The , signed as Route S1, is one of the routes of the

Shuto Expressway The is a network of Toll road, tolled expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the . Most routes are Grade separation, grade separated and have many sharp curves and multi-lane merges that require cauti ...

system serving the

Greater Tokyo Area The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefecture, Gunma, Ibaraki Prefecture, ...

. The route is a long radial highway running north from

Adachi, Tokyo is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It is located to the north of the heart of Tokyo. The ward consists of two separate areas: a small strip of land between the Sumida River and Arakawa River and a larger area north of th ...

Kawaguchi, Saitama is a Cities of Japan, city located in southwestern Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 595,011 in 293,582 households and a population density of 9605 persons per km². The total area of the city is . It is the G ...

. It primarily connects central Tokyo to the

Tōhoku Expressway The is a south-north national expressway, and the longest expressway in Japan at . Its southern terminus is in Kawaguchi, Saitama in the Greater Tokyo Area, at the Tokyo Gaikan Expressway and Kawaguchi Route near Araijuku Station, and its no ...

and points further north such as

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

and

Aomori , officially Aomori City (, ), is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 264,945 in 136,781 households, and a population density of 321 people per squa ...

Route description

The speed limit is 60 km/h for the first of the route between Kōhoku Junction and the Kaga exit and entrance. From the Kaga exit and entrance north to Kawaguchi Junction the speed limit is 80 km/h.

History

The Kawaguchi Route was opened on 9 September 1987 alongside a section of the Central Circular Route. Upon opening, the expressway formed the first of many links between the expressways of northern

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 ...

to the expressways of the rest of the island and

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

. On 25 December 2002 access at Kōhoku Junction was extended to westbound traffic on the Central Circular Route. On 20 July 2008, a project was completed on the Kawaguchi Parking Area to give its facilities a face-lift, add greenery, and to increase the size of its parking lot.

Junction list

PA= Parking area, TB= Toll booth

References

{{Shuto Expressway C2 1987 establishments in Japan Roads in Saitama Prefecture Roads in Tokyo