Tokyo Gaikan Expressway

Tokyo-Gaikan Expressway
東京外環自動車道
Route information
Length:	33.7 km[1] (20.9 mi)
Existed:	1992[2] – present
Major junctions
From:	Tōmei Junction in Setagaya, Tokyo Tōmei Expressway
To:	Kōya Junction in Ichikawa, Chiba Higashi-Kantō Expressway Shuto Expressway Bayshore Route
Location
Major cities:	Wakō, Toda, Saitama, Kawaguchi, Sōka, Yashio, Misato
Highway system
National highways of Japan Expressways of Japan

The Tokyo Gaikan Expressway (東京外環自動車道 Tōkyō Gaikan Jidōshadō) is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.

Overview

The name Gaikan refers to the route's status as an outer ring road (beltway) for Tokyo. The expressway is also referred to simply as Gaikan for short. It is the second of three expressway ring routes in the greater Tokyo area: the innermost is the Central Circular Route, then the Gaikan, and the outermost is the Ken-Ō Expressway.^[2] The Inner Circular Route of the Shuto Expressway is apparently not considered a true ring road, as the alternate Japanese name of the Ken-Ō Expressway (English name is Metropolitan Inter-City Expressway) is 三環状道路, with the first character meaning 'three' not 'four.'

Currently only a section of the expressway on the northern side of the Tokyo area is open to traffic (Ōizumi Junction to Misato-minami Interchange). Most of this section is an elevated roadway built on the median of National Route 298 with curved windbreaks on both sides. Most of the roadway has two lanes in each direction (three lanes from Ōizumi Junction to Wakō-kita Interchange).

The eastern section is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in 2015,^[3] while the remaining western section is still in the planning stages. This section will pass though the densely populated suburbs of western Tokyo; it is expected that this section will consist mainly of tunnels constructed at least 40 m underground (deep underground).^[4]

The toll for a regular passenger car is currently 500 yen regardless of the distance travelled. Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) is accepted.^[5]

List of interchanges and features

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

No.	Name	Connections	Dist. from Origin	Notes	Location
<30> <(2)>	Tōmei JCT	Tōmei Expressway		Planned	Setagaya	Tokyo
<40> <(2)>	Chūō JCT	Chūō Expressway		Planned	Mitaka
<41>	Tōhachi-dōro IC	Met. Route 14 (Shinjuku Kunitachi Route) (Tōhachi-dōro)		Planned Same location as Chūō JCT
<42>	Ōme Kaidō IC	Ōme Kaidō		Planned Chūō-bound exit, Kan-Etsu-bound entrance only	Nerima
<43>	Mejiro-dōri IC	Met. Route 24 (Nerima Tokorozawa Route) (Mejiro-dōri)		Planned Same location as Ōizumi JCT
(2)	Ōizumi JCT	Kan-Etsu Expressway	0.0
50	Ōizumi IC	Met. Route 24 (Nerima Tokorozawa Route) (Mejiro-dōri)	0.0
51	Wakō IC	Pref. Route 88 (Wakō Inter Route)	3.4		Wakō	Saitama
52 PA	Wakō-kita IC Niikura PA	National Route 298	5.3	No through access between IC and PA U-turns possible at PA
BR	Sakitama Bridge		↓	Cable-stayed bridge Length - 1,485 m
					Toda
53	Toda-nishi IC	National Route 298	7.6	Misato-bound exit, Ōizumi-bound entrance only
60	Bijogi JCT	Shuto Expressway Ikebukuro Route Shuto Expressway Ōmiya Route	8.5	Controlled by traffic lights
61	Toda-higashi IC	National Route 298	9.9	Ōizumi-bound exit, Misato-bound entrance only
62	Gaikan Urawa IC	National Route 298	12.3	Ōizumi-bound exit, Misato-bound entrance only	Kawaguchi
63	Kawaguchi-nishi IC	National Route 298	14.0	Misato-bound exit, Ōizumi-bound entrance only
64	Kawaguchi-Chūō IC	National Route 298	16.8	Ōizumi-bound exit, Misato-bound entrance only
70 (1)	Kawaguchi JCT	Tōhoku Expressway Shuto Expressway Kawaguchi Route	17.6
71	Kawaguchi-higashi IC	National Route 298	19.0	Ōizumi-bound exit, Misato-bound entrance only
72	Sōka IC	National Route 298 National Route 4	22.4		Sōka
<73> <PA>	Yashio JCT Gaikan Yashio PA	Higashi-Saitama Road	↓	Planned PA location TBD	Yashio
74	Gaikan Misato-nishi IC	National Route 298	28.4	Misato-bound exit, Ōizumi-bound entrance only	Misato
80 (1)	Misato JCT	Jōban Expressway Shuto Expressway Misato Route	29.6
81	Gaikan Misato-higashi Toll Gate Misato-Daini IC	National Route 298 (Planned)	↓	TB: Jōban/Shuto ←→ Misato-minami IC only IC: Ōizumi-bound exit, Kōya-bound entrance only (Planned)
82	Misato-minami IC	National Route 298	33.7	Kōya-bound exit, Ōizumi-bound entrance only
<83>	Matsudo IC	National Route 298		Opens in 2015 Ōizumi-bound exit, Kōya-bound entrance only	Matsudo	Chiba
<84>	Kita-Chiba JCT	Kita-Chiba Road		Opens in 2015	Ichikawa
<85>	Ichikawa-kita IC	National Route 298 Pref. Route 264 (Takatsuka Shinden Ichikawa Route)		Opens in 2015 Kōya-bound exit, Ōizumi-bound entrance only
<86>	Ichikawa-minami IC	National Route 298		Opens in 2015 Ōizumi-bound exit, Kōya-bound entrance only
<90> (<1-1>)	Keiyō JCT	Keiyō Road		Opens in 2015
<91>	Kōya IC	National Route 298		Opens in 2015 Kōya-bound exit, Ōizumi-bound entrance only
<100> (<1>)	Kōya JCT	Higashi-Kantō Expressway Shuto Expressway Bayshore Route		Opens in 2015

Gallery

• 

  Gaikan above Route 298

• 

  Sakitama Bridge

• 

  Gaikan passing under Tōhoku Shinkansen

• 

  Traffic lights at Bijogi JCT

References

1. "E-NEXCO Expressway Data". Retrieved 2008-04-13.
2. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. "History of Tokyo's 3 Ring Roads". Retrieved 2008-04-17.
3. "E-NEXCO Opening Schedule". Retrieved 2008-04-15.
4. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. "Tokyo Gaikan Website". Retrieved 2008-04-15.
5. "E-NEXCO Drive Plaza Route Search". Retrieved 2008-04-15.

External links

• (Japanese) East Nippon Expressway Company
• (Japanese) About the Gaikan (Chiba section)
• (Japanese) Tokyo Ring Step (Tokyo section)