Chūgoku Expressway

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (October 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Chūgoku Expressway
中国自動車道
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Route information
Part of AH1
Length	540.1 km (335.6 mi)
Existed	1970–present
Major junctions
From	in Suita, Osaka Meishin Expressway Kinki Expressway
To	in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Kyushu Expressway
Location
Major cities	Takarazuka, Kobe, Tsuyama, Niimi, Miyoshi, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi
Highway system
National highways of Japan Expressways of Japan

Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan

Sayo, Hyōgo, Japan

Tsuyama, Okayama, Japan

The Chūgoku Expressway (中国自動車道, Chūgoku Jidōsha-dō) (part of Asian Highway Network AH1) is an expressway in Japan, which extends from Suita, Osaka to Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi. It connects Kansai and Chūgoku regions in western Honshu, Japan's main island. Other major cities along the expressway are Tsuyama, Kobe, and Hiroshima. It was opened in 1970, and has a total length of 540.1 kilometers (335.6 mi).^{[citation needed]}

It is connected with many other expressways, including the Meishin Expressway at Suita Junction and Kanmon Bridge at Shimonoseki Interchange through to the Kyushu Expressway.

List of interchanges and features[]

• IC - interchange, SIC - smart interchange, JCT - junction, SA - service area, PA - parking area, BS - bus stop, TN - tunnel, TB - toll gate, BR - bridge
• Bus stops labeled "○" are currently in use; those marked "◆" are closed.

Number	Name	Connections	Distance from Origin (km)	Bus Stop	Notes	Location
(35)		Meishin Expressway Kinki Expressway	0.0		Chugoku Expwy←→Nishinomiya: no access	Suita	Osaka
1		(Osaka Chūō Loop Road)	1.0		eastbound exit, westbound entrance
2		Osaka Prefectural Route 2 (Osaka Chūō Loop Road)	8.3		westbound exit, eastbound entrance	Toyonaka
		National Route 176 (Bypass)	10.5		eastbound exit, westbound entrance	Ikeda
3		National Route 176 (Bypass)	16.6	○		Takarazuka	Hyōgo
-		-	18.3
-		-	20.1
-		-	24.1	◆		Nishinomiya
4		Kita-Kobe Route	27.1		westbound exit, eastbound entrance
5			29.8	○
5-1		Shin-Meishin Expressway Sanyō Expressway	31.6		for Shin-Meishin Expwy:opening in 2017	Kita-ku, Kobe
-		-	33.6	○
5-2			36.7
-		-	38.4
6		Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway	40.3			Miki
7		National Route 428	43.7	○
7-1			47.7			Katō
-		-	49.7	○
-		-	55.8	○
8		National Route 175 (Yashiro Bypass)	59.4	○
-		-	66.6	○		Kasai
8-1			69.1	○
-		-	72.2	○
-		-	75.6
						Fukusaki
9		Bantan Renraku Road	79.2	○
9-1			86.0	○		Himeji
-		-	94.5	○
10		National Route 29	99.6	○		Shiso
-		Harima Expressway (planned)	103.3		planned for 2020
-		-	103.9		abandoned on December 20, 2004
-		-	106.6
-		-	110.2	○
-		-	113.8	○		Sayō
10-1		Tottori Expressway	117.2
11		National Route 373	119.2	○
-		-	125.7	○
-		-
						Mimasaka	Okayama
11-1			131.3
-		-	133.9	○
-		-	136.4
12			139.4	○
12-1			141.8
-		-	144.0	○		Shōō
-		-	145.3
13		National Route 53	150.7	○		Tsuyama
-		-	156.0	○
-		-	159.1
14		National Route 179	161.1	○
-		-	166.5	○
-		-	173.9	○		Maniwa
15		Yonago Expressway	175.0
16		National Route 313	181.6	○
-		-	184.6
17		Okayama Expressway	190.8
18		National Route 313	193.4
-		-	196.5	○
-		-	205.5	○		Niimi
18-1			209.5	○	SIC: Open 06:00-24:00
-		-	215.6	○
19		National Route 180	221.6	△
-		-	228.8	◆
-		-	237.9	○
20		National Route 182	246.4	△		Shōbara	Hiroshima
-		-	248.6 249.5		For Hiroshima, Kitakyūshū for Yonago, Osaka
-		-	259.7	○
-		-	265.9 267.0		For Hiroshima, Kitakyūshū for Yonago, Osaka
21		National Route 432	276.6	○
-		-	283.1 283.2		For Hiroshima, Kitakyūshū for Yonago, Osaka
-		-	286.5	○		Miyoshi
21-1		Matsue Expressway Onomichi Expressway	288.6
22		National Route 375	293.6	○
-		-	299.1 302.0		For Yonago, Osaka for Hiroshima, Kitakyūshū
-		-	308.3	○		Akitakata
23			313.8
-		-	315.8	○
-		-	317.9 322.2		For Yonago, Osaka for Hiroshima, Kitakyūshū
24			328.9	○		Kitahiroshima
25		Hamada Expressway	330.9
-		-	339.9 340.4		For Yamaguchi, Hiroshima for Hamada, Osaka	Asakita-ku, Hiroshima
26		Hiroshima Expressway	343.0
-		-	345.8		Ōsaka-bound 3,573 m Kitakyūshū-bound 3,558 m
26-1		National Route 191	355.9	○	westbound exit, eastbound entrance	Akiōta
27		National Route 186 National Route 191	360.4
-		-	363.2	○
-		-
						Hatsukaichi
28		National Route 186	376.6
-		-	379.1	○
-		-			Ōsaka-bound 2,140 m Kitakyūshū-bound 2,198 m
						Iwakuni	Yamaguchi
-	Usa BS/CB	-	387.4	◆
-		-	395.5	○
29		National Route 187	403.6	◆		Yoshika	Shimane
-		-	408.5	◆
-		-			Ōsaka-bound 3,154 m Kitakyūshū-bound 3,260 m
						Shūnan	Yamaguchi
30		National Route 315	430.6	◆
-		-	432.2 432.8		For Kitakyūshū for Hiroshima
-		-	439.7	◆		Yamaguchi
31		National Route 489	447.4	◆
-		-	455.7
-		-	460.6	◆
32		National Route 262	467.4	◆
-		-	473.3	◆	SIC opening in 2020
(33)		San'yō Expressway	475.4
34 34-1		National Route 9	480.1	◆
-		-	487.5 487.7		For Kitakyūshū for Hiroshima	Mine
-		-	489.5	◆
34-2			490.5
35		National Route 435	498.2	○
-		-	505.5
35-1			511.7	◆
35-2		Sanyō Expressway Ube-Shimonoseki Route	519.0	◆		Shimonoseki
-		-	524.0	○
-		Sanin Expressway (planned)	-
36		National Route 491	524.6	○
-		-	529.1
-		-	535.9	◆
37			540.1
Through to Kanmon Bridge

Accidents[]

On 5 October 2013, comedian and singer Yakkun Sakurazuka died in an accident on the Chugoku Expressway in Mine, Yamaguchi, while en route to a concert in Kumamoto Prefecture. He was hit by another car and killed after exiting his car following a crash.^[1]

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chugoku Expressway.