Urban Expressways (Japan)

Urban expressways (都市高速道路, Toshi Kōsokudōro) are intra-city expressways which are found in many of Japan's largest urban areas.

Due to lack of space many of these expressways are constructed as viaducts running above local roads.

There are other smaller networks in Nagoya, Hiroshima, Kitakyūshū, and Fukuoka.

Currently half of the tolled urban expressways operate on a flat-rate toll system (the toll is the same regardless of the distance travelled on the network), however the Shuto Expressway, Hanshin Expressway and Nagoya Expressway have moved to a distance-based toll system for vehicles equipped with ETC.

Vehicles travelling on these roads not equipped with ETC, must now pay the maximum toll achievable from the entrance the vehicle enters from.