Jōban Expressway

The Jōban Expressway (常磐自動車道, Jōban Jidōsha-dō^?), abbreviated Jōban-dō (常磐道^?), is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.

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: Hitachi Province (常陸国^?) representing present-day Ibaraki Prefecture and Iwaki Province (磐城国^?) 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.^[2] 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.

Overview

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. Most of the route beyond Iwaki is incomplete; when completed the expressway will reach the greater Sendai area. The expressway will also supplement 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 first section of the expressway was opened in 1981. The section from Jōban-Tomioka Interchange to Watari Interchange is under construction,^[3] and extensions and upgrades to the existing Sendai road network are also planned.^[4]

List of interchanges and features

• IC - interchange, SIC - smart interchange, JCT - junction, SA - service area, PA - parking area, BS - bus stop, TN - tunnel, BR - bridge, TB - toll gate

Main Route (Misato JCT - Watari IC)

Sendai Area (Watari IC - Tomiya-kita IC)

• Watari IC - Sendaikō-kita IC : Sendai-Tōbu Road
• Sendaikō-kita IC - Rifu JCT : Sanriku Expressway (Senen Road)
• Rifu JCT - Tomiya-kita IC : Sendai-Hokubu Road

References

1. ^ "E-NEXCO Expressway Data". http://www.e-nexco.co.jp/more_expressway/data/. Retrieved 2008-04-13. 
2. ^ Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. "High Standard Trunk Road Map" (pdf). http://www.mlit.go.jp/road/ir/ir-yosan/h20/s07.pdf. Retrieved 2008-04-13. 
3. ^ "E-NEXCO Opening Schedule". http://www.e-nexco.co.jp/open_schedule/tohoku/. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
4. ^ Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Tohoku Regional Development Bureau. "Sendai Hokubu Road Profile". Archived from the original on 2008-04-02. http://web.archive.org/web/20080402094437/http://www.thr.mlit.go.jp/sendai/hp/kanjou/hokubu/index.html. Retrieved 2008-04-16. 

External links

• (Japanese) East Nippon Expressway Company