Built over the period 1978–1988, it is one of the three routes of the Honshū–Shikoku Bridge Project connecting Honshū and Shikoku islands and the only one to carry rail traffic.

"[citation needed] While it took a century for this vision of a bridge across the Seto Inland Sea to become reality, another of Ōkubo's ideas, mentioned in a drinking song he composed, was accomplished twenty years sooner: The bridge idea lay dormant for about sixty years.

In 1955, after 171 people died when a ferry wrecked in dense fog off the coast of Takamatsu, a safer crossing was deemed necessary.

However, work was postponed for five years by the "oil shock" of 1973; once the Environment Assessment Report was published in 1978, construction got underway.

[citation needed] Although nets, ropes and other safety measures were employed, 17 workers were killed during the 10 years of construction.