The , signed as Route 5, is one of the tolled routes of the

Shuto Expressway is a network of toll expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the . Most routes are grade-separated (elevated roads or tunnels) and central routes have many sharp curves and multi-lane merges that requi ...

system serving the

Greater Tokyo Area The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi) as well as th ...

. The route is a long radial highway running north from Chiyoda City to

Toda, Saitama is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 140,902 in 66,765 households and a population density of 7700 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Toda is located in the flat lowl ...

. It connects Tokyo's Inner Circular Route in central Tokyo to the Tokyo Gaikan Expressway where it continues north as the

Ōmiya Route The , signed as Route S5, is one of the five routes of the Shuto Expressway system serving the Greater Tokyo Area that are located within Saitama Prefecture. The long radial highway runs north from Bijogi Junction in Toda to Yono Junction in t ...

Route description

The Ikebukuro Route begins at Takebashi Junction with the Inner Circular Route in Chiyoda City just north of the

Tokyo Imperial Palace The is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda district of the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo and contains several buildings including the where the Emperor has his living quarters, the where v ...

. From there it travels northwest through

Shinjuku is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administrati ...

Bunkyō is a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area, Bunkyō is a residential and educational center. Beginning in the Meiji period, literati like Natsume Sōseki, as well as scholars and politicians have lived ...

Toshima is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the eight central wards of the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Located in the northern area of Tokyo, Toshima is bordered by the wards of Nerima, Itabashi, and Kita in the north and Nakano, Shinjuku, ...

, and

Itabashi is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. In English, it calls itself Itabashi City. Itabashi has sister-city relations with Burlington, Ontario, in Canada; Shijingshan District of Beijing in the People's Republic of China; and ...

in Tokyo before crossing over the Arakawa River into Toda in

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefectur ...

where the Ikebukuro Route ends at Bijogi Junction where it intersects the Tokyo Gaikan Expressway. The expressway continues northward as the

to Ōmiya-ku. The speed limit on the Ikebukuro Route is set at 60 km/h.

History

The Ikebukuro Route was first opened in March 1967 between Nishi-kanda and the expressway's southern terminus at Takebashi Junction. It was extended to its current length in phases completed in 1969, 1977, 1990, and 1993. In preparation for increased congestion during the 2020 Summer Olympics, a new traffic-control system was installed in July 2019 along the expressway at the interchanges at Kita-Ikebukuro, Nishi-Kanda, Gokokuji, Nakadai, Takashimadaira, Toda-minami, Higashi-Ikebukuro, and Iidabashi.

Junction list

References

{{Shuto Expressway 5 1967 establishments in Japan Roads in Saitama Prefecture Roads in Tokyo