The expressway is officially referred to as the Chūō Expressway Nagano Route. The Chūō Expressway Nagano Route is the official designation for the Chūō Expressway between Takaido Interchange and Okaya Junction (concurrent with the Chūō Expressway Nishinomiya Route), the Nagano Expressway between Okaya Junction and Kōshoku Junction, and the Jōshin-etsu Expressway between Kōshoku Junction and Suzaka-Naganohigashi Interchange (concurrent with the Kan-Etsu Expressway Jōetsu Route).[3]
The route of the expressway runs through the central part of Nagano Prefecture. From the origin at a junction with the Chūō Expressway in the city of Okaya near Lake Suwa, the expressway follows a northerly course to Matsumoto, the major city in the central Nagano area. From here the expressway follows a winding northeasterly course through mountainous areas before reaching the terminus in the city of Chikuma. Beyond the terminus, the roadway continues as the Jōshin-etsu Expressway towards the city of Nagano, the prefectural capital.
History
March 25, 1986 - Okaya Junction - Okaya Interchange section is opened as part of the Chūō Expressway.
March 5, 1988 - Okaya Interchange - Matsumoto Interchange section is opened, Okaya Junction - Okaya Interchange section is incorporated as part of the Nagano Expressway.
August 3, 1988 - Matsumoto Interchange - Toyoshina Interchange section is opened.
March 25, 1993 - Toyoshina Interchange - Kōshoku Junction section is opened, connects with Jōshin-etsu Expressway.
October 1, 2006 - Obasute Smart Interchange is opened at Obasute Service Area.
^Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Kanto Regional Development Bureau. "Road Timetable" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2004-06-04. Retrieved 2008-04-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
