Jōban Expressway

A national expressway connecting the Tokyo and Sendai metropolitan areas in eastern Japan.

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Jōban Expressway

常磐自動車道

Route information
Length| 300.4 km[2] (186.7 mi)
Existed| 1981[1]–present
Major junctions
South end| Misato Junction
Shuto Expressway Misato Route
Tokyo Gaikan Expressway
in Misato, Saitama
North end| Watari Interchange
Sendai-Tōbu Road
Miyagi Prefecture Route 269
in Watari, Miyagi
Location
Country| Japan
Major cities| Kashiwa, Tsukuba, Tsuchiura, Mito, Hitachi, Iwaki, Natori, Sendai
Highway system

* National highways of Japan

* Expressways of Japan

The Jōban Expressway (常磐自動車道, Jōban Jidōsha-dō), abbreviated Jōban-dō (常磐道), is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company. It is signed E6 under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering."[3]

## Route description

[edit]

The Jōban Expressway near its southern terminus in Misato.

The expressway is an important route connecting the greater Tokyo area with Mito, the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture. Beyond Mito, the expressway follows a northerly route along the coast of the Pacific Ocean to the city of Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture. Continuing north along the coast, the expressway enters the greater Sendai area. The expressway supplements the Tōhoku Expressway as an access route between Tokyo and the Tōhoku region.

For most of its length the expressway parallels National Route 6 and the Jōban Line of East Japan Railway Company.

The expressway gets within about six kilometers from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. On a 14.3 km (8.9 mi) of the expressway opened on 1 March 2015, signs update drivers about what the radiation level is in the impacted area.[4]

### Naming

[edit]

Jōban is a kanji acronym consisting of two characters. Each character represents a former province of Japan that is passed through by the route: Hitachi Province (常陸国) representing present-day Ibaraki Prefecture and Iwaki Province (磐城国) representing the eastern portion of present-day Fukushima Prefecture

The expressway carries the Jōban Expressway name from the origin at Misato Junction to Watari Interchange. From Watari Interchange to the expected terminus at Tomiya-kita Interchange, the Jōban Expressway name is currently an official designation only.[5] The section from Watari Interchange to Sendaikō-kita Interchange is the Sendai-Tōbu Road, the section from Sendaikō-kita Interchange to Rifu Junction is the Sanriku Expressway (Senen Road), and the section from Rifu Junction to the terminus is the Sendai-Hokubu Road. It is unknown if the naming of these sections will be changed upon completion of the Jōban Expressway.

The expressway has a speed limit of 70 km/h between Iwaki-chūō Interchange and its northern terminus at Watari, a limit of 80 km/h between its southern terminus and Kashiwa Interchange and between Hitachiminami-Ōta and Iwaki-chūō interchanges, and a speed limit of 100 km/h on the remainder of the expressway.

## History

[edit]

The first section of the expressway was opened in 1981. The section from Jōban-Tomioka Interchange to Watari Interchange is under construction,[6] and extensions and upgrades to the existing Sendai road network are also planned.[7]

### Incidents and closures

[edit]

During the 13 February 2021 Fukushima earthquake, landslides buried parts of the expressway, and embankments along it collapsed; however, no vehicles were trapped inside the debris. A 10-meter-long (33 ft) section of the expressway at another location was uplifted.[8] The damages facilitated the closure of the expressway between Shinchi and Sōma interchanges in Fukushima Prefecture. In response, the East Nippon Expressway Company deployed heavy equipment to remove boulders and clear up debris along the expressway.[9] By 17 February, the blockages along the expressway were cleared allowing traffic to resume along the route. Fences were also erected along the stricken sections of the expressway to prevent further rockslides.[10]

## List of junctions and features

[edit]

