The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.
Naming is a kanji acronym consisting of 3 characters, each representing the former names of the prefectures that the route traverses. consists of present-day Gunma Prefecture, consists of present-day Nagano Prefecture, and consists of present-day Niigata Prefecture.
Officially, the expressway is referred to as the Kan-Etsu Expressway Jōetsu Route. This designation consists of the entire Jōshin-etsu Expressway as well as the Kan-Etsu Expressway beyond Fujioka Junction to Nerima Interchange (concurrent with the Kan-Etsu Expressway Niigata Route).
Route description
The expressway begins at a junction with the Kan-Etsu Expressway in southern Gunma Prefecture and heads west, paralleling National Route 254 until Shimonita. From here the route branches north, passing Mount Myōgi, then heads west once more from Annaka. The route parallels National Route 18 from this point until the terminus. The expressway then follows a winding route through the mountainous area separating Gunma and Nagano Prefectures. From Saku, Nagano the route follows a northwesterly course, passing Mount Asama, until it reaches a junction with the Nagano Expressway near the city of Nagano. The route then heads north, following the east bank of the Chikuma River, before heading into the mountainous region separating Nagano and Niigata Prefectures. The expressway continues north through Niigata Prefecture, passing Mount Myōkō, and eventually terminating at a junction with the Hokuriku Expressway in Jōetsu near the Japan Sea coastline.
The expressway is 6 lanes from Fujioka Junction to Fujioka Interchange. The remaining section from Fujioka Interchange to Jōetsu Junction is 4 lanes, from 5 December 2019 according to E-NEXCO.
History The first section was completed in 1980 and the entire route was completed in 1999. On the night of 16 December 2020, about 300 vehicles were trapped on the expressway after a truck blocked it off due to it becoming stuck in the snow. In response, the company that manages the route supplied drivers who were stuck on the road until the next morning.
List of interchanges and features
IC - interchange, SIC - smart interchange, JCT - junction, SA - service area, PA - parking area, BS - bus stop, CB - snow chains, TN - tunnel, BR - bridge
No.NameConnectionsDist. fromOriginDist. fromTerminusBus StopNotesSpeed LimitLocation(9)Fujioka JCT0.0204.980 km/hFujiokaGunma1/PAFujioka IC/PAPref. Route 13 (Maebashi Nagatoro Route)1.8203.1Parking Area/Highway Oasis only accessible to Fujioka JCT-bound traffic100 km/h2Yoshii ICPref. Route 41 (Kanda Yoshii Teishajō Route)11.2193.7TakasakiPAKanra PA15.4189.5Kanra3Tomioka IC20.1184.8○Tomioka4Shimonita IC26.8178.1○Shimonita5Matsuida-Myōgi ICMatsuida BSPref. Route 51 (Matsuida Shimonita Route)37.5167.4○Annaka80 km/hSAYokokawa SA42.1162.8BRUsui Bridge↓↑TNTakaiwayama Tunnel↓↑Fujioka-bound 1,019mJōetsu-bound 1,070m6Usui-Karuizawa ICPref. Route 92 (Matsuida Karuizawa Route)52.5152.4○CBUsui Chain Base↓↑TNŌyama Tunnel↓↑Fujioka-bound 1,722mJōetsu-bound 1,625mShimonitaTNNikkureyama Tunnel↓↑Fujioka-bound 2,314mJōetsu-bound 2,051mTNTakatachi Tunnel↓↑Fujioka-bound 373mTNHappūzan Tunnel↓↑Fujioka-bound 3,998mJōetsu-bound 4,471mSakuNaganoCBKōsaka Chain Base↓↑TNAkarusan Tunnel↓↑Fujioka-bound 1,703mJōetsu-bound 1,960m6-1/PASakudaira PA/SIC68.4136.5Highway Oasis7Saku ICPref. Route 9 (Saku Karuizawa Route)71.3133.6○7-1Saku-Komoro JCT 72.8132.1KomoroBSKomoro-Kōgen BS78.0126.9○8Komoro ICPref. Route 79 (Komoro Ueda Route)82.1122.89/SATōbu-Yunomaru IC/SAPref. Route 81 (Maruko Tōbu Inter Route)88.6116.3○Tōmi10Ueda-Sugadaira IC96.9108.0○UedaTNTarōyama Tunnel↓↑Fujioka-bound 4,264mJōetsu-bound 4,303mSakaki11Sakaki ICPref. Route 91 (Sakaki Inter Route)104.8100.1PAChikumagawa-Sakaki PA106.298.7○TNGorigamine Tunnel↓↑Fujioka-bound 4,518mJōetsu-bound 4,474mChikumaTNMori Tunnel↓↑Fujioka-bound 1,421mJōetsu-bound 1,450mBSYashiro BS117.187.8○12Kōshoku JCT119.185.8100 km/hTNYakushiyama Tunnel↓↑Fujioka-bound 1,212mJōetsu-bound 1,181mNaganoPAMatsushiro PA123.281.713Nagano ICPref. Route 35 (Nagano Sanada Route)125.179.8○BSWakaho BS130.274.7○14Suzaka-Naganohigashi IC135.069.9SuzakaBSSuzaka BS137.567.4○14-1/PAObuse PA/SICPref. Route 343 (Murayama Obuse Teishajō Route)141.663.3Highway OasisObuseBSObuse BS143.261.7○15Shinshū-Nakano ICPref. Route 29 (Nakano Toyono Route)146.558.4Nakano80 km/hBSNakano BS147.257.7○BRKita-Chikumagawa Bridge↓↑Length - 370mChikuma River crossingCBKaesa Chain Base↓↑16Toyota-Iiyama IC154.250.770 km/hBSToyota BS155.049.9○TNNagae Tunnel↓↑TNSamizu Tunnel↓↑Fujioka-bound 1,415mJōetsu-bound 1,441mIizunaTNYakushidake Tunnel↓↑Fujioka-bound 2,320mJōetsu-bound 2,362mShinanoPAKurohime-Nojiriko PA164.340.6BSKashiwabara BS166.238.7○17Shinanomachi IC167.437.5BRReimei Bridge↓↑Length - 370mSeki River crossingMyōkōNiigata18Myōkōkōgen IC Pref. Route 187 (Ikenotaira Myōkōkōgen Route)172.532.4BSMyōkōkōgen BS↓↑XBus Stop closedSAMyōkō SA179.925.0XBus Stop closed19Nakagō IC184.520.4JōetsuBSNakagō-kita BS↓↑XBus Stop closed19-1/PAArai PA/SICPref. Route 428 (Nishinoyashinden Arai Route)191.913.0XHighway OasisBus Stop closedMyōkōTNKannondaira Tunnel↓↑Length - 1,502m20Jōetsu-Takada ICPref. Route 85 (Jōetsu-Takada Inter Route)199.05.9Jōetsu(31-1)Jōetsu JCT204.90.0
There are also 2 snow chain changing areas between Toyota-Iiyama Interchange and Kurohime-Nojiriko Parking Area, and 1 area between Sakaki Interchange and Ueda-Sugadaira Interchange (Fujioka-bound only).
References
External links
East Nippon Expressway Company