The Michinoku Toll Road (みちのく有料道路 ''Michinoku Yūryōdōro'') is a two-lane toll road in

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, ...

connecting the cities

Aomori is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 278,964 in 136,457 households, and a population density of 340 people per square kilometer spread over the city's total area of ...

and

Hachinohe 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 ...

via

Shichinohe is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 15,286, and a population density of 45 persons per km2, in 6,797 households. The total area of the town is . Geography Shichinohe is in central Aomori Pref ...

. It serves as an alternative to

Japan National Route 4 is a major national highway in eastern Honshū, Japan. Measuring it is the longest highway in the country. When oversea routes are included, it is the second longest highway in Japan, with National Route 58 then measuring because of its mar ...

, bypassing the towns

Hiranai ( ain, ピラナィ, piranay) is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan and a part of the Aomori metropolitan area. , the town had an estimated population of 10,460 in 4,860 households, and a population density of 48 persons per km². It i ...

and

Noheji is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 12,956, and a population density of 168 persons per km2 in 6,466 households. The total area of the town is . Geography Noheji occupies the southeastern coa ...

by cutting directly through the

Hakkōda Mountains The are an active volcanic complex in south-central Aomori Prefecture, Japan, in Towada-Hachimantai National Park. Often called or simply , the mountains are collectively listed as one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. Its highest peak, ...

and other mountains of the northern Ōu Mountain Range. The road is managed by the Aomori Prefecture Road Corporation and is numbered E4A as an extension of the

Tōhoku Expressway The is a south-north national expressway, and the longest expressway in Japan at . Its southern terminus is in Kawaguchi, Saitama in the Greater Tokyo Area, at the Tokyo Gaikan Expressway and Kawaguchi Route near Araijuku Station, and its no ...

Tolls

The toll gate for the Michinoku Toll Road does not accept ETC payment. The tolls are set to expire in 2029. *Standard-sized car: ¥850 *Large vehicles with 4 axles or less: ¥1300 *Large vehicles with 5 or more axles: ¥3020 *

Kei car Kei car (or , kanji: , "light automobile", ), known variously outside Japan as Japanese city car or Japanese microcar, is the Japanese vehicle category for the smallest highway-legal passenger cars with restricted dimensions and engine capacit ...

: ¥640 *Light vehicles, etc.: ¥80

Route description

From Aomori, the Michinoku Toll Road begins 2 kilometers east of the

Aomori-higashi Interchange The is the eastern terminus of the Aomori Expressway, a two-lane national expressway in Aomori, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company. There is no toll gate at the interchange; drivers pay to use the ...

. The connection between the two routes is made by Aomori Prefecture Route 123, which makes its way north to Hiranai at the beginning of the Michinoku Toll Road. The speed limit for the toll road is 60 km/h. As it ascends into the Hakkoda Mountains heading east, going through a short tunnel. Just ahead of the tunnel is the road's toll booth. There are two gates servicing traffic in each direction. After the booth, the route continues ascending until it reaches the 3 kilometer long Michinoku Tunnel at 875 feet above sea level. This tunnel parallels the Hakkōda Tunnel, the longest double-tracked, single-tube terrestrial railway tunnel in the world. In the tunnel, the speed limit drops to 50 km/h and vehicles under 50cc are not allowed use it. At the halfway point of the tunnel drivers cross from Aomori to Schichinohe. After the tunnel the road crosses over and meets Aomori Prefecture Route 242. This road can be used to bypass the toll gate, albeit by meandering through the mountains on a gravel road and are seldom used due to the difficulty to pass through. Heading east Aomori Route 242 runs concurrent or parallel to the toll road. However, these parallel roads are hardly used at the moment, and there are places where it is extremely difficult to pass through. From the tunnel onward, the route descends from the mountains making its way to its end at a red bridge over the Shichinohe River. The road continues from here solely as Aomori Route 242 to National Route 4.

History

The Michinoku Toll Road opened on November 13, 1980 at a cost of ¥21 billion. Before the opening of the Sakanashi Tunnel on the Tōhoku Expressway in 1986, the toll road was utilized the main expressway route connecting Aomori and

Morioka is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated population of 290,700 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . ...

. There was a rest stop near the toll gate, but it was removed in 2009. On January 19, 2010 it was decided to extended the tolling period until 2029 due to issues paying off debts incurred. From February 1 to 2, 2012, the road was made free to through traffic from Aomori to Shichinohe because of heavy snowfall along National Route 4 in Hiranai and Noheji.

Future

The Michinoku Toll Road will meet the

Kamikita Expressway The Kamikita Expressway (上北自動車道 ''Kamikita Jidōshyadō'') is a free two-lane expressway in Aomori Prefecture connecting the towns of Shichinohe and Rokunohe. Alongside other tolled roads, the expressway is part of a series of highwa ...

at National Route 4 in Shichinohe. This will give direct access to the

Daini-Michinoku Toll Road The Daini-Michinoku Toll Road (第二みちのく有料道路 ''Daini Michinoku Yūryōdōro'') is a two-lane expressway, two-lane toll road in Aomori Prefecture that connects the towns Rokunohe, Aomori, Rokunohe and Oirase, Aomori, Oirase. The D ...

, and the

Hachinohe Expressway The is a 4-laned national Expressways of Japan, expressway in the Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Iwate Prefecture, Iwate and Aomori Prefecture, Aomori in the Tōhoku region of Japan. It is a spur of the Tōhoku Expressway, primarily serving ...

as a single highway connecting the

and

Aomori Expressway The is a two-lane national expressway spur route in Aomori, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company and is signed E4A as a direct extension and spur route of the Tōhoku Expressway. Route descrip ...

s. There are no plans yet to upgrade the connection between the Michinoku Toll Road and Aomori Expressway. However, the highway will function as a single extension of the Tōhoku Expressway with sections managed by both the Aomori Prefecture Road Corporation and

East Nippon Expressway Company The , abbreviated as , is one of the main operators of expressways and toll roads in Japan. It is headquartered in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company was established on October 1, 2005 as a result of the privatization of Japan Highway Pub ...

based on who built them.

Junction list

The entire toll road is in

External links

East Nippon Expressway Company

References

{{reflist Toll roads in Japan Roads in Aomori Prefecture 1980 establishments in Japan