Keinawa Expressway

The Keinawa Expressway (京奈和自動車道, Keinawa jidōsha-dō) is a 104.9-km-long (65.2 mile) north–south (physically northeast–southwest) National Highway with access control (一般国道自動車専用道路 Ippan-kokudō jidōsha-sen-yō-dōro) in the Kinki region of Japan that connects Kyoto Prefecture to Wakayama Prefecture via Nara Prefecture. It is numbered "E24" under Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "Expressway Numbering Systemg."[1]

Keinawa Expressway
京奈和自動車道 (Keinawa jidōsha-dō)
Route information
Length	104.9 km (65.2 mi)
Existed	1988–present
Component highways	National Route 24
Major junctions
North end	National Route 24 at Joyo Interchange in Jōyō
	Shin-Meishin Expressway in Jōyō National Route 307 in Kyōtanabe National Route 163 in Kizugawa Nishi-Meihan Expressway in Yamatokōriyama National Route 24 / National Route 165 in Kashihara National Route 309 in Gose National Route 310 in Gojō National Route 371 in Hashimoto National Route 480 in Katsuragi
South end	Hanwa Expressway at Wakayama Junction in Wakayama, Wakayama
Highway system
National highways of Japan Expressways of Japan

Route description

The Keinawa Expressway at Hashimoto-higashi IC in Hashimoto, Wakayama

The Keinawa Expressway generally follows the path of Japan National Route 24 from Kyoto to Wakayama. It begins at an interchange with the Shin-Meishin Expressway near Kyoto City. From Kyoto the expressway travels south through Kansai Science City and Nara Prefecture, then crosses into Wakayama where it runs along the southern side of the Kisen Alps while travelling southwest towards Wakayama where it comes to an end at a junction with the Hanwa Expressway. There are some gaps in the expressway that are linked by the previously named national highway. The purpose of this route is to serve as a high-speed route from Kyoto to Wakayama, bypassing Osaka to the west.

Naming

The name Keinawa is a Sino-Japanese pronunciation of a three-character kanji acronym for Kyoto, Nara, and Wakayama (京奈和) that are the names of the three prefectures in the Kinki region that the Keinawa Expressway links. The first character of the three-character kanji that represents Kyoto (京都) is pronounced as kei, whereas the second character of the kanji that represents Nara (奈良) and the third character of it represents Wakayama (和歌山) are pronounced as na and wa respectively.

History

The highway was first proposed in 1973 as bypasses in the Kinki region that were not connected. The first section of the expressway connecting Jōyō, Kyoto and Kyotanabe, Kyoto was opened in 1988.[2] The most recent section to open as of May 2018 was between the southern terminus with the Hanwa Expressway and Iwade-Negoro in Wakayama.[3]

