The Loop Route (環状線, Kanjō-sen), signed as Route 1, is one of the expressway routes of the Hanshin Expressway system serving the Keihanshin area of Japan. The route forms a complete loop that travels only in a clockwise direction around central Osaka, passing through the wards of Chūō-ku, Kita-ku, Naniwa-ku, and Nishi-ku with a total length of 10.3 kilometers (6.4 mi).[1]
 阪神高速1号環状線 | |
|---|---|
 Central Osaka with the Loop Route highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by Hanshin Expressway Company, Limited | |
| Length | 10.3 km (6.4 mi) |
| Existed | 1964–present |
| Major junctions | |
| Beltway around Osaka | |
| Location | |
| Country | Japan |
| Highway system | |
History
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In 1964, the first section of the Loop Route and the Hanshin Expressway system opened.[2]
The expressway was popular among street racers in the 1980s, but the illegal activity declined after police began heavily patrolling the route and the stagnation of Japan's economy set in during the Lost Decade.[3]
List of interchanges
editThe entire expressway lies within Osaka in Osaka Prefecture
| Location | km | mi | Exit | Name | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naniwa-ku | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1-01 | Minatomachi | Sennichimae-dōri – Minatomachi | Entrance from Sakai Route | |
| Nishi-ku | 0.9 | 0.56 | 1-02 | Yotsubashi | Unnamed streets | Entrance only | |
| Nishi-ku / Chūō-ku | 1.6 | 0.99 | 1-03 | Shinanobashi | Chūō-Ōdōri | ||
| Chūō-ku | 1.6 | 0.99 | – | Nishisenba |    Higashi-Osaka Route – to Kinki Expressway, Daini Hanna Road, Nara     Ōsakakō Route – to Kansai International Airport, Kobe Route, Bayshore Route, Kobe | ||
| 2.5 | 1.6 | 1-04 | Tosabori | Unnamed streets | Exit only | ||
| Chūō-ku / Kita-ku | 3.0 | 1.9 | – | Nakanoshima |   Ikeda Route north – to Osaka Airport, Meishin Expressway, Ikeda | ||
| Kita-ku | 3.3 | 2.1 | 1-05 | Dōjima | Yotsubashisuji | Entrance only | |
| 3.8 | 2.4 | 1-06 | Kitahama | Osaka Prefecture Route 102 (Sakaisuji) | Exit only | ||
| 4.2 | 2.6 | – | Tenjinbashi |  Moriguchi Route north – to Kinki Expressway, Moriguchi | |||
| Chūō-ku | 4.9 | 3.0 | 1-07 | Kōraibashi | Unnamed streets | Entrance only | |
| 5.0 | 3.1 | 1-08 | Honmachi | Unnamed streets | Exit only | ||
| 5.6 | 3.5 | – | Higashisenba | Higashi-Osaka Route – to Kansai Airport, Osaka Airport, Osakako Route, Kinki Expressway, Tempozan, Izumisano, Kobe, Nara | |||
| 6.1 | 3.8 | 1-09 | Nagahori | Unnamed streets | Entrance only | ||
| 6.6 | 4.1 | 1-10 | Dōtonbori | Unnamed streets | Exit only | ||
| 6.9 | 4.3 | – | Kōdzu |  Sakai Route south – Sakai | |||
| Naniwa-ku | 7.8 | 4.8 | 1-12 | Yūhigaoka | Osaka Prefecture Route 102 | ||
| 8.4 | 5.2 | – | Ebisu |   Matsubara Route south – to Nishi-Meihan Expressway, Hanwa Expressway, Matsubara, Tennoji | |||
| 8.8 | 5.5 | 1-13 | Ebisu-chō | Unnamed streets | Entrance only | ||
| 9.1 | 5.7 | 1-14 | Nanba | Unnamed streets | Exit only | ||
| 10.3 | 6.4 | – | Minatomachi | Sakai Route south – Sakai | |||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||||
In fiction
edit- In Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune, the Loop Route is a playable course[4]
See also
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References
edit- ^ "環状線詳細図" [Detail map of the Loop Route] (PDF) (in Japanese). April 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ "Since 1950s-1970". Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ Park Baker (26 November 2019). "Enchanted by the Osaka Kanjo Loop". Option Tokyo. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ "WANGAN MIDNIGHT MAXIMUM TUNE 6｜Course Guide". WANGAN MIDNIGHT MAXIMUM TUNE 6 (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 August 2021.
External links
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Media related to Category:Hanshin Expressway Route 1 Loop Route at Wikimedia Commons
