The route is signed E41 under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering.

The expressway begins at a junction with the Meishin Expressway to the northwest of the Nagoya urban area and follows a northerly course into Gifu Prefecture, passing the capital Gifu and heading further north into the mountainous Hida region.

A total of 1.22 trillion yen was spent on planning and construction of the expressway over 36 years.

Construction to expand the route to 4 lanes is currently underway on the section between Fukubegatake Parking Area and Shirotori Interchange.

Trucks carrying hazardous materials are forbidden from using the tunnel and must use alternate routes.