Interchange list

Prefecture	Location	km	mi	Exit	Name	Destinations	Notes
Kyoto	Jōyō	0	0.0	9	Joyo	National Route 24 – Kyoto, Nara	Northern terminus; northern terminus of Keina Road
				9	Joyo Junction	Shin-Meishin Expressway – Kadoma, Kyoto City
	Kyōtanabe	1.6	0.99	2	Tanabe-kita	Tanabe-kita, Yawata	Toll outbound (southbound) exit and inbound (northbound) entrance
				Tanabe-nishi Toll Gate (inbound (northbound))
		5.1	3.2	3	Tanabe-nishi	National Route 307 – Tanabe-nishi, Hirakata	Toll exits and outbound (southbound) entrance
	Seika	9.0	5.6	4	Seika-Shimokoma	Seika-Shimokoma	Toll exits and inbound (northbound) entrance
				Seika-Shimokoma Toll Gate (outbound (southbound))
	Kizugawa	12.4	7.7	5	Seika-Gakken	Seika-Gakken	Toll inbound (northbound) exit and outbound (southbound) entrance
	Seika	14.0	8.7	6	Yamadagawa	National Route 163 – Yamadagawa
	Kizugawa	17.0	10.6	7	Kizu	National Route 24 – Kizu, Nara	Toll outbound (southbound) exit and inbound (northbound) entrance; southern terminus of Keina Road
Nara	Nara			–	Nara-kita		Inbound (northbound) exit and outbound (southbound) entrance; northern terminus of Yamato-kita Road (under construction)
		6.1 km gap in the expressway, connection is made by National Route 24
		23.1	14.4	–	Nara
		2.0 km gap in the expressway, connection is made by National Route 24
	Yamatokōriyama	25.1	15.6	–	Yamatokoriyama-kita
		3.7 km gap in the expressway, connection is made by National Route 24
		28.8	17.9	–	Yamatokoriyama		Outbound (southbound) exit and inbound (northbound) entrance
		0.6 km gap in the expressway, connection is made by National Route 24
		29.4	18.3	4-2	Koriyama-shimotsumichi Junction	Nishi-Meihan Expressway – Osaka, Nagoya	Toll westbound exit and southbound entrance from eastbound only; southern terminus of Yamato-kita Road (under construction); northern terminus of Yamato-Gojo Road
	Tenri	31.0	19.3	8	Koriyama-minami	National Route 24 – Koriyama-minami, Nara	Inbound (northbound) exit and outbound (southbound) entrance; traffic continuing to the Kyoto portion (Keina Road) of the Keinawa Expressway must exit here
	Miyake	33.3	20.7	–	Miyake	Miyake, Tawaramoto	Outbound (southbound) exit and inbound (northbound) entrance
	Tawaramoto	36.8	22.9	–	Tawaramoto	奈良県道14号標識 National Route 24 to Nara Prefecture Route 14 – Tawaramoto	Inbound (northbound) exit and outbound (southbound) entrance
	Kashihara	38.8	24.1	9	Kashihara-kita	National Route 24 – Kashihara-kita, Yamatotakada	Outbound (southbound) exit and inbound (northbound) entrance
		4.4 km gap in the expressway, connection is made by National Route 24
		43.2	26.8	–	Kashihara-Takada	National Route 24 / National Route 165 (Yamato-Takada Bypass) – Kashihara, Yamatotakada	Inbound (northbound) exit and outbound (southbound) entrance
		46.9	29.1	–	Gose	National Route 24 – Gose, Takatori
	Gose	49.4	30.7	–	Gose-minami	National Route 24 / National Route 309 – Gose-minami, Oyodo	Outbound (southbound) exit and inbound (northbound) entrance
				Gose-minami Parking Area as Gosenosato Rest Area (inbound (northbound))
				Koseyama Tunnel
				Asamachi Tunnel
				Kamokimi Tunnel
	Gojō	56.6	35.2	10	Gojo-kita	National Route 24 – Gojo-kita, Oyodo	Southern terminus of Yamato-Gojo Road; northern terminus of Gojo Road
		61.1	38.0	11	Gojo	National Route 310 to National Route 168 – Gojo, Totsukawa, Kawachinagano
				Kamanokubo-higashi Tunnel
		63.2	39.3	12	Gojo-nishi	National Route 24 – Gojo-nishi	Outbound (southbound) exit and inbound (northbound) entrance; southern terminus of Gojo Road; northern terminus of Hashimoto Road
				Hatakeda Tunnel
Wakayama	Hashimoto	65.3	40.6	13	Hashimoto-higashi	National Route 24 – Hashimoto-higashi
		70.2	43.6	14	Hashimoto	National Route 371 to National Route 24 – Hashimoto, Koya
		75.8	47.1	15	Koyaguchi	National Route 24 – Koyaguchi, Kudoyama	Southern terminus of Hashimoto Road; northern terminus of Kihoku-higashi Road
	Katsuragi	79.8	49.6	16	Kihoku-Katsuragi	National Route 24 – Kihoku-Katsuragi, Koya
				Parking Area as Michi-no-eki Katsuragi-nishi Rest Area
		81.8	50.8	17	Katsuragi-nishi	Katsuragi-nishi
	Kinokawa	88.2	54.8	18	Kinokawa-higashi	National Route 24 – Kinokawa-higashi
		92.7	57.6	19	Kinokawa	National Route 24 – Kinokawa	Southern terminus of Kihoku-higashi Road; northern terminus of Kihoku-nishi Road
				Shirutani Tunnel
				Kasugayamajo Castle Tunnel
				Negoro Tunnel
	Iwade	98.4	61.1	20	Iwade-Negoro	National Route 24 – Iwade, Negoro
				Iwade-Negoro Toll Gate (northern terminus of ticketed system)
				Iwade Tunnel
	Wakayama	101.6– 104.9	63.1– 65.2	20-1	Wakayama Junction	Hanwa Expressway – Hannan, Osaka, Wakayama, Shirahama;	Southern terminus; southern terminus of Kihoku-nishi Road
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access       Tolled       Unopened

References

1. "Japan's Expressway Numbering System". Mlit.go.jp.
2. "平成２０年度予算の新規事業採択について" (PDF). Kkr.mlit.go.jp. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
3. "京け い奈和な わ自動車道 紀北西き ほ く に し道路３月１８日（土）岩出い わ で根来ね ご ろIC～和歌山わ か やまJCTが開通します！～今回の開通により、阪和自動車道・京奈和自動車道が接続～" (PDF). Kkr.mlit.go.jp. Retrieved 26 August 2018.

See also

• Transport in Greater Osaka
• West Nippon Expressway Company