* PA – parking area, SA – service area, TB – toll gate

Prefecture| Location| km| mi| Exit| Name| Destinations| Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Saitama| Misato| 0.0| 0.0| 1| Misato|  Tokyo Gaikan Expressway – Ōizumi, Matsudo
National Route 298 – Kan-etsu Expressway, Tōhoku Expressway, Sōka, Central Misato
Misato Route – to Central Circular Route, Ginza| Southern terminus of E6 and the Jōban Expressway; expressway continues as the Misato Route of the Shuto Expressway network; Tokyo Gaikan Expressway exit 80
2.2–
2.4| 1.4–
1.5| Misato Tunnel
4.2| 2.6| TB| Misato| |
4.2| 2.6| 1-1| Misato-ryōkinjo| Saitama Prefecture Route 52 (Koshigaya Nagareyama Route)| Smart interchange; northbound entrance, southbound exit
Chiba–Saitama prefecture border| 4.9

* * *

6.3| 3.0

* * *

3.9| Edogawa Bridge over the Edo River
Chiba| Nagareyama| 6.1| 3.8| 1–2| Nagareyama| Chiba Prefectuere Route 5 (Matsudo Noda Route)|
Kashiwa| 10.8| 6.7| 2| Kashiwa|  National Route 16|
Chiba–Ibaraki prefecture border| 13.0

* * *

13.8| 8.1

* * *

8.6| Tonegawa Bridge over the Tone River
Ibaraki| Moriya| 15.5| 9.6| SA| Moriya| |
Tsukubamirai| 19.1| 11.9| 3| Yawara|  National Route 294|
20.4–
20.6| 12.7–
12.8| Kokaigawa Bridge over the Kokai River
Tsukuba| 30.3| 18.8| 4| Yatabe| Ibaraki Prefecture Route 19 (Toride Tsukuba Route)|
34.6| 21.5| 4-1| Tsukuba|  Ken-Ō Expressway| Ken-Ō Expressway exit 80
36.1| 22.4| PA| Yatabe-higashi| |
Tsuchiura| 38.7| 24.0| 5| Sakura-Tsuchiura|  National Route 354|
46.6| 29.0| 6| Tsuchiura-kita|  National Route 125|
Kasumigaura| 50.4| 31.3| PA| Chiyoda| |
54.7| 34.0| 7| Chiyoda-Ishioka|  National Route 6|
Kasumigaura–Ishioka border| 56.2

