Yamagata Expressway

Yamagata Expressway
山形自動車道
Route information
Length:	136.6 km[1] (84.9 mi)
Existed:	1981[2] – present
Major junctions
From:	Murata Junction in Murata, Miyagi Tōhoku Expressway
To:	Sakata-Minato Interchange in Sakata, Yamagata Nihonkai Engan Tōhoku Expressway Yamagata Prefectural Route 59
Location
Major cities:	Yamagata, Sagae, Tsuruoka
Highway system
National highways of Japan Expressways of Japan

The Yamagata Expressway (山形自動車道 Yamagata Jidōsha-dō) is a national expressway in the Tōhoku region of Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.

Naming

The expressway is officially referred to as the Tōhoku Ōdan Expressway Sakata Route. From Tsuruoka Junction to Sakata-Minato Interchange the expressway is concurrent with the Nihonkai Engan Tōhoku Expressway, which is planned to extend further north to Akita Prefecture and Aomori Prefecture.^[3]

Overview

The expressway begins in southern Miyagi Prefecture at a junction with the Tōhoku Expressway and heads west, crossing over into Yamagata Prefecture. The route passes to the north of the Yamagata city area and subsequently meets the Tōhoku-Chūō Expressway. From here the expressway crosses mountainous areas of western Yamagata Prefecture before reaching the city of Tsuruoka near the Japan Sea coastline. The remainder of the expressway follows a northerly course paralleling the coastline to the terminus in the city of Sakata.

The route is incomplete between Gassan Interchange and Yudonosan Interchange which cuts the route into two physically separate sections. Travellers must use National Route 112 to travel between the two interchanges. As of March 2008 there are no plans to make the Yamagata Expressway a single contiguous expressway.^[4]

The expressway is 4 lanes from Murata Junction to Yamagata Junction and 2 lanes for all other sections. The speed limit is 80 km/h for the 4-laned section and 70 km/h for the 2-laned sections.

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, TB - toll gate

No.	Name	Connections	Dist. from Origin	Dist. from Terminus	Bus Stop	Notes	Location
(26)	Murata JCT	Tōhoku Expressway	0.0	83.5			Murata	Miyagi
1	Miyagikawasaki IC	National Route 286 Pref. Route 14 (Watari Ōgarawa Kawasaki Route)	10.4	73.1			Kawasaki
PA	Furuseki PA		18.2	65.3
2	Sasaya IC	National Route 286	22.3	61.2
TN	Sasaya Tunnel		↓	↑		Murata-bound - 3,411 m Sakata-bound - 3,286m
							Yamagata	Yamagata
3	Sekizawa IC	National Route 286	28.1	55.4		Sakata-bound exit, Murata-bound entrance only
4	Yamagatazaō IC/ PA	National Route 286	35.6	47.9
TN	Sakazukiyama Tunnel		↓	↑		Murata-bound - 1,234 m Sakata-bound - 1,240 m
5	Yamagata-kita IC	National Route 13	41.9	41.6
	Emergency Exit		↓	↑		Access for Yamagata Chūō Hospital Authorized vehicles only
6	Yamagata JCT	Tōhoku-Chūō Expressway	46.6	36.9
BR	Mogamigawa Bridge		↓	↑		Mogami River crossing	Nakayama
7	Sagae IC	National Route 112	52.8	30.7			Sagae
SA	Sagae SA/ SIC		55.9	27.6	○
8	Nishikawa IC	National Route 112	67.0	16.5	○		Nishikawa
TB	Nishikawa Toll Gate		↓	↑
TN	Kazeakesan Tunnel		↓	↑		Length - 1,920 m
PA	Gassanko PA		81.3	2.2
9	Gassan IC	National Route 112	83.5	0.0
Through to National Route 112 (Gassan Road)
10	Yudonosan IC	National Route 112	0.0	53.1			Tsuruoka	Yamagata
TN	Tamugimata Tunnel		↓	↑		Length - 1,921 m
TN	Miguriya Tunnel		↓	↑		Length - 1,463 m
BS	Shōnai-Asahi Bus Stop		9.1	44.0	○
11	Shōnai-Asahi IC	Pref. Route 44 (Amarume Atsumi Route)	9.9	43.2
PA	Kushibiki PA		13.0	40.1
12/TB	Tsuruoka IC/ TB	National Route 7	23.8	29.3
13	Tsuruoka JCT	Nihonkai-Tōhoku Expressway	↓	↑		Opens in 2011
14	Shōnai Airport IC	Pref. Route 33 (Shōnai Airport Tachikawa Route)	34.1	19.0			Sakata
15	Sakata IC/ TB	National Route 7	41.2	11.9
BR	Mogamigawa-Hakuchō Bridge		↓	↑		Mogami River crossing
16	Sakata-Minato IC	Pref. Route 59 (Sakata Yawata Route)	53.1	0.0
Through to Nihonkai Engan Tōhoku Expressway (Planned)

References

1. "E-NEXCO Expressway Data". Retrieved 2008-04-13.
2. "Expressway Opening Dates". Retrieved 2008-04-16.
3. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. "High Standard Trunk Road Map" (pdf). Retrieved 2008-04-13.
4. "E-NEXCO Opening Schedule". Retrieved 2008-04-15.

External links

• (Japanese) East Nippon Expressway Company