The is a national expressway in the

Chūbu region The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshū, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Ya ...

on the island of

Honshū , 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 seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It is managed by

Central Nippon Expressway Company The , abbreviated as , is one of the main operators of expressways and toll roads in Japan. It is headquartered in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. The company was established on October 1, 2005 as a result of the privatization of Japan Highway Public ...

. The route is signed E41 under the

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism The , abbreviated MLIT, is a ministry of the Japanese government.国土交通省設置法

's "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering."

Overview

Tōkai and Hokuriku are the names of the two

regions of Japan Japan is often divided into regions, each containing one or more of the country's Prefectures of Japan, 47 prefectures at large. Sometimes, they are referred to as "blocs" (ブロック, ''burokku''), or "regional blocs" (地域ブロック, ' ...

that are linked by the expressway. The expressway begins at a junction with the

Meishin Expressway 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 a ...

to the northwest of the

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

urban area and follows a northerly course into

Gifu Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,910,511 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...

, passing the capital

Gifu is a Cities of Japan, 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. Durin ...

and heading further north into the mountainous Hida region. The expressway also passes by Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama, two

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

s straddling the border between Gifu Prefecture and

Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 993,848 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi). Toyama Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the ...

. The expressway continues north through western Toyama Prefecture to its terminus at a junction with the

Hokuriku Expressway The , (abbreviated as , is a 4-laned national Expressways of Japan, expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company and Central Nippon Expressway Company. Overview The first section was opened in 1972 by Japan ...

and the Nōetsu Expressway. The first section of the expressway was opened to traffic in 1986. The final section of the expressway (25 km between Hida-Kiyomi Interchange and Shirakawagō Interchange) was opened on July 5, 2008. A major component of this section is the Hida Tunnel, the second longest road tunnel in Japan after the

Kan-Etsu Tunnel The is a tunnel on the Kan-Etsu Expressway in Japan that runs through Mt. Tanigawa from Minakami, Gunma, Minakami, Gunma to Yuzawa, Niigata, Yuzawa, Niigata Prefecture, Niigata. The northern tube was opened in 1985 and the southern tube was open ...

. A total of 1.22 trillion

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 and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro. T ...

was spent on planning and construction of the expressway over 36 years. The expressway is 4 lanes from Ichinomiya Junction to Fukubegatake Parking Area, and 2 lanes on all other sections. Construction to expand the route to 4 lanes is currently underway on the section between Fukubegatake Parking Area and Shirotori Interchange. The speed limit is 80 km/h on 4-laned sections and 70 km/h on 2-laned sections.

Features

At 1,086 meters, Matsunoki Pass between Shōkawa Interchange and Hida-Kiyomi Interchange is the highest point in the national expressway network. A

parking area A parking lot 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. In most jurisdic ...

is planned to open at this point. There are a total of 54 tunnels either completed or under construction. After the Hida Tunnel, the Hakamagoshi Tunnel (between Fukumitsu Interchange and Gokayama Interchange) is the longest. Trucks carrying hazardous materials are forbidden from using the tunnel and must use alternate routes. The piers on the Washimi Bridge (between Shōkawa Interchange and Takasu Interchange) are the tallest in Japan, at 118 m.

List of interchanges and features

* IC -

interchange Interchange may refer to: Transport * Interchange (road), a collection of ramps, exits, and entrances between two or more highways * Interchange (freight rail), the transfer of freight cars between railroad companies * Interchange station, a rai ...

, SIC - smart interchange, JCT - junction, SA - service area, PA -

, BS -

bus stop A bus stop is a place where Public transport bus service, 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 shelter (building), shelters ...

, TN -

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

, BR -

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

Gallery

image:Ichinomiya-JCT.01.JPG, Ichinomiya Junction southbound image:Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway.bisai-IC.02.JPG, Bisai Interchange image:Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway.Kawashima.01.JPG, Near Kawashima Parking Area image:Kisogawahonkawa-bridge.01.b.JPG, Bridge over the

Kiso River The is a river in the Chubu region of Japan roughly long, flowing through the prefectures of Nagano, Gifu, Aichi, and Mie before emptying into Ise Bay a short distance away from the city of Nagoya.Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric ''et al.'' (200 ...

image:Mino-Seki Junction from Mount Tenno.jpg, Mino-Seki Junction southbound image:Gujohachiman-bs.01.JPG, Gujō-Hachiman Bus Stop image:Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway Gifuyamato-IC.4line.01.jpg, Construction work to expand to 4 lanes near Gifu-Yamato Interchange image:Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway.Takasu IC.01.JPG, Near Takasu Interchange image:Washimi-bridge.01.JPG, Washimi Bridge image:Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway.Hiruganokougen-SA.takasu.01.JPG, View from Hiruganokōgen Service Area facing south image:Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway.bunsuirei.01.JPG,

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

Japan Sea The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

watershed boundary near Hiruganokōgen Service Area image:Matsunokitouge-PA.03.JPG, Future site of Matsunokitōge Parking Area image:Hidakiyomi-JCT.01.JPG, Hida-Kiyomi Interchange image:Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway.Shirakawagou-IC.01.jpg, Near Shirakawagō Interchange image:Jyouhana-SA.tonamiheiya.02.JPG, View from Jōhana Service Area facing north

References

External links

Central Nippon Expressway Company
*
Tōkai-Hokuriku Expressway Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway Expressways in Japan Roads in Aichi Prefecture Roads in Gifu Prefecture Roads in Toyama Prefecture 1986 establishments in Japan