Sanriku Expressway

The Sanriku Expressway (三陸自動車道, Sanriku Jidōsha-dō) is an incomplete expressway that exists in multiple segments in Miyagi Prefecture and Iwate Prefecture, Japan. The expressway connects Sendai, the capital and largest city in Miyagi Prefecture, to Miyako in Iwate Prefecture. It follows the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the northern parts of the Tōhoku region, otherwise known as the Sanriku Coast. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company (NEXCO East Japan), the Miyagi Prefecture Road Corporation, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). The route is signed as an auxiliary route of National Route 45 as well as E6 and E45 under MLIT's "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering."[1] It is one of three routes numbered E45, the other two are the Sanriku-kita Jūkan Road and the Hachinohe-Kuji Expressway, and one of many routes numbered E6, although the Sanriku Expressway only carries the number close to its southern terminus in Sendai. When completed, all of these routes will form an expressway that travels from the Tokyo Gaikan Expressway in Saitama Prefecture along the Pacific Coast to Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture.

Sanriku Expressway
三陸自動車道
The Sanriku Expressway highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Length	248.1 km (154.2 mi)
Existed	1982–present
Component highways	National Route 45
Major junctions
South end	Sendaiko-kita Interchange National Route 45 / Sendai-Tōbu Road in Sendai, Miyagi
North end	Tarō-kita Interchange National Route 45 / Sanriku-kita Jūkan Road in Miyako, Iwate
Highway system
National highways of Japan Expressways of Japan

Naming

The expressway is named after the Sanriku region of northern Japan. The region was named Sanriku in the aftermath of the Boshin War, the provinces of Mutsu and Dewa were divided. Mutsu was split into new five provinces: Rikuō (also read Mutsu), Rikuchū, Rikuzen, Iwashiro and Iwaki. The first three of these collectively known as the "Three Riku", or Sanriku, with san (三) meaning "three." They are now known, respectively, as Aomori Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, and Miyagi Prefecture. When completed the Sanriku Expressway and Sanriku-kita Jūkan Road will span these three prefectures.[2]

Future

The expressway is expected to be entirely completed by 2020 as part of a region-wide recovery effort from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[3]

