Jōshin-etsu_Expressway

Jōshin-etsu Expressway

Jōshin-etsu Expressway

National expressway in Japan

The Jōshin-etsu Expressway (上信越自動車道, Jōshin-etsu Jidōsha-dō) is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.

Quick Facts Route information, Length ...

Naming

Jōshin-etsu (上信越) is a kanji acronym consisting of 3 characters, each representing the former names of the prefectures that the route traverses. Kōzuke Province (上野国) consists of present-day Gunma Prefecture, Shinano Province (信濃国) consists of present-day Nagano Prefecture, and Echigo Province (越後国) consists of present-day Niigata Prefecture.

Officially, the expressway is referred to as the Kan-Etsu Expressway Jōetsu Route. This designation consists of the entire Jōshin-etsu Expressway as well as the Kan-Etsu Expressway beyond Fujioka Junction to Nerima Interchange (concurrent with the Kan-Etsu Expressway Niigata Route).[3]

Route description

Expressway in Ueda, Nagano

The expressway begins at a junction with the Kan-Etsu Expressway in southern Gunma Prefecture and heads west, paralleling National Route 254 until Shimonita. From here the route branches north, passing Mount Myōgi, then heads west once more from Annaka. The route parallels National Route 18 from this point until the terminus. The expressway then follows a winding route through the mountainous area separating Gunma and Nagano Prefectures. From Saku, Nagano the route follows a northwesterly course, passing Mount Asama, until it reaches a junction with the Nagano Expressway near the city of Nagano. The route then heads north, following the east bank of the Chikuma River, before heading into the mountainous region separating Nagano and Niigata Prefectures. The expressway continues north through Niigata Prefecture, passing Mount Myōkō, and eventually terminating at a junction with the Hokuriku Expressway in Jōetsu near the Japan Sea coastline.

The expressway is 6 lanes from Fujioka Junction to Fujioka Interchange. The remaining section from Fujioka Interchange to Jōetsu Junction is 4 lanes, from 5 December 2019 according to E-NEXCO.[4]

History

The first section was completed in 1980 and the entire route was completed in 1999.[5] On the night of 16 December 2020, about 300 vehicles were trapped on the expressway after a truck blocked it off due to it becoming stuck in the snow. In response, the company that manages the route supplied drivers who were stuck on the road until the next morning.[6]

List of interchanges and features

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There are also 2 snow chain changing areas between Toyota-Iiyama Interchange and Kurohime-Nojiriko Parking Area, and 1 area between Sakaki Interchange and Ueda-Sugadaira Interchange (Fujioka-bound only).

References

  1. [1]
    Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Kanto Regional Development Bureau. "Road Timetable". Archived from the original on 5 April 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. [2]
    "Expressway Opening Dates". Retrieved 16 April 2008.
  3. [3]
    Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. "High Standard Trunk Road Map" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
  4. [4]
    "E-NEXCO Opening Schedule". Retrieved 15 April 2008.
  5. [5]
    Japan Civil Engineering Contractors Association. "Construction History of Japan, 1999". Archived from the original on 16 February 2007. Retrieved 16 April 2008.
  6. [6]
    Kyodo (17 December 2020). "Thousand vehicles stranded, 10,000 without electricity after heavy snowfall". The Japan Times. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
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