The , signed as Route 1, is one of the tolled routes of the

Shuto Expressway is a network of toll expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the . Most routes are grade-separated (elevated roads or tunnels) and central routes have many sharp curves and multi-lane merges that requi ...

system serving the

Greater Tokyo Area The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi) as well as the ...

. It is one two expressways signed as Route 1 in the system, the other expressway signed as Route 1 is the

Haneda Route The , signed as Route 1, is one of the tolled routes of the Shuto Expressway system serving the Greater Tokyo Area. It is one two expressways signed as Route 1 in the system, the other expressway signed as Route 1 is the Ueno Route. The route is ...

. The route is a long radial highway running northeast from the ward of Chūō in central

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

to the ward of

Taitō is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. In English, it is known as Taitō City. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 186,276, and a population density of 18,420 persons per km2. The total area is . Thi ...

. It connects Tokyo's

Inner Circular Route The , signed as Route C1, is one of the routes of the Shuto Expressway system serving the central part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The route is a complete loop around the central Tokyo wards of Chiyoda, Chūō, and Minato, with a total length ...

in central Tokyo to the

Ueno is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Museum of Na ...

area and

Ueno Station is a major railway station in Tokyo's Taitō ward. It is the station used to reach the Ueno district and Ueno Park—which contains Tokyo National Museum, The National Museum of Western Art, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo University of the Arts and other fam ...

, a major rail hub, and National Route 4, which connects the

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...

to the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (''ken''): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku retains a ...

Route description

The Ueno Route begins at Edobashi Junction with the

in Chūō City as an indirect continuation north for the

, the other expressway signed as Route 1 on the Shuto Expressway network. From this southern terminus, it travels northeast out of Chūō City, crossing in to Taitō. The expressway is paralleled by National Route 4 (known in this area as Shōwa-dōri) along its route through Tokyo, which acts as a

frontage road A frontage road (also known as an access road, outer road, service road, feeder road, or parallel road) is a local road running parallel to a higher-speed, limited-access road. A frontage road is often used to provide access to private drivew ...

for the Ueno Route. Every exit and entrance point to the expressway beyond Edobashi Junction connects directly to National Route 4, which links the expressway to the rest of the local street network. The Ueno Route merges into National Route 4 at Iriya Station. From there, the roadway continues north solely as National Route 4, leaving the Shuto Expressway network. Like other Shuto Expressway routes within the Central Circular Route, the speed limit is set at 60 km/h along the Ueno Route.

History

The first section of the Ueno Route between Edobashi and Honchō was opened to traffic on 21 December 1963. The second section to be completed between Honchō and Iriya was finished on 31 May 1969. Plans were made to extend the radial route north to the

Central Circular Route The , signed as Route C2, is one of the routes of the Shuto Expressway system serving the central part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The route is a circumferential highway running through the outer wards of Tokyo. The route is the middle of fou ...

in 1992; however, they have been shelved due to geographic constraints and a lack of support among residents of the area that would be impacted by an extended Ueno Route.

Route description

History

Junction list

See also

References

External links