Higashi-Kantō Expressway

Higashi-Kantō Expressway
東関東自動車道
Route information
Length:	74.5 km (46.3 mi)
Existed:	1971[1] – present
Major junctions
From:	Kōya Junction in Ichikawa, Chiba Shuto Expressway Bayshore Route Tokyo Gaikan Expressway
To:	Ibaraki Junction in Ibaraki, Ibaraki Kita-Kantō Expressway
Location
Major cities:	Funabashi, Narashino, Chiba, Sakura, Narita, Katori, Itako
Highway system
National highways of Japan Expressways of Japan

Higashi-Kantō Expressway over the Tone River.

The Higashi-Kantō Expressway (東関東自動車道 Higashi Kantō Jidōsha-dō) (lit. East Kantō Expressway) is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.

Overview

Officially the expressway is referred to as the Higashi-Kantō Expressway Mito Route.^[2]

The expressway commences at a junction with the Shuto Expressway Bayshore Route in western Chiba Prefecture and follows an easterly course which parallels Tokyo Bay. Just before Miyanogi Junction where the expressway meets the Keiyō Road, the route branches away from the bay and heads inland in a northeasterly direction. It continues through Chiba Prefecture, though the city of Narita, and crossing the Tone River into Ibaraki Prefecture where the expressway reaches its current terminus in Itako.

The expressway is an important route linking the greater Tokyo area with Narita International Airport. At Narita Junction travellers must switch to the Shin-Kūkō Expressway to travel the remaining distance to the airport proper.

Currently the expressway extends from Wangan-Ichikawa Interchange to Itako Interchange, however plans are underway to extend the expressway to a junction with the Kita-Kantō Expressway near Mito, Ibaraki.^[3]

The expressway is 6 lanes from the origin to Narita Junction, and the remainder is 4 lanes. The speed limit is 100 km/h, except for the section from the origin to Chiba-kita Interchange which is 80 km/h.

List of interchanges and features

• IC - interchange, JCT - junction, PA - parking area, SA - service area, BR - bridge, TB - toll gate

No.	Name	Connections	Dist. from Origin	Dist. from Terminus	Notes	Location
Through to Shuto Expressway Bayshore Route
	Ichikawa JCT		0.0	74.5	Will be changed to Kōya JCT in 2015	Ichikawa	Chiba
<1>	Kōya JCT	Tokyo Gaikan Expressway			Opens in 2015
2	Wangan-Ichikawa IC	National Route 357	1.0	73.5	Ichikawa-bound exit, Itako-bound entrance only
<2-1>	Wangan-Funabashi IC	National Route 357	↓	↑	Opens in 2013 Itako-bound exit, Ichikawa-bound entrance only	Funabashi
3	Wangan-Narashino IC	National Route 357	7.9	66.6	Itako-bound exit, Ichikawa-bound entrance only	Narashino
TB	Narashino Toll Gate		↓	↑
PA	Wangan-Makuhari PA		8.7	65.8		Mihama-ku, Chiba
4	Wangan-Chiba IC	National Route 357	11.6	62.9	Ichikawa-bound exit, Itako-bound entrance only
5	Miyanogi JCT	Keiyō Road	16.7	57.8	No access: Keiyō southbound → Higashi-Kantō westbound Higashi-Kantō eastbound → Keiyō northbound	Inage-ku, Chiba
6	Chiba-kita IC	National Route 16	18.8	55.7
7	Yotsukaidō IC	Pref. Route 64 (Chiba Usui Inzai Route)	24.6	49.9		Yotsukaidō
8	Sakura IC	National Route 51	30.0	44.5		Sakura
PA	Shisui PA		35.1	39.4		Shisui
<8-1>	Shisui IC		↓	↑	Opens Fall 2010
9	Tomisato IC	National Route 409	39.5	35.0		Tomisato
10	Narita IC/JCT	Shin-Kūkō Expressway National Route 295	44.9	29.6		Narita
<10-1>	Taiei JCT	Ken-Ō Expressway	↓	↑	Opens in 2012
PA	Taiei PA		51.6	22.9
11	Taiei IC	National Route 51	56.6	17.9
12	Sawara Katori IC	Pref. Route 55 (Sawara Yamada Route) Pref. Route 253 (Katori Tsunomiya Route)	65.9	8.6		Katori
PA	Sawara PA		68.5	6.0
BR	Tonegawa Bridge		↓	↑	Length - 630 m
BR	Hitachi-Tonegawa Bridge		↓	↑		Itako	Ibaraki
13	Itako IC	Suigō Toll Road	74.5	0.0
<14>	Asō IC				Planned	Namegata
<15>	Kitaura IC				Planned
<16>	Hokota IC	Pref. Route 8 (Ogawa Hokota Route)			Opens in 2015	Hokota
<17>	Ibaraki-minami IC	Pref. Route 18 (Ibaraki Kashima Route)			Opens in 2009	Ibaraki
<(15-1)>	Ibaraki JCT	Kita-Kantō Expressway			Opens in 2009

References

1. Narita City Board of Education. "Narita Nandemo Encyclopedia". Retrieved 2008-04-15.
2. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. "High Standard Trunk Road Map" (pdf). Retrieved 2008-04-13.
3. "E-NEXCO Opening Schedule". Retrieved 2008-04-15.

External links

• (Japanese) East Nippon Expressway Company