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

, Yamanashi,

Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...

, and

Gifu is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku ...

Prefectures, its highest point (1,015 meters above sea level) being at 157.3 km point sandwiched between the

Yatsugatake Mountains The are a volcanic mountain range on the border between Nagano Prefecture and Yamanashi Prefecture on the island of Honshū in Japan. Description The mountain range consists of two volcanic groups, Northern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group and S ...

and Southern Japanese Alps. In addition, a branch of the expressway in Yamanashi Prefecture known as the Kawaguchiko Route facilitates access to

Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest p ...

and the

Fuji Five Lakes is the name of the area located at the base of Mount Fuji in the Yamanashi Prefecture of Japan. It has a population of about 100,000 and sits about above sea level. The name Fuji Five Lakes comes from the fact that there are five lakes formed by ...

area. The expressway is 4 lanes for its entire length except for the section between Uenohara Interchange and Ōtuski Junction, which is 6 to 7 lanes. This section was originally 4 lanes as well, however increasing traffic volume led to the construction of a new parallel roadway for Uenohara-bound traffic, with the original 4 lanes of roadway being converted for the use of Ōtsuki-bound traffic only. Tolls on the section from Takaido Interchange to Hachiōji Interchange are charged at a flat rate. As of April 2008 the toll on this section is 600

yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...

for a regular passenger car. Tolls on all other sections of the expressway are assessed according to distance travelled in the same manner as most other national expressways. Also, tolls on the section from Sonohara Interchange to Nakatsugawa Interchange are assessed at 1.6 times the normal rate to account for the high cost of constructing the Enasan Tunnel. Vehicles carrying dangerous materials are forbidden from using this tunnel and must use alternate routes.

History

*December 15, 1967 - Chōfu Interchange - Hachiōji Interchange section opened. *December 20, 1968 - Hachiōji Interchange - Sagamiko Interchange section opened. *March 17, 1969 - Sagamiko Interchange - Kawaguchiko Interchange section opened. *October 5, 1972 - Tajimi Interchange - Komaki Junction section opened, connecting with the Tōmei Expressway. *September 6, 1973 - Mizunami Interchange - Tajimi Interchange section opened. *March 5, 1975 - Nakatsugawa Interchange - Mizunami Interchange section opened. *August 23, 1975 - Komagane Interchange - Nakatsugawa Interchange section opened (Enasan Tunnel opened with 2 lanes of traffic only). *May 18, 1976 - Takaido Interchange - Chōfu Interchange section opened. *September 18, 1976 - Ihoku Interchange - Komagane Interchange section opened. *December 19, 1976 - Nirasaki Interchange - Kobuchisawa Interchange section opened. *December 20, 1977 - Ōtsuki Junction - Katsunuma Interchange section opened. *November 16, 1979 - Komaki-higashi Interchange opened. *March 26, 1980 - Kōfu-Shōwa Interchange - Nirasaki Interchange section opened. *March 30, 1981 - Kobuchisawa Interchange - Ihoku Interchange section opened. *November 10, 1982 - Katsunuma Interchange - Kōfu-Shōwa Interchange section opened, completing the entire route. *November, 1984 - Tsuru Interchange opened. *March 25, 1986 - Okaya Junction - Okaya Interchange section opened. *August 28, 1986 - Connection to Higashifuji-goko Road at Kawaguchiko Interchange is completed. *September 27, 1986 - Nagasaka Interchange opened. *March 5, 1988 - Okaya Junction - Okaya Interchange section is transferred to the

Nagano Expressway The is a 4-laned national Expressways of Japan, expressway in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company and Central Nippon Expressway Company. Naming The expressway is officially referred to as the Ch� ...

. *September 27, 1989 - Uenohara Interchange opened. *March 25, 1992 - Sonohara Interchange opened. *January, 1993 - Renovation of Dangōzaka Service Area completed. The Komaki-bound service area is moved 2 km closer to Tokyo, while the Tokyo-bound service area is moved to the former site of the Komaki-bound service area. *April 14, 1995 - Inagi Interchange opened. *March 24, 2002 - Futaba Junction is opened, connecting with the

Chūbu-Ōdan Expressway The is a national expressway in Japan. It is managed by East Nippon Expressway Company and Central Nippon Expressway Company. Overview The expressway is planned to commence in the city of Shizuoka and terminate in Saku, Nagano The route t ...

. *March 16, 2003 - Reconstruction of the Uenohara Interchange - Ōtsuki Junction section is completed (additional lanes added, areas with sharp curves abandoned, Tokyo-bound Dangōzaka Service Area renovated, area near Ōtsuki Junction susceptible to traffic weaving eliminated). *March 19, 2005 - Toki Junction is opened, connecting with the

Tōkai-Kanjō Expressway The (lit. Tōkai Ring Expressway) is a toll road in the Tōkai region of Japan. It is owned and managed by Central Nippon Expressway Company. Naming Officially, the route is designated as National Route 475. On some signs, the expressway is re ...

. *October 1, 2005 - Expressway management is transferred from

Japan Highway Public Corporation , or JH, was a public company established after World War II to construct and manage highway networks in Japan, founded in 1956. On October 1, 2005, JH was divided into three private enterprises, East Nippon Expressway Company Limited (NEXCO Ea ...

to Central Nippon Expressway Company as a result of the privatization of the national expressway network. *October 1, 2006 - Futaba Smart Interchange opened. *June 23, 2007 - Hachiōji Junction is opened, connecting with the

Ken-Ō Expressway The , or , is a partially completed ticket system toll expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by the Central Nippon Expressway Company and East Nippon Expressway Company. In conjunction with the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line and the Bayshore Route ...

. *December 2, 2012 - Sasago Tunnel collapses, killing nine people.

List of interchanges and features

* IC - interchange, SIC -

smart interchange A is a feature of Japanese expressways that provides exclusive access to and from the expressway for vehicles equipped with electronic toll collection (ETC). The feature increases accessibility to and from the expressway in less-populated areas ...

, JCT -

junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...

, SA -

service area Service area may refer to: * Rest area A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary r ...

, PA -

parking area A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...

, BS -

bus stop A bus stop is a place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger ...

, TN -

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

, TB -

toll gate Toll Gate or Tollgate may refer to: * Toll gate, a barrier across a toll road or toll bridge that is lifted when the toll is paid Entertainment * "Tollgate" (Hale single) * ''The Toll-Gate'', a 1954 novel by Georgette Heyer * ''The Toll Gate'', ...

Main Route

*Changing areas for

snow chains Snow chains, or tire chains, are devices fitted to the tires of vehicles to provide increased traction when driving through snow and ice. Snow chains attach to the drive wheels of a vehicle or special systems deploy chains which swing under ...

**Achi PA - Sonohara IC **Hatsukari PA - Katsunuma IC **Sutama IC - Nagasaka IC (Komaki-bound) **Yatsugatake PA - Kobuchisawa IC (Two areas Komaki-bound) **Kobuchisawa IC - Suwa-minami IC **Okaya JCT - Tatsuno PA

Kawaguchiko Route

*The speed limit on the Kawaguchiko Route is 80 km/h. *To prevent confusion with the main route, kilometer markers along the Kawaguchiko Route show the distance from Takaido Interchange plus 300 (the marker at Ōtsuki Junction is 371.4 while the marker at Kawaguchiko Interchange is 393.9)

References

External links

Central Nippon Expressway Company
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chuo Expressways in Japan Roads in Aichi Prefecture Roads in Gifu Prefecture Roads in Kanagawa Prefecture Roads in Nagano Prefecture Roads in Tokyo Roads in Yamanashi Prefecture