Edobashi Junction

The first junction ever built on the Shuto Expressway, opened on 21 December 1963 above the Nihonbashi River in Chuo City, where the Inner Circular Route (C1) and several radial lines converge at one of central Tokyo's most consistently congested interchange points.

Tokyo’s First Expressway Junction

In Nihonbashi, Chuo City, where a quiet branch of the Sumida River called the Nihonbashi River flows beneath layers of elevated roadway, stands the junction that started it all. Edobashi Junction opened on 21 December 1963 as the very first interchange on the Shuto Expressway network. In the midst of a breakneck construction drive ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, this crossing above the Nihonbashi River became the earliest point where the Inner Circular Route (C1) met the radial lines fanning out across the metropolitan area.

The elevated structure above the river — its dense forest of piers and girders filling the space between the water and the sky — remains almost unchanged from its original form. It stands as a monument to the energy and speed with which Tokyo built its expressway system in the early 1960s. The name “Edobashi” recalls a bridge that once spanned this branch of the river during the Edo period; today the overpass that bears that name commands far more attention than any bridge ever did.

Where Radial Routes Converge

Edobashi Junction has long been one of the most reliable congestion spots on the Shuto network, and the reason is straightforward: several major radial routes — including Route 1 (Ueno Line) and Route 6 (Mukojima Line) — branch from the Inner Circular Route here, concentrating traffic from all corners of the metropolitan area at a single node. During evening peak hours, tailbacks from Edobashi regularly extend upstream as far as Takebashi Junction, a stretch that appears in Tokyo traffic bulletins with notable frequency.

The junction is not a full interchange: some route-to-route transfers are not possible in a single move, a constraint that reflects the spatial realities of building above an active river. That layout — born of both ambition and improvisation — remains characteristic of the earliest phase of Shuto construction. Every congestion report mentioning Edobashi is a small reminder that much of Tokyo’s daily rhythm still depends on decisions made in the 1960s.

Summary

Edobashi Junction, opened 21 December 1963 above the Nihonbashi River in Chuo City, was the first interchange built on the Shuto Expressway, and it remains the pivot where the Inner Circular Route meets several of its radial branches. The overpass towering over the Nihonbashi River is a time capsule of 1960s Tokyo — and a time-limited one: a major project is currently underway to move the expressway underground and dismantle the elevated structure by 2040 (Nihonbashi Expressway Undergrounding). Walking the Nihonbashi riverbank now offers one of the last unhurried chances to see the stacked ramps at full scale.

Related: Inner Circular Route (C1) / Hakozaki Junction

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