The Hanwa Expressway (阪和自動車道, Hanwa Jidōsha-dō) is a national expressway in the Kinki region of Japan. It is owned and operated by West Nippon Expressway Company.

Hanwa Expressway sign
Hanwa Expressway
阪和自動車道 E42 E42
Map
Route information
Length128.4 km (79.8 mi)
Existed1974–present
Major junctions
FromMatsubara Junction in Matsubara, Osaka
Kinki Expressway
Nishi-Meihan Expressway
Hanshin Expressway Route 14 Matsubara Route
ToNanki-Tanabe Interchange in Tanabe
E42 Kisei Expressway
Location
CountryJapan
Major citiesSakai, Wakayama
Highway system

Naming

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Hanwa is a kanji acronym of two characters. The first character represents Osaka (大) and the second character represents Wakayama (歌山).

Officially, the route is designated as the Kinki Expressway Matsubara Nachikatsuura Route, however this designation does not appear on any signage.

Overview

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The expressway is an important route connecting the greater Osaka area with Wakayama, the capital of Wakayama Prefecture. Beyond Wakayama, the route follows a southerly course parallel to the Pacific Ocean to its terminus with National Route 42 in Tanabe.

The first section of the expressway was opened to traffic in 1974. The final section of the expressway (5.8 km between Minabe Interchange and Nanki-Tanabe Interchange) was opened on November 11, 2007.

The expressway is 6 lanes from Matsubara Junction to Sakai Junction, 4 lanes from Sakai Junction to Arida Interchange and the remainder is 2 lanes. Construction to expand the route to 4 lanes is currently underway on the section between Arida Interchange and Gobō Interchange. The speed limit is 80 km/h on 4 to 6-laned sections and 70 km/h on 2-laned sections.

List of interchanges and features

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No. Name Connections Dist. from
Origin
Bus Stop Notes Location
  Through to Kinki Expressway
10 Matsubara JCT   Nishi-Meihan Expressway
 Hanshin Expressway Route 14 Matsubara Route
0.0 Matsubara Osaka
11 Matsubara IC Pref. Route 2 (Osaka Chūō Kanjōsen) 0.9 Northbound entrance only
12 Mihara-kita IC Pref. Route 36 (Izumiotsu Mihara Route) 3.9 Tanabe-bound exit, Matsubara-bound entrance only Sakai
12-1 Mihara JCT   Minami-Hanna Road 4.4
13 Mihara-minami IC Pref. Route 36 (Izumiotsu Mihara Route) 6.1 Matsubara-bound exit, Tanabe-bound entrance only
Sakai TB Matsubara-bound only
14 Sakai JCT   Sakai Senboku Road 12.4 Tanabe-bound exit, Matsubara-bound entrance only
15 Sakai IC Pref. Route 61 (Sakai Katsuragi Route) 13.2
16 Kishiwada-Izumi IC Pref. Route 230 (Haruki Kishiwada Route) 23.3 Matsubara-bound exit, Tanabe-bound entrance only Izumi
Kishiwada TB Tanabe-bound only Kishiwada
SA Kishiwada SA 28.2
17 Kaizuka IC Pref. Route 40 (Kishiwada Ushitakiyama Kaizuka Route) 32.4 Kaizuka
18 Izumisano JCT   Kansai-Kūkō Expressway 38.7 Izumisano
19 Sennan IC Pref. Route 63 (Izumisano Iwade Route) 44.6 Tanabe-bound exit, Matsubara-bound entrance only Sennan
20 Hannan IC
Bus Stop
Pref. Route 256 (Higashi-Tottori Nankai Route)
Pref. Route 257 (Jinenda Tottorinoshō Teishajō Route)
46.3 X Bus Stop Closed Hannan
20-1 Wakayama JCT   Keinawa Expressway
  Kitan Connecting Road (planned)
52.6 Matsubara-bound only Wakayama Wakayama
SA Kinokawa SA 55.0 Wakayama JCT←→SA: no access
20-1 Wakayama JCT   Keinawa Expressway
  Kitan Connecting Road (planned)
55.8 Tanabe-bound only
BS Kii Bus Stop X Closed
20-2 Wakayama-kita IC Pref. Route 139 (Azushima Funadokoro Route) 58.7 Tanabe-bound exit, Matsubara-bound entrance only
21 Wakayama IC   National Route 24 (Wakayama Bypass) 60.6
BS Narukami Bus Stop S
BS Kishū Okazaki Bus Stop X Closed
21-1 Wakayama-minami SIC Pref. Route 13 (Wakayama Hashimoto Route) 65.0
22 Kainan-higashi IC Pref. Route 18 (Kainan Kanaya Route) 70.8 Tanabe-bound exit, Matsubara-bound entrance only Kainan
BS Kainan Higashi Bus Stop X Closed
23 Kainan IC   National Route 42 73.6
24 Shimotsu IC Pref. Route 166 (Oki Kamogō Teishajō Route) 75.9 Tanabe-bound exit, Matsubara-bound entrance only
25 Arida IC Pref. Route 22 (Kibi Kanaya Route)
  National Route 42
83.0 Matsubara-bound entrance only Aridagawa
26 Arida-minami IC 84.0 Matsubara-bound exit, Tanabe-bound entrance only
PA Kibi Yuasa PA 85.6
27 Yuasa IC 86.6 Tanabe-bound exit, Matsubara-bound entrance only Yuasa
28 Hirokawa IC   National Route 42 89.1 Hirogawa
28-1 Minami-Hirokawa IC Pref. Route 176 (Iseki Gobō Route) 93.6 Tanabe-bound exit, Matsubara-bound entrance only
29 Kawabe IC Pref. Route 190 (Gengo Komatsubaru Route) 97.5 Tanabe-bound exit, Matsubara-bound entrance only Hidakagawa
30 Gobō IC Pref. Route 27 (Hidaka Inami Route) 101.7 Gobō
31 Gobō-minami IC Pref. Route 25 (Gobō Nakatsu Route) 103.1 Matsubara-bound exit, Tanabe-bound entrance only
32 Inami IC Pref. Route 28 (Inami Harainami Route) 111.5 Inami
BS Inami SA
Bus Stop
113.9 S
33 Minabe IC   National Route 424 123.1 Minabe
34 Nanki-Tanabe IC   National Route 42 (Tanabe Nishi Bypass) 128.9 Tanabe
Through to   Kisei Expressway
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