The is an incomplete
two-lane national
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
Oshima Subprefecture
is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. As of 2004 it had a population of 456,621 and an area of 3,715.38 km2.
Hakodate Airport is located in the City of Hakodate.
Geography
The subprefecture is located on the Oshima Penins ...
of
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The la ...
,
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 by
and is signed E5A as an extension of the
Hokkaido Expressway under the "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering."
Route description
Officially, the current (as of January 2019) section of expressway open is known as the Hakodate-Moheji Road. It is long. The speed limit is set at 100 km/h along its entirety. With the exception of a short section at Hakodate Junction, the expressway only has one lane in each direction.
The roads northern terminus is at an interchange with
Hakodate Shindō, a southern extension of the
Hokkaido Expressway. From here the road travels west out of
Hakodate
is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...
and in to
Hokuto. Upon entering Hokuto it has a junction with
Japan National Route 227. It then crosses the Kunebetsu and Ōno rivers before another junction, this time with Hokkaido Route 96. From here, the route curves to the southwest, roughly paralleling the
Hokkaido Shinkansen
The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line that links up with the Tōhoku Shinkansen in northern Aomori Prefecture in Honshu and continues on into the interior of Hokkaido through the undersea Seikan Tunnel. Construction started in May ...
rail line, while the older
Esashi Line
The is a Japanese railway line formerly operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). It connected (near Hakodate) and .
The section between and closed in May 2014, and the remainder was transferred to third-sector operator South Hokk ...
winds back and forth alongside the expressway. The expressway abruptly meets in temporary southern terminus at Hokkaido Route 1167 in the southern part of Hokuto near
Moheji Station.
History
The expressway was first opened between Hakodate Junction and Hokuto-chūō Interchange in 2003. At the time of construction, the open interchanges in Hokuto had different names. Those interchanges were renamed Hokuto-Oiwake and Hokuto-chūō in October 2009. Shortly after, in November of the same year, the expressway was extended to Hokuto-Tomigawa. Most recently, in March of 2012 the expressway was extended to Hokuto-Moheji.
Future
Construction is underway to extend the expressway to
Kikonai; however, progress was delayed due to the finding of
Jōmon period
The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between 6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, which reached a c ...
relics in the construction area. The expected completion date for this extension is 2021.
Junction list
The entire expressway is in
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The la ...
.
, colspan="8" style="text-align: center;", Through to (Hakodate Shinsotokan Road)
References
External links
{{Expressways of Japan
Expressways in Japan
Roads in Hokkaido
Proposed roads in Japan