Jōban Expressway Explained

Country:JPN
Type:Expressway
Route:Jōban
Map Custom:yes
Length Km:300.4
Length Ref:[1]
Established:1981[2]
Direction A:South
Terminus A:Misato Junction
Shuto Expressway Misato Route

in Misato, Saitama
Cities:Kashiwa, Tsukuba, Tsuchiura, Mito, Hitachi, Iwaki, Natori, Sendai
Direction B:North
Terminus B:Watari Interchange

Miyagi Prefecture Route 269
in Watari, Miyagi

The, abbreviated, is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company. It is signed E6 under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering."[3]

Route description

The expressway is an important route connecting the greater Tokyo area with Mito, the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture. Beyond Mito, the expressway follows a northerly route along the coast of the Pacific Ocean to the city of Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture. Continuing north along the coast, the expressway enters the greater Sendai area. The expressway supplements the Tōhoku Expressway as an access route between Tokyo and the Tōhoku region.

For most of its length the expressway parallels National Route 6 and the Jōban Line of East Japan Railway Company.

The expressway gets within about six kilometers from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. On a 14.3km (08.9miles) of the expressway opened on 1 March 2015, signs update drivers about what the radiation level is in the impacted area.[4]

Naming

Jōban is a kanji acronym consisting of two characters. Each character represents a former province of Japan that is passed through by the route: representing present-day Ibaraki Prefecture and representing the eastern portion of present-day Fukushima Prefecture

The expressway carries the Jōban Expressway name from the origin at Misato Junction to Watari Interchange. From Watari Interchange to the expected terminus at Tomiya-kita Interchange, the Jōban Expressway name is currently an official designation only.[5] The section from Watari Interchange to Sendaikō-kita Interchange is the Sendai-Tōbu Road, the section from Sendaikō-kita Interchange to Rifu Junction is the Sanriku Expressway (Senen Road), and the section from Rifu Junction to the terminus is the Sendai-Hokubu Road. It is unknown if the naming of these sections will be changed upon completion of the Jōban Expressway.

The expressway has a speed limit of 70 km/h between Iwaki-chūō Interchange and its northern terminus at Watari, a limit of 80 km/h between its southern terminus and Kashiwa Interchange and between Hitachiminami-Ōta and Iwaki-chūō interchanges, and a speed limit of 100 km/h on the remainder of the expressway.

History

The first section of the expressway was opened in 1981. The section from Jōban-Tomioka Interchange to Watari Interchange is under construction,[6] and extensions and upgrades to the existing Sendai road network are also planned.[7]

Incidents and closures

During the 13 February 2021 Fukushima earthquake, landslides buried parts of the expressway, and embankments along it collapsed; however, no vehicles were trapped inside the debris. A 10m (30feet) section of the expressway at another location was uplifted.[8] The damages facilitated the closure of the expressway between Shinchi and Sōma interchanges in Fukushima Prefecture. In response, the East Nippon Expressway Company deployed heavy equipment to remove boulders and clear up debris along the expressway.[9] By 17 February, the blockages along the expressway were cleared allowing traffic to resume along the route. Fences were also erected along the stricken sections of the expressway to prevent further rockslides.[10]

List of junctions and features

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External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: E-NEXCO Expressway Data . 2008-04-13 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071213220411/http://www.e-nexco.co.jp/more_expressway/data/ . 2007-12-13 .
  2. Web site: History of Tsukuba City . 2008-04-16 .
  3. Web site: Japan's Expressway Numbering System. www.mlit.go.jp.
  4. Web site: Highway to Open Near Fukushima Nuclear Plant; No Exits Allowed. Jun Hongo. The Wall Street Journal. 19 February 2015. 11 October 2019.
  5. Web site: High Standard Trunk Road Map . Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport . 2008-04-13 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110920095900/http://www.mlit.go.jp/road/ir/ir-yosan/h20/s07.pdf . September 20, 2011 .
  6. Web site: E-NEXCO Opening Schedule . 2008-04-15 .
  7. Web site: Sendai Hokubu Road Profile . Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Tohoku Regional Development Bureau . 2008-04-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080402094437/http://www.thr.mlit.go.jp/sendai/hp/kanjou/hokubu/index.html . 2008-04-02 . dead .
  8. News: Quake causes damage to expressway. NHK World-Japan. 14 February 2021. 24 February 2021.
  9. News: Japan braces for aftershocks as M7.3 quake injures over 150. 24 February 2021. Kyodo News. 14 February 2021.
  10. News: 常磐道、4日ぶり開通 新幹線は一部見合わせ続く. Jōban Expressway opens for the first time in 4 days. Part of the Shinkansen continues to be suspended.. Jiji Press. ja. 17 February 2021. 24 February 2021.