Junction list

TB= Toll booth, PA= Parking Area

Prefecture	Location	km	mi	Exit	Name	Destinations	Notes
Through to Sendai-Tōbu Road
Miyagi	Miyagino-ku, Sendai	0.0	0.0	1	Sendaikō-kita	National Route 45
	Tagajō	2.7	1.7	1-1	Tagajō	Miyagi Prefecture Route 35 (Izumi Shiogama Route)
	Rifu	4.0	2.5	2	Rifu	Sendai-Hokubu Road – to Tōhoku Expressway, Morioka, Aomori	Northern terminus of E6 concurrency, southern terminus of E45
		5.6	3.5	3	Rifu Shiogama	Miyagi Prefecture Route 3 (Shiogama Yoshioka Route)
		7.8	4.8	4	Rifu-naka	Miyagi Prefecture Route 8 (Sendai Matsushima Route)	Northern limit of tolling by NEXCO East, southern limit of tolling by Miyagi Prefecture Road Corporation
		9.1	5.7	PA	Kasuga
		11.8	7.3	5	Matsushima-Kaigan	Miyagi Prefecture Route 144 (Akanuma Matsushima Route)
	Matsushima	15.9	9.9	6	Matsushima-Ōsato	Miyagi Prefecture Route 9 (Taiwa Matsushima Route)
		19.3	12.0	7	Matsushima-kita	National Route 346
	Higashimatsushima	26.1	16.2	8/TB	Naruse-Okumatsushima	National Route 45	Northern terminus of toll collection by Miyagi Prefecture Road Corporation, southern terminus of section maintained by MLIT
		30.6	19.0	PA	Yamoto
		31.9	19.8	9	Yamoto	Miyagi Prefecture Route 34 (Yamoto Kanan Route)
		36.1	22.4	10	Ishinomakiko	Miyagi Prefecture Route 251 – to National Route 45
	Ishinomaki	38.5	23.9	11	Ishinomaki-Kanan	Miyagi Prefecture Route 16 (Ishinomaki Kashimadai Ōhira Kanan Route) – to National Route 108
		40.5	25.2	11-1	Ishinomaki-Onagawa	National Route 45 / National Route 398 – ⛨ Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital
		45.2	28.1	12	Kahoku	Miyagi Prefecture Route 196
		52.6	32.7	13	Monō-Toyosato	Miyagi Prefecture Route 30
		56.8	35.3	14	Monō-Tsuyama	Miyagi Prefecture Route 61
	Tome	66.4	41.3	15	Tome	Miyagi Prefecture Route 4 (Ishinomaki Kashimadai Ōhira Kanan Route) – to National Route 108
		71.4	44.4	16	Tome-Tōwa	National Route 398 – to Michi-no-eki Rinrinkan	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		73.4	45.6	16-1	Mitakido	National Route 398 – to Michi-no-eki Mitakido
	Minamisanriku	82.5	51.3	17	Shizugawa	National Route 398 – to National Route 45
		85.5	53.1	18	Minamisanriku-Kaigan	National Route 45
		89.7	55.7	19	Utatsu	National Route 45
		93.7	58.2	20	Utatsu-kita	National Route 45	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
	Kesennuma	99.7	62.0	21	Koizumi-Kaigan	National Route 45	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		2-kilometer-long (1.2 mi) gap in the expressway, connection is made by National Route 45
		101.7	63.2	22	Motoyoshitsuya	National Route 45	Southbound exit, northbound entrance
		103.7	64.4	PA	Motoyoshi
		105.7	65.7	23	Ōya-Kaigan	National Route 45
		108.2	67.2	23-1	Iwaisaki	Unnamed road – to National Route 45	Southbound exit, northbound entrance
		112.8	70.1	24	Kesennuma-chūō	National Route 45 (Kesennuma Bypass)
		9-kilometer-long (5.6 mi) gap in the expressway, connection is made by National Route 45
		121.8	75.7	—	Karakuwa-minami	National Route 45
		124.8	77.5	29	Karakuwa-Goharagi	National Route 45	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
				PA	Karakuwaosawa
Iwate	Rikuzentakata	128.3	79.7	30	Rikuzentakata-Taosabe	National Route 45
		134.8	83.8	31	Rikuzentakata	National Route 340
		138.9	86.3	32	Kayooka	National Route 45	Southbound exit, northbound entrance
	Ōfunato	141.3	87.8	PA	Funagawara		Parking area is only accessible for northbound traffic
		142.3	88.4	33	Ōfunato-Goishikaigan	National Route 45/ Iwate Prefecture Route 38
		146.9	91.3	—	Emergency Exit	⛨ Iwate Prefecture Ōfunato Hospital	Emergency vehicles only
		150.9	93.8	34	Ōfunato	National Route 45
		154.5	96.0	35	Ōfunato-kita	National Route 45	Southbound exit, northbound entrance
		159.9	99.4	36	Sanriku	National Route 45
		163.5	101.6	37	Yoshihama	National Route 45
	Kamaishi	168.5	104.7	38	Kamaishi-minami	National Route 45	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		171.0	106.3	39	Kamaishi-Tōni	National Route 45	Southbound exit, northbound entrance
		177.5	110.3	40	Kamaishi	Kamaishi Expressway – to Tōhoku Expressway, Tōno, Hanamaki
		178.4	110.9	41	Kamaishi-chūō	National Route 283
		183.1	113.8	42	Kamaishi-Ryōishi	Iwate Prefecture Route 242	Southbound exit, northbound entrance
		187.0	116.2	43	Kamaishi-kita	National Route 45	Southbound entrance, northbound exit
	Ōtsuchi	192.5	119.6	44	Ōtsuchi	Iwate Prefecture Route 26
		196.3	122.0	PA	Namita
	Yamada	200.5	124.6	45	Yamada-minami	National Route 45
		208.3	129.4	46	Yamada	National Route 45
		216.3	134.4	47	Yamada-kita	National Route 45	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
	Miyako	220.8	137.2	PA	Tsugaruishi
		222.3	138.1	48	Miyako-minami	National Route 45
		227.1	141.1	49	Miyako-chūō	National Route 106 (Miyako West Bypass)
				50	Miyako-kita
				51	Tarō-minami	Iwate Prefecture Route 177
		244.1	151.7	52	Tarō-Masakikaigan	National Route 45
		248.1	154.2	53	Tarō-kita	National Route 45	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
Through to Sanriku-kita Jūkan Road
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Tolled       Unopened

References

1. "Japan's Expressway Numbering System". www.mlit.go.jp.
2. Nippon-Kichi, 三陸リアス式海岸　Sanriku-riasushiki-kaigan　 Saw-tooth Sanriku Coastline
3. "洋野階上道路" [“Opening prospects for reconstruction roads and reconstruction support roads are "approximately 90% finalized""] (PDF) (pdf) (in Japanese). 28 October 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2018.

See also

• Joban Expressway
• Japan National Route 45

External links

• (in Japanese) Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: Tohoku Regional Development Bureau
• (in English) East Nippon Expressway Company