Higashi-Meihan Expressway

The Higashi-Meihan Expressway (東名阪自動車道, Higashimeihan Jidōshadō) is a four lane national expressway in the Tōkai region of Japan. It is owned and operated by Central Nippon Expressway Company.

Higashi-Meihan Expressway
E23 東名阪自動車道
Map
Route information
Length55.1 km (34.2 mi)
Existed1970[1]–present
Major junctions
FromNagoya-nishi Junction in Nagoya
Nagoya Expressway Mamba Route
Mei-Nikan Expressway
ToIse-Seki Interchange in Tsu, Mie
Ise Expressway
Location
CountryJapan
Major citiesAma, Aisai, Yatomi, Kuwana, Yokkaichi, Suzuka, Kameyama
Highway system

Naming

edit

Meihan is a kanji acronym of two characters. The first character represents Nagoya (古屋) and the second character represents Osaka (大). Higashi (東) means east; together with the Meihan Expressway and Nishi-Meihan Expressway, it forms a corridor linking the greater Nagoya and Osaka areas.

Officially, the route is designated as the Kinki Expressway Nagoya Osaka Route,[2] however this designation does not appear on any signage. In some areas, signs on the route are written in Japanese as 名阪道 or ひがし名阪道; this is to prevent confusion with the Tōmei Expressway which looks similar when written in Japanese.

Route description

edit
 
Higashi-Meihan Expressway in Yokkaichi.

The expressway runs from Nagoya-nishi Junction in Nakagawa-ku, Nagoya to Ise-Seki Interchange in Tsu. The expressway is built to the same standards as most other national expressways, with tolls being charged according to the distance traveled. It has at least two lanes in each direction, with three in some sections.[3]

History

edit

The first section of what would later become the Higashi-Meihan Expressway opened to traffic in 1970.[1]

In March 2023, a "Higashi-Meihan car crash" occurred near the Kameyama Junction in Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture, killing three people and seriously injuring five others.

List of interchanges and features

edit

The exit numbers continue from the sequence of the Mei-Nikan Expressway, starting at 23.

No. Name Connections Dist. from
Nagoya-nishi JCT
Bus Stop Notes Location
  Through to Nagoya Expressway Manba Route
23 Nagoya-nishi JCT   Mei-Nikan Expressway 0.0 Nakagawa-ku, Nagoya Aichi Prefecture
24 Nagoya-nishi IC Pref. Route 40 (Nagoya Kanie Yatomi Route) 0.8
TB Nagoya-nishi Toll Gate Ama
25 Kanie IC Pref. Route 65 (Ichinomiya Kanie Route) 3.6 Kanie
- Saya JCT   Ichinomiya-Nishiko Road (planned) Aisai
26 Yatomi IC   National Route 155 (Yatomi Bypass) 9.0 Yatomi
27 Nagashima IC Pref. Route 7 (Suigō Kōen Route)
Pref. Route 117 (Tado Nagashima Route)
Pref. Route 168 (Tatsuta Nagashima Inter Route)
12.7 Kuwana Mie
28 Kuwana-higashi IC   National Route 258 16.0
PA Ōyamada PA 17.0
29 Kuwana IC Pref. Route 63 (Hoshigawa Nishibessho Route) 19.9
29-1 Yokkaichi JCT   Isewangan Expressway / Shin-Meishin Expressway 23.3 Yokkaichi
BS Chiyoda Bus Stop X Closed
30 Yokkaichi-higashi IC Pref. Route 64 (Kamiebi Mochibuku Route) 25.8
SA Gozaisho SA 27.2
BS Agata Bus Stop X Closed
31 Yokkaichi IC   National Route 477 32.2
BS Nishiyama Bus Stop X Closed
32 Suzuka IC Pref. Route 27 (Kanbe Nagasawa Route) 41.8 Suzuka
TB Suzuka Toll Gate Closed March 13, 2005
32-1 Kameyama JCT   Shin-Meishin Expressway 46.9 Kameyama
BS Sumiyama Bus Stop X Closed
PA Kameyama PA/
SIC
52.1 Highway Oasis
33 Kameyama IC     National Route 1 (Seki Bypass) / National Route 25 / Meihan Expressway 53.2 Ise-Seki-bound exit, Nagoya-bound entrance only
34 Ise-Seki IC    National Route 25 / Meihan Expressway 55.1 Ise-Seki IC ←→ Higashi-Meihan: No Access Tsu
Through to   Ise Expressway

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. "History of the Expressway Network in the Greater Nagoya Area". Archived from the original on 2008-03-28. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
  2. ^ Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. "High Standard Trunk Road Map" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-20. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
  3. ^ "E23東名阪道 四日市IC付近の一部区間で 3車線(暫定)の先行運用を開始します" (in Japanese). 24 May 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
edit