* * *

56.8| 34.9

* * *

35.3| Koisegawa Bridge over the Koise River
Ishioka| 60.9| 37.8| 7-1| Ishioka-Omitama|  National Route 355| Smart interchange
Omitama| 63.2| 39.3| PA| Minori| |
Kasama| 69.1| 42.9| 8| Iwama| Ibaraki Prefecture Route 43 (Ibaraki Iwama Route)|
71.2–
71.4| 44.2–
44.4| Hinumagawa Bridge over the Hinuma River
72.8| 45.2| SA / 8-1| Tomobe| Ibaraki Prefecture routes 16 (Ōarai Tomobe Route) / 52 (Ishioka Shirosato Route)| Smart interchange
74.0| 46.0| 8-2| Tomobe|  Kita-Kantō Expressway|
Mito| 82.0| 51.0| 9| Mito|  National Route 50|
85.6| 53.2| PA| Tano| |
86.6–
87.0| 53.8–
54.1| Tano Overpass
87.7| 54.5| 9-1| Mito-kita|  National Route 123, Ibaraki Prefecture routes 51 (Mito Motegi Route) / 63 (Mito Katsuta Nakaminato Route)| Smart interchange; northbound exit, southbound entrance
88.2–
88.7| 54.8–
55.1| Nakagawa Bridge over the Naka River
Naka| 93.8| 58.3| 10| Naka| Ibaraki Prefecture Route 65 (Naka Inter Route)|
Tōkai| 101.7| 63.2| PA / 10-1| Tōkai| Ibaraki Prefecture Route 62 (Hitachinaka Port Yamagata Route)| Smart interchange
Naka–Hitachi border| 102.8–
103.5| 63.9–
64.3| Kujigawa Bridge over the Kuji River
Hitachi| 105.3| 65.4| 11| Hitachiminami-Ōta|  National Route 6 / National Route 293|
Hitachiōta| 108.4–
110.8| 67.4–
68.8| Hitachi Tunnel
Hitachi| 110.8–
112.6| 68.8–
70.0| Ōkubo tunnels
112.6–
113.9| 70.0–
70.8| Suwa tunnels
114.4–
115.2| 71.1–
71.6| Narusawa Tunnel
115.2–
117.0| 71.6–
72.7| Sukegawa Tunnel
117.5| 73.0| PA / 11-1| Hitachi-chūō|  Hitachi Toll Road north|
118.1–
118.2| 73.4–
73.4| Sukegawa Tunnel
118.2–
118.8| 73.4–
73.8| Daiōin Tunnel
119.1–
121.0| 74.0–
75.2| Kurakake Tunnel
122.7–
122.9| 76.2–
76.4| Ogitsu Tunnel
124.3| 77.2| 12| Hitachi-kita|  National Route 6
Ibaraki Prefecture Route 10 (Hitachi Iwaki Route)|
126.2–
126.5| 78.4–
78.6| Jūō Tunnel
Takahagi| 135.2| 84.0| 13| Takahagi| Ibaraki Prefecture Route 67 (Takahagi Inter Route)|
Kitaibaraki| 136.6| 84.9| SA| Nakagō| |
142.4| 88.5| 14| Kitaibaraki| Ibaraki Prefecture Route 69 (Kitaibaraki Inter Route)|
146.7–
148.1| 91.2–
92.0| Sekinami Tunnel
148.3–
148.5| 92.1–
92.3| Sekimoto Tunnel
150.3| 93.4| PA| Sekimoto| |
Fukushima| Iwaki| 154.5| 96.0| 15| Iwaki-Nakoso|  National Route 289|
161.0| 100.0| 15-1| Iwaki-Onahama| Fukushima Prefecture Route 20 (Iwaki Kamimisaka Ono Route)| Scheduled to be in service on 2025.[11]}
167.1| 103.8| 16| Iwaki-Yumoto| Fukushima Prefecture Route 14 (Iwaki Ishikawa Route)|
169.4| 105.3| PA| Yunotake| |
171.2| 106.4| 16-1| Iwaki|  Ban-etsu Expressway west|
175.5| 109.1| 17| Iwaki-chūō|  National Route 49|
179.4–
179.8| 111.5–
111.7| Natsuigawa Bridge
185.7| 115.4| PA| Yotsukura| |
188.3| 117.0| 18| Iwaki-Yotsukura| Fukushima Prefecture Route 35 (Iwaki Namie Route)|
194.3–
194.8| 120.7–
121.0| Ōhisa Tunnel
Hirono| 202.1| 125.6| 19| Hirono| Fukushima Prefecture Route 393 (Kamikitaba Shimokitaba Route)|
Naraha| 197.5–
198.9| 122.7–
123.6| Kidogawa Bridge
207.4| 128.9| PA / 19-1| Naraha| Fukushima Prefecture Route 35 (Iwaki Namie Route)| Smart interchange
Tomioka| 218.5| 135.8| 20| Jōban-Tomioka| Fukushima Prefecture Route 36 (Ono Tomioka Route)|
Ōkuma| 222.5| 138.3| 20-1| Ōkuma| Fukushima Prefecture Route 251 (Oragahama Nogami Route)|
Futaba| 227.9| 141.6| 20-2| Jōban-Futaba| Fukushima Prefecture Route 256 (Ide Nagatsuka Route)|
Namie| 232.8| 144.7| 21| Namie|  National Route 114 / National Route 459|
Minamisōma| 251.2| 156.1| 22| Minami-Sōma| Fukushima Prefecture Route 12 (Haramachi Kawamata Route)|
257.7| 160.1| SA / 22-1| Minami-Sōma Kashima| Fukushima Prefecture Route 34 (Sōma Namie Route)| Smart interchange; SIC only open between 06:00–22:00
Sōma| 265.6| 165.0| 23| Sōma|  Tōhoku-Chūō Expressway north – Fukushima
National Route 115 – Central Sōma, Fukushima|
Shinchi| 274.1| 170.3| 24| Shinchi|  National Route 113|
Miyagi| Yamamoto| 280.6| 174.4| 24-1| Yamamoto-minami| Miyagi Prefecture Route 44 (Kakuda Yamamoto Route)| Smart interchange
288.9| 179.5| 25| Yamamoto|  National Route 6|
Watari| 295.0| 183.3| PA / 25-1| Torinoumi| Miyagi Prefecture Route 38 (Sōma Watari Route) via Watari SIC Line| Smart interchange
300.4| 186.7| 1| Watari| Miyagi Prefecture Route 269 (Watari Inter Route)
Sendai-Tōbu Road north| Northern terminus of the Jōban Expressway; E6 continues north as the Sendai-Tōbu Road
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

