The is a national expressway in the Chūbu region on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is managed by Central Nippon Expressway Company. The route is signed E41 under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering."
Overview
Tōkai and Hokuriku are the names of the two regions of Japan that are linked by the expressway.
The expressway begins at a junction with the Meishin Expressway to the northwest of the Nagoya urban area and follows a northerly course into Gifu Prefecture, passing the capital Gifu and heading further north into the mountainous Hida region. The expressway also passes by Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama, two UNESCO World Heritage Sites straddling the border between Gifu Prefecture and Toyama Prefecture. The expressway continues north through western Toyama Prefecture to its terminus at a junction with the Hokuriku Expressway 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. A total of 1.22 trillion yen 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 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, SIC - smart interchange, JCT - junction, SA - service area, PA - parking area, BS - bus stop, TN - tunnel, BR - bridge
No.NameConnectionsDist. fromOrigin (km)Bus StopNotesLocation1Ichinomiya-Inazawa-kita ICPref. Route 14 (Gifu Inazawa Route) (Nishi-Owari Chūō Road)IchinomiyaAichi25-1Ichinomiya JCT Meishin Expressway0.01-1Ichinomiya-nishi ICPref. Route 14 (Gifu Inazawa Route)1.0Gifu-bound exit, Ichinomiya JCT-bound entrance only2Bisai ICPref. Route 148 (Hagiwara Sanjō Kitagata Route)3.9Ichinomiya JCT-bound exit, Gifu-bound entrance only3Ichinomiya-Kisogawa IC National Route 22 (Meigi Bypass)7.7PAKawashima PA11.3Highway OasisKakamigaharaGifu4Gifu-Kakamigahara IC National Route 21 (Naka Bypass)13.3BSSohara BS18.8○Gifu5Seki IC National Route 248 (Seki Bypass)25.5SekiBSKose BS27.8○SASeki SA28.0Gifu-bound onlySANagaragawa SA30.1Takayama-bound only5-1Mino-Seki JCT Tōkai-Kanjō Expressway31.16Mino ICPref. Route 94 (Gifu Mino Route)32.4○MinoPAKojōzan PA38.4Mino-bound only7Minami IC National Route 15649.6○GujōPAFukubegatake PA50.8Takayama-bound only8Gujō-Hachiman IC National Route 15659.8○-Hachiman JCTNōbi-Ōdan ExpresswayPlanned9/PAGifu-Yamato IC/PAPref. Route 52 (Shirotori Itadori Route)66.0○10Shirotori IC Chūbu-Jūkan ExpresswayPref. Route 82 (Shirotori Meihō Route)76.411Takasu ICPref. Route 45 (Takasu Inter Route)84.411-1/SAHiruganokōgen SA/SICPref. Route 321 (Hiruganokōgen Route)91.5○12Shōkawa IC National Route 15898.3TakayamaPAMatsunokitōge PA109.2109.5Oyabe-boundIchinomiya-bound13Hida-Kiyomi IC/JCT Chūbu-Jūkan Expressway National Route 158117.3PAHida-Kawai PA130.2HidaTNHida TunnelLength - 10,712 mShirakawa14Shirakawagō IC National Route 156142.2PAHida-Shirakawa PA143.6143.5Oyabe-boundIchinomiya-bound15Gokayama IC National Route 156157.4NantoToyamaTNHakamagoshi Tunnel165.3Length - 5,939 m, dangerous goods forbiddenSAJōhana SA/SIC169.9○Highway OasisSIC open in 201916Fukumitsu IC National Route 304173.817Nanto SICPref. Route 279 (Yasui Fukuno Route)181.419Oyabe-Tonami JCT Hokuriku Expressway184.8TonamiOyabeThrough to Nōetsu Expressway
Gallery
References
External links Central Nippon Expressway Company Tōkai-Hokuriku Expressway Official Website