Higashi-Kantō Expressway

The Higashi-Kantō Expressway (東関東自動車道, Higashi Kantō Jidōsha-dō) (lit. East Kantō Expressway) is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.

Higashi-Kantō Expressway
東関東自動車道
Route information
Length	74.5 km[1] (46.3 mi)
Existed	1971[2]–present
Major junctions
From	Kōya Junction Shuto Expressway Bayshore Route Tokyo Gaikan Expressway in Ichikawa, Chiba
To	Ibaraki Junction Kita-Kantō Expressway in Ibaraki, Ibaraki
Location
Country	Japan
Major cities	Funabashi, Narashino, Chiba, Sakura, Narita, Katori, Itako
Highway system
National highways of Japan Expressways of Japan

Higashi-Kantō Expressway over the Tone River.

Overview

Officially the expressway is referred to as the Higashi-Kantō Expressway Mito Route.^[3]

The expressway commences at a junction with the Shuto Expressway Bayshore Route in western Chiba Prefecture and follows an easterly course which parallels Tokyo Bay. Just before Miyanogi Junction where the expressway meets the Keiyō Road, the route branches away from the bay and heads inland in a northeasterly direction. It continues through Chiba Prefecture, though the city of Narita, and crossing the Tone River into Ibaraki Prefecture where the expressway reaches its current terminus in Itako.

The expressway is an important route linking the greater Tokyo area with Narita International Airport. At Narita Junction travellers must switch to the Shin-Kūkō Expressway to travel the remaining distance to the airport proper.

Currently the expressway extends from Wangan-Ichikawa Interchange to Itako Interchange, however plans are underway to extend the expressway to a junction with the Kita-Kantō Expressway near Mito, Ibaraki.^[4]

The expressway is 6 lanes from the origin to Narita Junction, and the remainder is 4 lanes. The speed limit is 80 km/h (50 mph) from the origin to Chiba-kita Interchange, 110 km/h (68 mph) from Yotsukaidō Interchange to Narita Interchange, and other sections are 100 km/h (62 mph).^[5]

List of interchanges and features

• IC - interchange, JCT - junction, PA - parking area, SA - service area, BR - bridge, TB - toll gate

No.	Name	Connections	Dist. from Origin	Dist. from Terminus	Notes	Location
Through to Shuto Expressway Bayshore Route
	Ichikawa JCT		0.0 km 0 mi	123.0 km 76.4 mi		Ichikawa	Chiba
1	Kōya JCT	Tokyo Gaikan Expressway
2	Wangan-Ichikawa IC	National Route 357	1.0 km 0.62 mi	122.0 km 75.8 mi	Ichikawa-bound exit, Itako-bound entrance only
2-1	Yatsu-Funabashi IC	National Route 357 Pref. Route 15 (Chiba Funabashi-Kaihin Route)	5.5 km 3.4 mi	117.5 km 73.0 mi	Itako-bound exit, Ichikawa-bound entrance only	Funabashi
3	Wangan-Narashino IC	National Route 357	7.9 km 4.9 mi	115.10 km 71.52 mi	Itako-bound exit, Ichikawa-bound entrance only	Narashino
TB	Narashino Toll Gate		↓	↑
PA	Wangan-Makuhari PA		8.7 km 5.4 mi	114.3 km 71.0 mi		Mihama-ku, Chiba
4	Wangan-Chiba IC	National Route 357	11.6 km 7.2 mi	111.4 km 69.2 mi	Ichikawa-bound exit, Itako-bound entrance only
5	Miyanogi JCT	Keiyō Road	16.7 km 10.4 mi	106.3 km 66.1 mi	No access: Keiyō southbound → Higashi-Kantō westbound Higashi-Kantō eastbound → Keiyō northbound	Inage-ku, Chiba
6	Chiba-kita IC	National Route 16	18.8 km 11.7 mi	104.20 km 64.75 mi
7	Yotsukaidō IC	Pref. Route 64 (Chiba Usui Inzai Route)	24.6 km 15.3 mi	98.4 km 61.1 mi		Yotsukaidō
8	Sakura IC	National Route 51	30.0 km 18.6 mi	93.0 km 57.8 mi		Sakura
PA	Shisui PA		35.1 km 21.8 mi	87.90 km 54.62 mi		Shisui
<8-1>	Shisui IC	National Route 51 / National Route 296 / National Route 409	37.0 km 23.0 mi	86.0 km 53.4 mi
9	Tomisato IC	National Route 409	39.5 km 24.5 mi	83.5 km 51.9 mi		Tomisato
10	Narita IC/JCT	Shin-Kūkō Expressway National Route 295 – Narita International Airport	44.9 km 27.9 mi	78.1 km 48.5 mi		Narita
<10-1>	Taiei JCT	Ken-Ō Expressway	51.5 km 32.0 mi	71.5 km 44.4 mi
PA	Taiei PA		51.6 km 32.1 mi	71.4 km 44.4 mi
11	Taiei IC	National Route 51	56.6 km 35.2 mi	66.4 km 41.3 mi
12	Sawara Katori IC	Pref. Route 55 (Sawara Yamada Route) Pref. Route 253 (Katori Tsunomiya Route)	65.9 km 40.9 mi	57.1 km 35.5 mi		Katori
PA	Sawara PA		68.5 km 42.6 mi	54.5 km 33.9 mi
BR	Tonegawa Bridge		↓	↑	Length - 630 m
BR	Hitachi-Tonegawa Bridge		↓	↑		Itako	Ibaraki
13	Itako IC	Pref. Route 50 (Mito Kamisu Route) Pref. Route 101 (Itako Sawara Route)	74.5 km 46.3 mi	48.5 km 30.1 mi
<14>	Asō IC	Pref. Route 50 (Mito Kamisu Route)	85.6 km 53.2 mi	37.4 km 23.2 mi	Planned	Namegata
<15>	Kitaura IC	National Route 354	97.5 km 60.6 mi	23.5 km 14.6 mi	Planned
16	Hokota IC	Pref. Route 18 (Ibaraki Kashima Route)	105.4 km 65.5 mi	17.6 km 10.9 mi		Hokota
17	Ibaraki-minami IC	Pref. Route 18 (Ibaraki Kashima Route)	114.2 km 71.0 mi	8.8 km 5.5 mi		Ibaraki
15-1	Ibaraki JCT	Kita-Kantō Expressway	123.0 km 76.4 mi	0.00 km 0 mi

References

1. "E-NEXCO Expressway Data". Archived from the original on 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
2. Narita City Board of Education. "Narita Nandemo Encyclopedia". Retrieved 2008-04-15.^{[permanent dead link]}
3. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. "High Standard Trunk Road Map" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-20. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
4. "E-NEXCO Opening Schedule". Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
5. "高速自動車国道等の最高速度". Police Net Chiba. Chiba Prefectural Police.

External links

• (in Japanese) East Nippon Expressway Company