The is an incomplete
expressway that exists in multiple segments in
Miyagi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the n ...
and
Iwate Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture at , with a population of 1,210,534 (as of October 1, 2020). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefectu ...
,
Japan. The expressway connects Sendai, the capital and largest city in Miyagi Prefecture, to
Miyako in Iwate Prefecture. It follows the coast of the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
in the northern parts of the
Tōhoku region
The , Northeast region, or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (''ken''): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata.
Tōhoku ret ...
, otherwise known as the
Sanriku Coast
The is a coastal region on the Pacific Ocean, extending from southern Aomori Prefecture, through Iwate Prefecture and northern Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Honshū, which is Japan's main island. The name comes from the historical region of S ...
. It is owned and operated by
East Nippon Expressway Company
The , abbreviated as , is one of the main operators of expressways and toll roads in Japan. It is headquartered in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
The company was established on October 1, 2005 as a result of the privatization of Japan Highway P ...
(NEXCO East Japan), the Miyagi Prefecture Road Corporation, and the
(MLIT). The route is signed as an auxiliary route of
National Route 45 as well as E6 and E45 under MLIT's "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering." It is one of three routes numbered E45, the other two are the
Sanriku-kita Jūkan Road and the
Hachinohe-Kuji Expressway, and one of many routes numbered E6, although the Sanriku Expressway only carries the number close to its southern terminus in Sendai. When completed, all of these routes will form an expressway that travels from the
Tokyo Gaikan Expressway 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 ...
along the Pacific Coast to
Hachinohe
is a city located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 221,459, and a population density of 725 persons per km2 in 96,092 households, making it Aomori Prefecture's second largest city by population. The city ...
in
Aomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the ea ...
.
Naming
The expressway is named after the Sanriku region of northern Japan. The region was named Sanriku in the aftermath of the
Boshin War, the provinces of
Mutsu and
Dewa were divided. Mutsu was split into new five provinces:
Rikuō (also read ''Mutsu''),
Rikuchū,
Rikuzen,
Iwashiro and
Iwaki. The first three of these collectively known as the "Three Riku", or ''Sanriku'', with san (三) meaning "three." They are now known, respectively, as
Aomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the ea ...
, Iwate Prefecture, and Miyagi Prefecture. When completed the Sanriku Expressway and Sanriku-kita Jūkan Road will span these three prefectures.
Future
The expressway is expected to be entirely completed by 2020 as part of a region-wide recovery effort from the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six m ...
.
Junction list
TB= Toll booth, PA= Parking Area
, colspan="8" style="text-align: center;",
, colspan="8" style="text-align: center;",
See also
*
Joban Expressway
*
Japan National Route 45
References
External links
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: Tohoku Regional Development BureauEast Nippon Expressway Company
{{East Nippon Expressway Company
Roads in Miyagi Prefecture
Roads in Iwate Prefecture
Expressways in Japan
1982 establishments in Japan