Keinawa Expressway

The Keinawa Expressway (京奈和自動車道, Keinawa Jidōsha-dō) is an expressway in the Kinki region of Japan that connects Kyoto Prefecture to Wakayama Prefecture and its capital city Wakayama. It is numbered "E24" as outlined in the "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering."[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	Jōyō Interchange Shin-Meishin Expressway in Jōyō, Kyoto
South end	Wakayama Junction Hanwa Expressway 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. From Kyoto the expressway travels south through 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 kanji acronym of three characters. The first character represents Kyoto (京都), the second Nara (奈良) and the third character represents Wakayama (和歌山). These are the names of the three prefectures in the Kinki region that the Keinawa Expressway links.

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]

Junction list

Prefecture	Location	km	mi	Exit	Name	Destinations	Notes
Kyoto	Kumiyama					Keiji Bypass	Planned northern terminus
	Jōyō	0	0.0	9	Jōyō	Shin-Meishin Expressway – Kadoma, Kyoto	Current northern terminus
	Kyōtanabe	1.6	0.99	2	Tanabe-kita	Kyoto Prefecture Route 22 – Kyōtanabe, Kizu
		5.1	3.2	3	Tanabe-nishi	National Route 307 – Kyōtanabe, Hirakata	Northbound tollbooth
	Seika	9.0	5.6	4	Seika-shimokoma		Southbound tollbooth
	Kizugawa	12.4	7.7	5	Seika-Gakken	Kyoto Prefecture Route 72 – Kizugawa, Nara
	Seika	4.0	2.5	6	Yamadagawa	National Route 163 – Shijōnawate, Osaka, Nara
	Kizugawa	17.0	10.6	7	Kizu	National Route 24 – Yamatokōriyama, Kizugawa
12.4 km gap in the expressway, connection is made by National Route 24
Nara	Yamatokōriyama	29.4	18.3	4-2	Koriyama-shimotsumichi	Nishi-Meihan Expressway – Osaka, Nagoya	Access only to and from Nishi-Meihan Expressway.
	Tenri	31.0	19.3	8	Koriyama-minami	National Route 24	Traffic continuing to the Kyoto portion of the Keinawa Expressway must exit here.
	Miyake	33.3	20.7	—	Miyake	National Route 24
	Tawaramoto	36.8	22.9	—	Tawaramoto	National Route 24 Nara Prefecture Route 14	Access is available to Nara Prefecture Route 14 via National Route 24.
	Kashihara	38.8	24.1	9	Kashihara-kita	National Route 24
		4.4 km gap in the expressway, connection is made by National Route 24
		43.2	26.8	—	Kashira-Takada	Yamato-Takada Bypass
		46.9	29.1	—	Gose	National Route 24 Nara Prefecture Route 116
	Gose	49.4	30.7	—	Gose-minami	National Route 24 National Route 309
	Gojō	56.6	35.2	10	Gojō-kita	National Route 24
		61.1	38.0	11	Gojō	National Route 310
		63.2	39.3	12	Gojō-nishi
Wakayama	Hashimoto	65.3	40.6	13	Hashimoto-higashi
		70.2	43.6	14	Hashimoto	National Route 371
		75.8	47.1	15	Koyaguchi
	Katsuragi	79.8	49.6	16	Kihoku-Katsuragi
		81.8	50.8	17	Katsuragi-nishi	Wakayama Prefecture Route 125 – Osaka, Izumiōtsu
	Kinokawa	88.2	54.8	18	Kinokawa-higashi	Wakayama Prefecture Route 122
		92.7	57.6	19	Kinokawa	Wakayama Prefecture Route 62
	Iwade	98.4	61.1	20	Iwade-Negoro	Wakayama Prefecture Route 63 – Sennan, Iwade	Tollbooth is located on the Wakayama side of the interchange
	Wakayama	101.6– 104.9	63.1– 65.2	20-1	Wakayama	Hanwa Expressway – Osaka, Shirahama	Southern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access       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