Dōtō Expressway

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This article contains information about a planned or expected future road. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the road's construction or completion approaches and more information becomes available.

Dōtō Expressway (道東自動車道)
Length:	145.4 km[1]
Formed:	1995[2]
From:	Chitose-Eniwa Junction in Chitose, Hokkaidō Hokkaidō Expressway
To:	Kushiro, Hokkaidō Kitami, Hokkaidō
Major cities:	Yūbari, Obihiro

The Dōtō Expressway (道東自動車道, Dōtō Jidōsha-dō^?) (lit. East Hokkaidō Expressway) is a 2-laned national expressway in Hokkaidō, Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.

[edit] Overview

The expressway is planned to connect the east of Hokkaidō with central regions including the greater Sapporo urban area. Currently the route is divided into two physically separate segments with the mountainous section between Yūbari Interchange and Tomamu Interchange incomplete. It is expected that this section will open to traffic in 2011.^[3]

At Honbetsu Junction near the eastern end the expressway splits into two routes; one route heading east towards the city of Kushiro and another route heading north towards the city of Kitami. All future extensions of these two routes will be constructed according to the New Direct Control System^[3] and are expected to operate toll-free upon completion.

The expressway is among the least used in Japan. At the time of its opening it was used by an average of only 650 vehicles a day, the lowest among all national expressways in Japan.^[2] As of 2006 the average daily ridership of the expressway has increased to 4,751 vehicles (for comparison the figure for the Tōhoku Expressway is 270,546 vehicles).^[1]

The speed limit is 70 km/h for the entire route.

[edit] List of interchanges and features

• IC - interchange, JCT - junction, SA - service area, PA - parking area, TN - tunnel, TB - toll gate

[edit] Kushiro Route

No.	Name	Connections	Dist. from Origin	Notes	Location (all in Hokkaidō)
(4-1)	Chitose-Eniwa JCT	Hokkaidō Expressway	0.0		Chitose
1	Chitose-higashi IC	National Route 337	12.6
PA	Kiusu PA		14.5
2	Oiwakechō IC	National Route 234	21.9		Abira
<SA>	Yuni SA			Opens in 2011	Yuni
3	Yūbari IC	National Route 274	42.1		Yūbari
<4>	Hobetsu IC	Pref. Route 1165 (Hobetsu Inter Route)	56.5	Opens in 2011	Mukawa
<TN>	Hobetsu Tunnel			Opens in 2011 Longest road tunnel in Hokkaidō Length - 4,332 m
<5>	Shimukappu IC	Pref. Route 1172 (Shimukappu Inter Route)	76.6	Opens in 2009	Shimukappu
<PA>	Shimukappu PA			Opens in 2011
6	Tomamu IC	Pref. Route 1170 (Tomamu Inter Route)	102.8
TN	Daiichi Karikachi Tunnel			Point of highest elevation among all expressways in Hokkaidō (626 m) Length - 2,351 m	Minamifurano
-	Shintoku IC			Planned	Shintoku
7	Tokachi Shimizu IC	National Route 274	123.7		Shimizu
TB	Tokachi Shimizu Toll Gate
SA	Tokachiheigen SA		138.6		Memuro
8	Memuro IC	Pref. Route 54 (Higashiurimaku Memuro Route)	140.9
9	Obihiro JCT	Obihiro-Hiroo Expressway	145.3
10	Otofuke Obihiro IC	National Route 241 (Obihiro Kita Bypass)	152.4		Otofuke
PA	Osarushi PA		165.5
11	Ikeda IC	National Route 242	174.0		Ikeda
TB	Ikeda Toll Gate
12	Honbetsu JCT	Kitami Route	191.2	No access: Ashoro IC ←→ Honbetsu IC	Honbetsu
13	Honbetsu IC	National Route 242	193.0
-	Shiranuka IC	National Route 392		Opens in 2011	Shiranuka
-	Akan IC	National Route 240		Opens in 2011	Kushiro
-	Kushiro IC	National Route 38 (Kushiro Shindō)		Opens in 2012
Through to Kushiro Sotokanjō Road (Planned)

[edit] Kitami Route

No.	Name	Connections	Dist. from Origin	Notes	Location (all in Hokkaidō)
12	Honbetsu JCT	Kushiro Route	191.2	No access: Ashoro IC ←→ Honbetsu IC	Honbetsu
1	Ashoro IC	National Route 242	204.4		Ashoro
-	Rikubetsu IC			Planned	Rikubetsu
-	Shōtoshibetsu IC			Planned
-	Kunneppu IC			Planned	Kunneppu
-	Kitami IC			Opens in 2013	Kitami
-	Kitami-chūō IC	Pref. Route 217 (Kitami Bihoro Route)
-	Higashi 10-gō IC	Pref. Route 1024 (Kawamuki Hatano Route)
-	Hatano IC/JCT	Engaru-Kitami Road (Planned)		Planned
Through to Hokkaidō Ōdan Expressway Abashiri Route (Planned)

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} E-NEXCO Expressway Data. Retrieved on 2008-04-13.
2. ^ ^{a b} Hokkaido Keizai Sangyo Shimbun, October 22, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
3. ^ ^{a b} E-NEXCO Opening Schedule. Retrieved on 2008-04-15.

[edit] External links

• (Japanese) East Nippon Expressway Company

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