The , signed as Route S1, is one of the routes of the Shuto Expressway system serving the

Greater Tokyo Area The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi) as well as the ...

. The route is a long radial highway running north from

Adachi, Tokyo is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward located in Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It is located to the north of the heart of Tokyo. The ward consists of two separate areas: a small strip of land between the Sumida River and Arakawa River (K ...

to Kawaguchi, Saitama. It primarily connects central Tokyo to the Tōhoku Expressway and points further north such as

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...

and

Aomori is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 278,964 in 136,457 households, and a population density of 340 people per square kilometer spread over the city's total area of ...

Route description

The speed limit is 60 km/h for the first of the route between Kōhoku Junction and the Kaga exit and entrance. From the Kaga exit and entrance north to Kawaguchi Junction the speed limit is 80 km/h.

History

The Kawaguchi Route was opened on 9 September 1987 alongside a section of the Central Circular Route. Upon opening, the expressway formed the first of many links between the expressways of northern

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

to the expressways of the rest of the island and

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

. On 25 December 2002 access at Kōhoku Junction was extended to westbound traffic on the Central Circular Route. On 20 July 2008, a project was completed on the Kawaguchi Parking Area to give its facilities a face-lift, add greenery, and to increase the size of its parking lot.

Junction list

PA= Parking area, TB= Toll booth

References

{{Shuto Expressway C2 1987 establishments in Japan Roads in Saitama Prefecture Roads in Tokyo