Hanwa Expressway

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The Hanwa Expressway (阪和自動車道) is a national expressway in Japan’s Kinki region, running 128.4 km from Matsubara in Osaka to Tanabe in Wakayama along the Pacific coast. It connects the Osaka area with Wakayama Prefecture and continues to National Route 42 in Tanabe. Officially it’s named the Kinki Expressway Matsubara Nachikatsuura Route, but this designation isn’t shown on signs. The first section opened in 1974, and the last 5.8 km between Minabe Interchange and Nanki-Tanabe Interchange opened on November 11, 2007. The road has six lanes from Matsubara Junction to Sakai Junction, four lanes from Sakai to Arida Interchange, and two lanes beyond. A project to expand the Arida to Gobō section to four lanes is underway. Speed limits are 80 km/h on the wider sections and 70 km/h on the two-lane parts. The expressway is owned by West Nippon Expressway Company. The name Hanwa comes from Osaka (大阪) and Wakayama (和歌山). Major junctions include Matsubara Junction (connecting to the Kinki Expressway, Nishi-Meihan Expressway, and Hanshin Expressway Route 14 Matsubara Route). The major cities along the route are Sakai and Wakayama.