* Incomplete access
* Route transition
* Unopened

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "History of Tsukuba City". Retrieved 16 April 2008.
2. ^ "E-NEXCO Expressway Data". Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
3. ^ "Japan's Expressway Numbering System". www.mlit.go.jp.
4. ^ Jun Hongo (19 February 2015). "Highway to Open Near Fukushima Nuclear Plant; No Exits Allowed". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
5. ^ Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. "High Standard Trunk Road Map" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
6. ^ "E-NEXCO Opening Schedule". Retrieved 15 April 2008.
7. ^ Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Tohoku Regional Development Bureau. "Sendai Hokubu Road Profile". Archived from the original on 2 April 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2008.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
8. ^ "Quake causes damage to expressway". NHK World-Japan. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
9. ^ "Japan braces for aftershocks as M7.3 quake injures over 150". Kyodo News. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
10. ^ "常磐道、４日ぶり開通 新幹線は一部見合わせ続く" [Jōban Expressway opens for the first time in 4 days. Part of the Shinkansen continues to be suspended.] (in Japanese). Jiji Press. 17 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
11. ^ "Onahama Road to open in Fiscal Year 2025, 8.3 km; process review delayed 2 years". Fukushima Minyu Shimbun. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joban Expressway.

* (in Japanese) East Nippon Expressway Company

* v
* t
* e

East Nippon Expressway Company

National Expressways|

* C3 Tokyo Gaikan
* E4 Tōhoku
* E4A Aomori
* E4A Hachinohe
* E5 Dō-Ō
* E5A Sasson
* E5A Shiribeshi
* E6 Jōban
* E7 Nihonkai-Tōhoku
* E7/E46 Akita
* E8 Hokuriku
* E13 Tōhoku-Chūō
* E14 Tateyama
* E17 Kan-etsu
* E18 Jōshin-etsu
* E19 Nagano
* E38/E61 Dōtō
* E46 Kamaishi
* E48 Yamagata
* E49 Ban-etsu
* E50 Kita-Kantō
* E51 Higashi-Kantō
* E65 Shin-Kūkō

Toll Roads|

* C4/E66 Ken-Ō Expressway
* CA Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line
* E4A Momoishi Road
* E6 Sendai-Hokubu Road
* E6 Sendai-Tōbu Road
* E13 Yuzawa-Yokote Road
* E14 Keiyō Road
* E14 Futtsu Tateyama Road
* E16 Yokohama–Yokosuka Road
* E45 Sanriku Expressway
* E48 Sendai-Nanbu Road
* E50 Higashi-Mito Road
* E62 Fukagawa-Rumoi Expressway
* E63 Hidaka Expressway
* E82 Chiba-Tōgane Road
* E83 Daisan Keihin Road
* E83 Yokohama Shindō

