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The is a system of bridges connecting the islands of
The central expressway was completed in 1988. Also known as the Great Seto Bridge, this line connects
The western expressway was completed in 1999. Commonly known as the
Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Authority website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Project Bridges in Japan Honshu Transport in Shikoku region Seto Inland Sea Cross-sea bridges in Asia
Honshu
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
and Shikoku
is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...
across the Inland Sea of Japan, which were previously only connected by ferry. It consists of three major connections. All bridges are now controlled by the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Company
The , abbreviated as in Japanese or HSBE in English, operates the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway, Kobe-Awaji-Naruto, Nishiseto Expressway, Nishiseto, and Seto-Chūō Expressway, Seto-Chūō Expressways of Japan, expressways and Honshū-Shikoku Bri ...
and the . The system consists of three expressways and their respective bridge systems.
Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway
The eastern expressway was completed in 1998. Crossing the Akashi Strait, this connection linksHyōgo Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to th ...
on Honshu with Tokushima Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 682,439 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,146 Square kilometre, km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture b ...
on Shikoku, using Awaji Island for most of its length. The route connects to the Sanyō Expressway at its northern terminus, allowing traffic to connect to Himeji
260px, Himeji City Hall
is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km2. The total area of the city is ...
, Kobe
Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...
, and other major cities on Honshū.
This connection uses three suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...
s. The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge
The is a suspension bridge that links the city of Kobe on the Japanese island of Honshu and on Awaji Island. It is part of the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway, and crosses the busy and turbulent Akashi Strait (''Akashi Kaikyō'' in Japanese). ...
was the world's longest suspension bridge at the time of its construction in 1998, and connects Kobe to Awaji Island ( Awaji, Hyogo). The others are the Ōnaruto Bridge
The is a suspension bridge that carries 4 lanes of the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway connecting Minamiawaji, Hyogo on Awaji Island with Naruto, Tokushima on Ōge Island, Japan. Completed in 1985, it has a main span of . Although it is one ...
, connecting Awaji to Ōge Island (Naruto, Tokushima
is a Cities of Japan, city located in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 54,989 in 26,206 households and a population density of 410 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Naruto is locate ...
) across the Naruto Strait, and the connecting Ōge Island with Shikoku.
Although the connection was initially designed to accommodate railway service as well as road traffic, economic considerations turned it into a road connection only.
Seto-Chūō Expressway
The central expressway was completed in 1988. Also known as the Great Seto Bridge, this line connects Okayama Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,826,059 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture ...
to Kagawa Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Pr ...
. A series of six major bridges and five viaducts are used. The six bridges are the Shimotsui-Seto Bridge, Hitsuishijima Bridge, the Iwakurojima Bridge, the Yoshima Bridge, the Kita Bisan-Seto Bridge, and the Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge.
The Seto-Chūō bridges are also used by JR trains ( Seto-Ōhashi Line), and are designed to accommodate high-speed Shinkansen
The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. It was initially built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond lon ...
service in the future, although there are no current plans to extend the Shinkansen to Shikoku.
Nishiseto Expressway
The western expressway was completed in 1999. Commonly known as the Shimanami Kaidō
The , often called the , is an expressway in Japan that connects Onomichi, Hiroshima and Imabari, Ehime, going through nine of the Geiyo Islands, including Ōshima, Ehime, Ōshima, Ōmishima Island, Ehime, Ōmishima, and Innoshima, Hiroshima, Inn ...
, this connection links Hiroshima Prefecture to Ehime Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841 and a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...
. The link consists of nine bridges: the Shin-Onomichi Bridge, Innoshima Bridge, Ikuchi Bridge, Tatara Bridge, Ōmishima Bridge, Hakata-Ōshima Bridge, and the three-part Kurushima-Kaikyō Bridge. It is the only route that can be crossed on bicycle or by foot.
See also
* Five Bridges of AmakusaReferences
External links
Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Authority website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Project Bridges in Japan Honshu Transport in Shikoku region Seto Inland Sea Cross-sea bridges in Asia