The is a national expressway in the Tōhoku region of Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.
Naming
The name is a kanji acronym consisting of characters found in the former names of the provinces linked by the expressway. consists of the eastern part of present-day Fukushima Prefecture, and consists of present-day Niigata Prefecture.
Officially the expressway is referred to as the Tōhoku-Ōdan Expressway Iwaki Niigata Route.
Overview
The route of the expressway connects the coastlines of the Pacific Ocean and the Japan Sea by traversing the mountainous interior of the Tōhoku region.
The expressway commences at a junction with the Jōban Expressway in Iwaki, Fukushima and follows a northwesterly course to the city of Kōriyama, where it intersects with the Tōhoku Expressway. The expressway continues its course through the historic Aizu region, with Mount Bandai viewable to the north and Lake Inawashiro viewable to the south. The route then enters Niigata Prefecture and eventually terminates at a junction in Niigata City with the Hokuriku Expressway and Nihonkai-Tōhoku Expressway.
The route parallels the East Ban'etsu Line and West Ban'etsu Line of East Japan Railway Company and National Route 49 for much of its length.
The first section of the expressway was opened to traffic in 1990 and the entire route was completed in 1997. The route was originally 2 lanes only, one in each direction. However expansion to two lanes in each direction has proceeded gradually over the years. Expansion of the eastern half (between Iwaki Junction and Kōriyama Junction) was completed in 2009.
Using the Ban-etsu and Hokuriku Expressway to travel between the Tōhoku and Kinki regions is shorter and cheaper than using expressways that traverse a route via the greater Tokyo urban area.
All service areas along the route feature restaurants and shops (there are also shops at Gobyakugawa Parking Area). There are 24-hour gas stations at Abukumakōgen Service Area and Bandaisan Service Area. There is a 24-hour FamilyMart convenience store at Aganogawa Service Area (Niigata-bound only). Saiso Parking Area and Miharu Parking Area feature vending machines and toilets, while all other parking areas have only toilets.
List of interchanges and features
IC - interchange, SIC - smart interchange, JCT - junction, SA - service area, PA - parking area, BS - bus stop, TN - tunnel, BR - bridge
No.NameConnectionsDist. fromOriginDist. fromTerminusBus StopNotesSpeed LimitLanesLocation(16-1)Iwaki JCT Jōban Expressway0.0212.780 km/hFourIwakiFukushimaTNGōdo Tunnel↓↑Iwaki-bound 383 mNiigata-bound 373 m1Iwaki-Miwa IC National Route 49Pref. Route 66 (Onahama Ono Route)8.8203.9TNWatato Tunnel↓↑Iwaki-bound 1,136 mNiigata-bound 1,131 mPASaiso PA18.7194.02Ono IC/JCT Abukuma Kōgen Road National Route 34935.2177.5○OnoTNShinkazakoshi Tunnel↓↑Iwaki-bound - 463 mNiigata-bound - 538 mTamura2-1Tamura SIC National Route 34944.7168.0ETC onlySAAbukumakōgen SA46.8165.93Funehiki-Miharu IC National Route 28855.7157.0PAMiharu PA59.5153.2Miharu3-1Kōriyama-higashi IC National Route 28863.7149.0Kōriyama(18-1)Kōriyama JCT Tōhoku Expressway71.4141.3BRGohyakugawa Bridge↓↑Length - 170 mMotomiyaPAGohyakugawa PA76.5136.2Kōriyama4Bandaiatami ICPref. Route 24 (Nakanosawa Atami Route)79.6133.1TNTakatamahigashi Tunnel↓↑Iwaki-bound 1,112 mNiigata-bound 1,122 mTNTakatamanishi Tunnel↓↑Iwaki-bound 1,019 mNiigata-bound 993 mTNShinnakayama Tunnel↓↑Iwaki-bound 1,786 mNiigata-bound 1,820 mTNKurateyama Tunnel↓↑Iwaki-bound 1,648 mNiigata-bound 1,669 mInawashiroTNSekito Tunnel↓↑Iwaki-bound 1,443 mNiigata-bound 1,488 m5Inawashiro Bandaikōgen IC National Route 11597.6115.1SABandaisan SA105.3107.4Bandai6Bandai Kawahigashi ICPref. Route 64 (Aizuwakamatsu Urabandai Route)111.5101.2Aizu-wakamatsu7Aizuwakamatsu IC National Route 121117.595.270 km/hTwo7-1PANiitsuru PA/SIC124.788.0SIC: ETC onlyAizumisatoTNNanaori Tunnel↓↑Length - 2,358 mAizubange8Aizubange IC National Route 49 National Route 252132.480.3BRTadamigawa Bridge↓↑Length - 310 mTNTabanematsu Tunnel↓↑Length - 1,325 m NishiaizuTNToyasan Tunnel↓↑Length - 2,600 mTNNishiaizu Tunnel↓↑Length - 1,018 m9/PANishiaizu IC/PA National Route 49Pref. Route 16 (Kitakata Nishiaizu Route)143.868.9○TNNagasaka Tunnel↓↑Length - 736 mTNRyūgadake Tunnel↓↑Length - 3,659 mTNKuromoriyama Tunnel↓↑Length - 2,759 mAgaNiigataTNKoide Tunnel↓↑Length - 1,121 mPAKamikawa PA162.650.110Tsugawa ICPref. Route 89 (Tsugawa Inter Route)166.246.5○TNYakiyama Tunnel↓↑Length - 2,997 mBSMikawa Bus Stop172.839.9○11Mikawa ICPref. Route 587 (Mikawa Inter Route)174.038.7TNYoshizu Tunnel↓↑Iwaki-bound 906 mNiigata-bound 952 mTNNishiyama Tunnel↓↑Length - 2,402 mTNKumawatari Tunnel↓↑Length - 157 mSAAganogawa SA181.031.7TNKomatsu Tunnel↓↑Length - 200 mAganoTNHōshusan Tunnel↓↑Length - 611 m12Yasuda ICPref. Route 41 (Shirone Yasuda Route)188.923.8○80 km/hFourPAGosen PA191.221.5Gosen70 km/hTwo13Niitsu ICPref. Route 34 (Niitsu Teishajō Route) National Route 460198.514.2Akiha-ku, NiigataBSKawaguchi Bus Stop202.210.5○13-1Niitsu-nishi SIC National Route 403204.5ETC onlyIwaki-bound exit, Niigata-bound entrance onlyBSSakaya Bus Stop207.55.2○Kōnan-ku, NiigataPANiigata PA208.64.1100 km/hFour(42)Niigata-Chūō JCT Hokuriku Expressway Nihonkai-Tōhoku Expressway211.90.814Niigata-Chūō ICPref. Route 16 (Niigata Kameda Uchino Route)Pref. Route 290 (Sonoki Hitoichi Route)212.70.0
References
External links
East Nippon Expressway Company JAF Drive Map
Iwaki JCT Niigata-Chūō IC