The is a

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically ...

managed and operated by Iwaki Skyline Co., Ltd. in

Hirosaki is a city located in western Aomori Prefecture, Japan. On 1 April 2020, the city had an estimated population of 168,739 in 71,716 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Hirosaki developed as a castle town fo ...

, Japan. It partially ascends Mount Iwaki and is notable for its steep gradient and 69

hairpin turns A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend or hairpin corner) is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn about 180° to continue on the road. It is named for its resemblance to a bent metal hai ...

, which make it considered as one of the most dangerous mountain roads in the world.

Route description

The Tsugaru Iwaki Skyline is a

in the outskirts of the city of

which partially ascends Mount Iwaki and is notable for its steep gradient and 69

. The road ascends over an average gradient of 8.66%, with some sections going up to a 10% gradient. The road terminates at the eighth station on Mount Iwaki, a stratovolcano, at which point a chairlift is available from the eighth station to the ninth station. The Tsugaru Iwaki Skyline has been considered one of the most dangerous mountain roads in the world. Both the road and the chairlift are managed and operated by Iwaki Skyline Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of

Kōnan Bus Company is a bus company in Japan. Office Bus garage * Hirosaki Bus office (Hirosaki) ** Wattoku Branch office (Hirosaki) ** Fujishiro Branch office (Hirosaki) * Kuroishi Bus office ( Kuroishi) * Goshogawara Bus office ( Goshogawara) ** Kodomari ...

Tolls

The prices listed are for a round trip up and down the road, as of 2017: *Motorcycles: ¥1000 * Kei car: ¥1500 *Standard-sized car: ¥1800 *Mini bus: ¥4500 *Large vehicles (defined as 30+ people, or a total weight of at least ): ¥7200 *Bicycles: The road is closed to bicycles except in the event of the annual Mount Iwaki Hill Climb Challenge, which takes place in late June.

History

Construction on the Tsugaru Iwaki Skyline began in April 1958. When the road opened on 25 August 1960 as part of the Kōnan Bus Expressway Division it was the first 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 eas ...

. In 1972 a one-way chairlift was added, starting from the eighth station, where the road ends, up to the 9th station. In 1993 the chairlift was upgraded to allow for two-way travel. In April 1999, the company operating Tsugaru Iwaki Skyline and the chairlift changed its name to "Iwaki Skyline Co., Ltd."

Major intersections

The route lies entirely within

References

External links