The , (abbreviated as , is a 4-laned national expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company and Central Nippon Expressway Company.

Overview The first section was opened in 1972 by Japan Highway Public Corporation and construction proceeded in stages until the entire route was completed in 1988. On October 1, 2005, all national expressways were privatized and management of the Hokuriku Expressway was divided between the East and Central Nippon Expressway Companies.

The route serves the Hokuriku region on the north central coast of Honshū, Japan's largest island. For most of its length it parallels National Route 8 and the Hokuriku Main Line of West Japan Railway Company.

Although the route officially originates in Niigata and terminates at Maibara, exit numbers and kilometer markings originate from Maibara.

Features Around Tsuruga Interchange, the south-bound lanes cross over the north-bound lanes and diverges drastically. The expressway rejoins normally at a point near Suizu Parking Area.

There are 14 tunnels between Kinomoto Interchange and Takefu Interchange (two of which are longer than ), and 26 tunnels between Asahi Interchange and Jōetsu Interchange (eight of which are longer than ).

List of interchanges and features

IC - interchange, SIC - smart interchange, JCT - junction, SA - service area, PA - parking area, BS - bus stop, TN - tunnel, CB - snow chains

No.NameConnectionsDist. fromMaibaraBus StopNotesLocation27-1Maibara JCT Meishin Expressway0.0MaibaraShiga1Maibara IC National Route 210.6PAKanda PA4.7XNagahama2Nagahama ICPref. Route 37 (Nakayama Higashi Kōsaka Route)9.6XBSTorahime Bus StopXClosed2-1/BSOdanijō SICKohoku Bus StopPref. Route 263 (Yōno Torahime Nagahama Route) (South-bound)Pref. Route 265 (Gōno Kohoku Route) (North-bound)16.4XBus Stop closedBSTakatsuki Bus StopXClosed3Kinomoto IC National Route 8 National Route 36523.4XSAShizugatake SA25.6BS/CBYogo Bus StopYogo Chain BaseXBus Stop closedBS/CBYogo-kita Bus StopYogo-kita Chain BaseXBus Stop closedPATone PA38.5XTsurugaFukui3-1Tsuruga JCT Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway45.44Tsuruga IC National Route 8 (Tsuruga Bypass)46.6○BS/CBTajiri (South-bound)Akihara (North-bound)XBus Stop closedPASuizu PA57.9X5Imajō IC National Route 305 National Route 36568.2XMinamiechizenSA/ 5-1Nanjō SA/SICPref. Route 203 (Ikeda Nanjō Route)71.472.1XNorth-boundSouth-bound6Takefu ICPref. Route 262 (Takefu Inter Higashi Route)Pref. Route 40 (Takefu Inter Route)80.6○Echizen7Sabae ICPref. Route 105 (Sabae Imadate Route)Pref. Route 39 (Sabae Inter Route)86.2○SabaePAKitasabae PA88.68Fukui IC National Route 15897.2○Fukui9Fukui-kita IC/JCT Chūbu-Jūkan Expressway National Route 416103.6○10Maruoka ICPref. Route 38 (Maruoka Inter Route)110.4○SakaiPAOnagatani PA113.411Kanazu ICPref. Route 37 (Kanazu Inter Route)Pref. Route 124 (Ushinoya Teishajō Route)120.9Awara12Kaga ICPref. Route 61 (Kaga Inter Route)128.2KagaIshikawaSAAmagozen SA136.6136.9○South-boundNorth-bound13Katayamazu ICPref. Route 20 (Komatsu Kaga Route)140.7PA/ 13-1Ataka PA/SICPref. Route 20 (Komatsu Kaga Route)144.7SIC: Maibara-boundOpen 06:00-22:00Komatsu14Komatsu ICPref. Route 25 (Kanazawa Mikawa Komatsu Route)149.3○14-1Nomineagari SIC155.4Nomi15Mikawa ICPref. Route 25 (Kanazawa