The , signed as Route 15, is one of the tolled routes of the

Hanshin Expressway The is a network of expressways surrounding Osaka, Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port ci ...

system serving the

Keihanshin is a metropolitan region in the Kansai region of Japan encompassing the metropolitan areas of the cities of Kyoto in Kyoto Prefecture, Osaka in Osaka Prefecture and Kobe in Hyōgo Prefecture. The entire region has a population () of 19,302, ...

area in Kansai, Japan. It travels in a north to south direction from the Chūō ward of

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, beginning at a junction with Sennichi-mae-dōri, to National Route 26 in the city of

Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and in ...

. The expressway has a total length of .

Route description

The Sakai Route travels in a north to south direction from the Chūō ward of

, beginning as a one-way highway at junction with Sennichi-mae-dōri. The one-way route meets the

Loop Route In road transportation in the United States, a special route is a road in a numbered highway system that diverts a specific segment of related traffic away from another road. They are featured in many highway systems; most are found in the ...

twice in central Osaka, once on the loop's eastern side and again on its western side in

Namba is a district of Osaka, Japan. It is located in Chūō and Naniwa wards. Namba is regarded as the center of so-called ''Minami'' ("South") area of Osaka. Its name is one of variations on the former name of Osaka, '' Naniwa''. Namba is b ...

. At the second junction with the Loop Route, the Sakai Route's northbound traffic terminates, continuing south towards the city of

as a

dual carriageway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

. From there, it briefly parallels the

Hanshin Namba Line The is a railway line operated by the private railway operator Hanshin Electric Railway connecting Amagasaki Station in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, and Ōsaka Namba Station in Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. History The , the pre ...

Shiomibashi Station is a train station in Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Nankai Electric Railway. Lines Shiomibashi Station is the terminus of the Koya Line (Shiomibashi Line), and has the station number "NK0 ...

where the expressway curves to the south. In the Nishinari ward the expressway meets the

Nishi-Osaka Route The , signed as Route 17, is one of the tolled routes of the Hanshin Expressway system serving the Keihanshin area in Kansai, Japan. It travels in a southeast to northwest direction in Osaka, from the Sakai Route, in the city's Nishinari ward, ...

; however the junction between the two routes is limited to two ramps: one that travels from northbound traffic of the Sakai Route to begin the westbound side of the Nishi-Osaka Route and another that leads eastbound traffic of the Nishi-Osaka Route onto the southbound side of the Sakai Route. The expressway crosses into Sakai at a bridge over the

Yamato River The is a river which flows through Nara Prefecture and Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is designated Class A by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). The river flows via towns: *Nara Prefecture ** Yamatokōriyama * ...

. A planned junction between the

Yamatogawa Route The , signed as Route 6, is one of the routes of the Hanshin Expressway system serving the Keihanshin area in Kansai, Japan. It travels in a west to east direction in Osaka Prefecture, from the Bayshore Route, in Sakai to the Matsubara Route ...

and the Sakai Route would be on the southern bank of the river. The expressway meets its southern terminus upon meeting National Route 26 in Sakai, though the roadway continues as the national route. Overall, the Sakai Route has a total length of .

History

Construction of the Nishi-Osaka Route began in 1967 in preparation for the

Expo '70 The or Expo 70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as . It was the first world's fa ...

held in the nearby city of

Suita is a city located in northern Osaka Prefecture, Japan. As of October 1, 2016, the city has an estimated population of 378,322 and a population density of 9,880 persons per km². The total area is 36.11 km². The city was founded on April 1 ...

. The first section of the expressway was completed after three years of construction in 1970. Another section of the expressway that runs within the confines of the

in central Osaka was opened in 1972. The entire expressway was completed by 1976.

Future

Plans for a junction between the Sakai Route and the

have been made, but as of November 2020 there has been no progress in building the interchange.

List of interchanges

The entire expressway lies within Osaka Prefecture.

References

External links