Dōtō Highway
| Dōtō Highway in Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Operator: | NEXCO Higashi-Nihon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start of the street: | Chitose | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| End of street: | Kushiro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall length: | 258 km | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| of which in operation: | 201 km | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| of which under construction: | 57 km | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| New construction of the highway near Shimukappu . | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Course of the road
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The Dōtō-Autobahn ( Japanese 道 東 自動 車道 , Dōtō jidōshadō , dt. "East Hokkaidō-Autobahn") is a highway in Japan . The highway is equipped with 1 × 2 lanes and forms an east-west route on the northern island of Hokkaidō , from Chitose south of Sapporo to Kushiro , a larger city on the eastern part of Hokkaidō. The road is 201 kilometers long.
Street description
In the city of Chitose south of Sapporo, the Dōtō Highway begins at an intersection with the Hokkaidō Highway . The motorway is a 1 × 2 lane road, which means that the road has overpasses but only one lane with two lanes. The road runs through a flat area to the east. The mountains here are up to 1900 meters high and the area is heavily forested with only a few places. This section also has a number of tunnels including the Honbetsu Tunnel which is 4,332 m long and the Daiichi Karikachi Tunnel which is 2,351 m long and which is also the highest point on the highway on Hokkaidō at 626 meters above sea level . Then the town of Obihiro is followed by a flat agricultural part and the road turns northeast here. The main route is known as the Nemuro route ( 根 室 線 , Nemuro-sen ). In Honbetsu , the Abashiri route ( 網 走 線 , Abashiri-sen ) divides from it , which becomes Kitami Street ( 北 見 道路 , Kitami-dorō ) from Ashoro , which in turn is a bypass of National Road 39 . To the east of Honbetsu the road leads through a mountainous area. The route will end at the port city of Kushiro.
history
The Dōtō Highway is relatively new. On October 30, 1995 the first part opened at Tokachi-Shimizu in the middle part. On July 10, 1999, the western part of the Hokkaidō highway followed from Chitose to Yubari. On March 15, 2003, the part opened at Obihiro, which meant that traffic no longer had to be guided through the city. Later that year, on June 8th, the section at Honbetsu opened. In 2009 some parts between Chitosan and Obihiro were opened. The motorway is not yet fully developed.
Opening dates of the motorway
| from | to | length | date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokaichi-Shimizu | Ikeda | 50 km | 10/30/1995 |
| Chitose-Eniwa | Yubari | 42 km | 07/10/1999 |
| Ikeda | Honbetsu | 19 km | 06/08/2003 |
| Honbetsu | Ashoro | 13 km | 06/08/2003 |
| Tomamu | Tokachi Shimizu | 21 km | 10/21/2007 |
| Shimukappu | Tomamu | 26 km | October 24, 2009 |
| Honbetsu | Urahoro | 8 kilometers | 11/21/2009 |
| Yubari | Shimukappu | 34 km | October 29, 2011 |
future
Further east the motorway ends at Urahoro . Another extension to the port city of Kushiro is under construction. In 2015 the open part between Shiranuka via Akan to Kushiro should be completed. The missing part between Urahoro and Shiranuka, where a longer tunnel is being built, is to be opened in 2014 [obsolete] . The Dōtō motorway then has a length of 258 kilometers.
Traffic volume
The volume of traffic on the Dōtō motorway is very low, which means that no further expansion to a 2 × 2 motorway is necessary. The busiest point is at the start on the Hokkaidō Highway, where 2500 vehicles travel a day. This drops to 1,600 vehicles at Obihiro and only 600 vehicles per day at Honbetsu.
Expansion of the roadways
| from | to | length | Lanes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hokkaidō Highway | Honbetsu | 201 km | 1 × 2 |
Web links
- Operating company Higashi-Nihon Kōsokudōro KK (Japanese)
- Dōtō-Autobahn on Wegenwiki (Dutch)