Frequent volcanic activity from Mount Usu to the south also increased the demand of such a high-speed route.

It travels through many tunnels curving first to the west, then the northwest, and finally back to the west near Shioya Station on the Hakodate Main Line.

Continuing west through more tunnel, the expressway crosses into the town of Yoichi where it comes to its temporary western terminus at Hokkaido Route 753.

[5] The expressway is planned to be extended from its current western terminus (as of January 2019) in Yoichi southwest to National Route 5 in Kutchan.

The proposed length of the completed expressway is 62.4 kilometres (38.8 mi).