* v
* t
* e

Expressways of Japan

East Nippon Expressway Company|

* C3 Tokyo Gaikan
* C4/E66 Ken-Ō
* CA Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line
* E4 Tōhoku
* E4A Aomori
* E4A Hachinohe
* E5 Dō-Ō
* E5A Sasson
* E5A Shiribeshi
* E6 Jōban
* E7 Nihonkai-Tōhoku
* E7/E46 Akita
* E8 Hokuriku
* E13 Tōhoku-Chūō
* E14 Tateyama
* E17 Kan-etsu
* E18 Jōshin-etsu
* E19 Nagano
* E38/E61 Dōtō
* E45 Sanriku
* E46 Kamaishi
* E48 Yamagata
* E49 Ban-etsu
* E50 Kita-Kantō
* E51 Higashi-Kantō
* E65 Shin-Kūkō

Central Nippon Expressway Company|

* C2 Mei-Nikan
* C3 Tōkai-Kanjō
* C4 Ken-Ō
* E1 Tōmei
* E1 Meishin
* E1A/E52/E69 Shin-Tōmei
* E1A Isewangan
* E1A Shin-Meishin
* E8 Hokuriku
* E19/E20/E68 Chūō
* E19 Nagano
* E23 Higashi-Meihan
* E23 Ise
* E27 Maizuru-Wakasa
* E41 Tōkai-Hokuriku
* E42 Kisei
* E52 Chūbu-Ōdan

West Nippon Expressway Company|

* E1 Meishin
* E1A Shin-Meishin
* E2 San'yō
* E2A Chūgoku
* E2A Kanmon Bridge
* E3 Kyushu
* E3A Minamikyushu
* E9 San'in
* E10/E78 Higashikyushu
* E10 Miyazaki
* E11/E32 Tokushima
* E11 Takamatsu
* E11/E56 Matsuyama
* E24 Keinawa
* E25 Nishi-Meihan
* E26 Kinki
* E26/E42 Hanwa
* E27 Maizuru-Wakasa
* E29 Harima
* E32/E56 Kōchi
* E34 Ōita
* E34 Nagasaki
* E35 Nishi-Kyūshū
* E54 Matsue
* E58 Okinawa
* E71 Kansai-Kūkō
* E73 Okayama
* E73 Yonago
* E74 Hamada
* E74 Hiroshima

Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Company|

* E28 Kobe-Awaji-Naruto
* E30 Seto-Chūō
* E76 Nishiseto

MLIT|

* E4A Kamikita
* E5 Hakodate Shindō
* E5A Kuromatsunai Shindō
* E7 Akita
* E9 San'in Kinki
* E25 Meihan
* E29 Tottori
* E38 Dōtō
* E38/E44 Kushiro Sotokan
* E39 Asahikawa-Monbetsu
* E41 Nōetsu
* E41/E86 Noto-Satoyama
* E45 Hachinohe-Kuji
* E45 Sanriku
* E45 Sanriku-kita Jūkan
* E46 Kamaishi
* E54 Onomichi
* E55 Kōchi-Tōbu
* E55 Tokushima-Nanbu
* E58 Naha Airport
* E59 Hakodate-Esashi
* E60 Obihiro-Hiroo
* E61 Tokachi-Okhotsk
* E62 Fukagawa-Rumoi
* E63 Hidaka
* E64 Tsugaru
* E67 Chūbu-Jūkan
* E69 San-en Nanshin
* E70 Izu-Jūkan
* E72 Kitakinki-Toyooka
* E75 Higashihiroshima-Kure
* E77 Kyushu Chūō

Urban expressways|

* Fukuoka & Kitakyushu
* Hanshin
* Hiroshima
* Nagoya
* Shuto (Tokyo)

Prefecture-maintained routes|

* E4A Daini-Michinoku
* E4A Michinoku
* E80 Abukuma Kōgen
* E81 Nikkō Utsunomiya
* E87 Chitahantō
* E95 Bantan Renraku
* E97 Ōita Airport

Former expressways|

* D8 Tokyo Expressway

Authority control databases |

* VIAF

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