is a national expressway in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by

West Nippon Expressway Company The , abbreviated as , is one of the main operators of expressways and toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ' ...

. In conjunction with the

Chūgoku Expressway The (part of Asian Highway Network ) 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 expressw ...

and the Osaka Chūō Kanjōsen of Osaka Prefectural Road 2, it will form a full outer

ring road A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...

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 ...

. The expressway is designated with the number E26 under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering."

Route description

The route originates from its 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 ...

and Chūgoku Expressway and extends east shortly, then southward. At its southern terminus it connects to the

Nishi-Meihan Expressway is a national expressway in the Kinki region of Japan. It is owned and operated by West Nippon Expressway Company. Naming Meihan is a kanji acronym of two characters. The first character represents Nagoya (名古屋) and the second characte ...

and

Hanwa Expressway The is a national expressway in the Kinki region of Japan. It is owned and operated by West Nippon Expressway Company. Naming Hanwa is a kanji acronym of two characters. The first character represents Osaka (大阪) and the second character ...

. Tolls are charged at a flat rate (currently 510 yen for a regular passenger car). The speed limit is 60 km/h on the section between Suita Junction and Ibaraki Toll Gate and 80 km/h on all other sections.

History

The first section of the expressway was opened to traffic in 1970 to coincide with the opening of

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 fai ...

in Osaka. The final section of the expressway (4.8 km between Yao Interchange and Matsubara Junction) was opened on 17 March 1988.

Junction list

The entire expressway is in Osaka Prefecture.

References

External links

West Nippon Expressway Company
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinki Expressway Expressways in Japan Roads in Osaka Prefecture