Shuto Expressway

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A map of the Expressway

Shuto Expressway (首都高速道路, Shuto Kōsoku Dōro^?, lit. Metropolitan Expressway) is a network of expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the Metropolitan Expressway Co., Ltd. (首都高速道路株式会社, Shuto Kōsoku Dōro Kabushiki-gaisha^?).

1 Routes
2 History
3 Trivia
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Routes

There are 24 routes currently in operation:

[edit] Circumferential routes

C1 Inner Circular Route
C2 Central Circular Route — loop is currently incomplete
Y Yaesu Route — via Tokyo Expressway

[edit] Radial routes

No. 1 Ueno Route (Edobashi JCT - Iriya)
No. 1 Haneda Route (Hamazaki-bashi JCT - Haneda)
No. 2 Meguro Route (Ichinohashi JCT - Togoshi)
No. 3 Shibuya Route (Tanimachi JCT - Yoga)
No. 4 Shinjuku Route (Miyakezaka JCT - Takaido)
No. 5 Ikebukuro Route (Takebashi JCT - Bijogi JCT)
No. 6 Mukojima Route (Edobashi JCT - Horikiri JCT)
No. 6 Misato Route (Kosuge JCT - Misato JCT)
No. 7 Komatsugawa Route (Ryogoku JCT - Yagochi)
No. 9 Fukagawa Route (Hakozaki JCT - Tatsumi JCT)
No. 10 Harumi Route (under construction)
No. 11 Daiba Route (Shibaura JCT - Ariake JCT)
S1 Kawaguchi Route (Kohoku JCT - Kawaguchi JCT)
S2 Saitama Shintoshin Route (Yono - Saitama-Minuma)
S5 Omiya Route (Bijogi JCT - Yono)
B Bayshore Route (Kawasaki-ukishima JCT - Koya)

[edit] Kanagawa routes

K1 Yokohane Route (Haneda - Ishikawa-cho JCT)
K2 Mitsusawa Route (Kinko JCT - Mitsuzawa)
K3 Kariba Route (Honmoku JCT - Kariba)
K5 Daikoku Route (Namamugi JCT - Daikoku JCT)
K6 Kawasaki Route (Tonomachi - Kawasaki-ukishima JCT)
B Bayshore Route (Namiki - Kawasaki-ukishima JCT) (Yokohama Circular Route (under construction)')

[edit] History

The Metropolitan Expressway was first built between Kyobashi Exit in Chūō-ku, Tokyo and Shibaura Exit in Minato-ku, Tokyo in 1962 for the purpose of increasing traffic flow efficiency in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, thus optimizing and improving the functionality of the traffic system. Since then, 175 miles (280km) of highway network has been built in the Tokyo metropolitan area; 20 miles (32km) more of highway are either constructed or planned, making the Metropolitan Expressway a vast network of urban expressway in the Tokyo region.

Even though a legal amendment on 1 April 2005 generally allows a person aged at least 20 with a motorcycle driver license for at least 3 years to carry a passenger on a two-wheel motorcycle on a freeway, some segments including C1 line of the Shuto Expressway still prohibits passengers on two-wheel motorcycles. See also the map in Japanese. Motorcycles with passengers cannot pass through Shutoko from Tomei Expressway or Chūō Expressway to other expressways.

[edit] Trivia

Like all others expressways in Japan including the Tomei Expressway, the Shuto line has become a common street racing road. One of the line Bayshore Route (or known as the Wangan by hashiriyas) received worldwide notoriety during the 90's was the home course for the MidNight Club, one of the most notorious street racing clubs, who were known for their 187 mph (300 km/h), sometimes 200 mph (320 km/h) exploits.

Portions of the Manga and arcade game Wangan Midnight is based on the Shuto Expressway. C1 Loop is one of the tracks in the game you can drive on.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer, a game similar to Wangan Midnight, also uses the Shuto Expressway for the game.

The Shutoko C1 roads were also released as a driveable racetrack for the F1 race simulations Grand Prix Legends and Racer. Both versions are free.

It also appears on all six installments of the Shuto Kousoku Trial, one of the most controversial films to come out from Japan, made between 1988 and 1996 and is centralised about the expressway and exploits around it.