Mikawa Komatsu Route)Pref. Route 58 (Tsurugi Mikawa Inter Route)160.3HakusanPA/ 15-1Tokumitsu PA/SICPref. Route 25 (Kanazawa Mikawa Komatsu Route)164.6○Highway OasisBSMattō Bus Stop169.6Xclosed by replacement15-2Hakusan ICPref. Route 8 (Mattō Unoke Route)169.9○incl. Mattō Bus Stop16Kanazawa-nishi IC National Route 8 (Kanazawa Bypass)Pref. Route 197 (Jichūnishi Kanazawa Route)172.5Kanazawa17Kanazawa-higashi IC National Route 8 (Kanazawa Bypass)180.117-1Kanazawa-morimoto IC National Route 159 (Kanazawa Tōbu Kanjō Road) National Route 304 National Route 359183.4PAFudōji PA184.718Oyabe ICPref. Route 42 (Oyabe Fukumitsu Route)197.7OyabeToyamaSAOyabegawa SA199.819Oyabe-Tonami JCT Tōkai-Hokuriku Expressway Nōetsu Expressway203.1Tonami20Tonami IC National Route 359207.120-1Takaoka-Tonami SIC212.9○PATakaoka PA216.1Takaoka21Kosugi IC National Route 472221.5ImizuPAKureha PA224.521-1Toyama-nishi ICPref. Route 41 (Shinminato Hiraoka Route)226.6Toyama22Toyama IC National Route 41234.122-1/ PANagaresugi PA/SICPref. Route 56 (Toyama Kanjō Route)240.923Tateyama ICPref. Route 3 (Toyama Tateyama Uozu Route)246.4TateyamaKamiichi SICPref. Route 148 (Kamiichi Mizuhashi Route)250.6Opens in December 2020Kamiichi24Namerikawa ICPref. Route 51 (Minowa Namerikawa Inter Route)254.5○NamerikawaSAArisoumi SA258.2Maibara-bound261.6Niigata-boundUozu25Uozu ICPref. Route 52 (Ishigaki Uozu Inter Route)263.826Kurobe ICPref. Route 53 (Wakaguri Ikuji Route)273.4○Kurobe26-1/ PANyūzen PA/SICPref. Route 63 (Nyūzen Unazuki Route)277.9Nyūzen27Asahi IC National Route 8282.1AsahiPAEtchūsakai PA288.428Oyashirazu IC National Route 8299.3ItoigawaNiigata29Itoigawa IC National Route 148311.9PARendaiji PA313.5BSHayakawa Bus Stop318.0○30Nou ICPref. Route 246 (Nishitobiyama Nō Route)Pref. Route 88 (Nō Inter Route)326.5○31/SANadachi Tanihama IC/SAPref. Route 87 (Nadachi Tanihama Inter Route)341.6○Jōetsu31-1Jōetsu JCT Jōshin-etsu Expressway351.4BSKida Bus Stop353.4○32Jōetsu IC National Route 18 (Jōshin Bypass)355.8BSKubiki Bus Stop360.7○32-1/ PAŌgata PA/SICPref. Route 77 (Jōetsu Kubiki Ōgata Route)365.3SIC: Open 06:00-22:00BSKatamachi Bus Stop367.9○33Kakizaki IC National Route 8 (Kakizaki Bypass)373.8○34/SAYoneyama IC/SA National Route 8385.2SA: Niigata-boundKashiwazakiSAYoneyama SA387.2Maibara-boundBSKamigata Bus Stop393.5○35Kashiwazaki IC National Route 252397.1BSSochi Bus Stop402.8○PAKariwa PA405.8Kariwa36Nishiyama ICPref. Route 23 (Kashiwazaki Takahama Horinouchi Route)Pref. Route 393 (Raihai Nagaoka Route)407.8○KashiwazakiPAŌzumi PA414.9○Nagaoka37Nagaoka JCT Kan-Etsu Expressway421.6BSNagaoka-kita Bus Stop423.9○38Nakanoshima-Mitsuke IC National Route 8 (Mitsuke Bypass)432.138-1/ PASakae PA/SIC441.5○Sanjō39Sanjō-Tsubame IC National Route 289447.4○Tsubame40Maki-Katahigashi ICPref. Route 9 (Nagaoka Tochio Maki Route) National Route 460457.7○Nishikan-ku, Niigata40-1/ PAKurosaki PA/SICPref. Route 44 (Niigata Tsubame Route)Pref. Route 46 (Niigata Chūō Kanjō Route)467.1SIC: Open 06:00-22:00Nishi-ku, NiigataBSToppara Bus Stop471.0○41Niigata-nishi IC National Route 116 (Niigata Bypass)473.042Niigata-Chūō JCT Ban-etsu Expressway476.5Kōnan-ku, NiigataThrough to Nihonkai-Tōhoku Expressway

References

External links

East Nippon Expressway Company Central Nippon Expressway Company