The is an incompleted

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

in the southeastern part of

Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, ...

and the coastal area of

Iwate Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture at , with a population of 1,210,534 (as of October 1, 2020). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefectur ...

in northern

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is owned and operated primarily by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), but has a section maintained by the East Nippon Expressway Company. The route is signed as an auxiliary route of

National Route 45 The following highways are numbered 45: International * Asian Highway 45 * European route E45 * AH45A, Asian Highway 45A Burma *National Road 45 (Burma) Canada * Alberta Highway 45 * Manitoba Highway 45 * Ontario Highway 45 * Saskatchewan Hi ...

as well E45 under MLIT's "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering."

Route description

As of June 2020, the expressway consists of two sections, one that bypasses the central part of

Hachinohe, Aomori is a city located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 221,459, and a population density of 725 persons per km2 in 96,092 households, making it Aomori Prefecture's second largest city by population. The city h ...

and the other travels north from the central part of

Kuji, Iwate is a Japanese city in Iwate Prefecture. , the city had an estimated population of 34,418 in 15,675 households, and a population density of 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Kuji is in far northeastern Iwate Prefect ...

Hachinohe section

The northern terminus of the expressway is at Hachinohe Junction, where the route meets the branch route of the

Hachinohe Expressway The is a 4-laned national expressway in the prefectures of Iwate and Aomori in the Tōhoku region of Japan. It is a spur of the Tōhoku Expressway, primarily serving the city of Hachinohe. Signed as E4A, it is owned and operated by East Nippon E ...

. Near this junction, drivers pass through a toll booth that collects fees based on the distance traveled on the Hachinohe Expressway. From this point, tolls are not incurred for driving on the Hachinohe-Kuji Expressway. Just beyond the toll booth the expressway crosses over the main line of the Hachinohe Expressway. There is no direct access from the Hachinohe-Kuji expressway to the northern terminus of the main line of the Hachinohe Expressway at Hachinohe Interchange. The Hachinohe-Kuji Expressway curves northeast, tunneling below Japan National Route 340. Upon emerging from this tunnel, named Korekawa, the expressway curves back to the east. The route then crosses the Niida River and immediately after has a junction with Aomori Prefecture Route 11 (Kuji Highway). After this, the expressway continues gentling winding in generally in an easterly direction. It then meets Japan National Route 45 at a junction. Curving to the southeast, the two routes parallel one another with Route 45 only a few hundred meters to the west of the expressway. The expressway has one more junction that provides access to scenic spots along the

Tanesashi Coast The is section of the coastline on the Pacific Ocean, located in the southern portion of the city of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. It is extends for from the island of Kabushima south towards the city of ...

. After this junction the expressway meets Route 45 once more at Hashikami Interchange. This point of is the southern terminus of this section of the expressway (as of January 2019).

Kuji section

This section of the expressway begins at an interchange with National Route 45 on the northern edge of Kuji. The entirety of the route closely parallels National Route 45 and later also National Route 395 as it travels south towards the center of Kuji. The expressway is further inland than National Route 395, tunneling through hills to bypass the built-up areas surrounding the parallel route. The route crosses over the

Hachinohe Line The is a railway line in the Tohoku Region of Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Hachinohe Station in Hachinohe, Aomori with Kuji Station in Kuji, Iwate. The line stretches 64.9 km along the Pacific Ocean co ...

before meeting its southern terminus at Kuji Interchange. This is also the southern terminus of the expressway.

History

The Hachinihe-Kuji Expressway has been constructed in several stages. The first one to open in 1993, is the section between Kuji and Kuji-kita interchanges in Kuji. The other sections in Aomori Prefecture were opened between 2013 and 2014. A second section in Kuji opened on 1 March 2020.

Junction list

Distance posts on the Kuji section follow the sequence of those along Route 45, not the expressway.

References

External links

*
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: Tohoku Regional Development Bureau
{{Expressways of Japan Roads in Aomori Prefecture Roads in Iwate Prefecture Expressways in Japan 1993 establishments in Japan