Kan'etsu Expressway - Kan'etsu Expressway

An expressway that connects the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Joshinetsu region. It is managed by East Nippon Expressway Co., Ltd. There are two routes: (1) the Niigata Line, which starts in Mitaka City, Tokyo, passes through Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, and Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture, before arriving in Nagaoka City, and overlaps with the Hokuriku Expressway between Nagaoka City and Niigata City; and (2) the Joetsu Line (Joshinetsu Expressway), which starts in Mitaka City, branches off from the Niigata Line in Fujioka City, Gunma Prefecture, passes through Saku City, Nagano Prefecture, connects to the Chuo Expressway Nagano Line in Chikuma City, passes through Nagano City, and terminates in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, where it connects to the Hokuriku Expressway. However, the Mitaka City-Nerima section of the Niigata Line is not open. The Niigata Line is 256 km long, the Joetsu Line is 203 km long, the Niigata Line has six lanes between Nerima and Maebashi, and four lanes between Maebashi and Nagaoka, and the Joetsu Line has four lanes (temporarily two lanes in some sections). This road shortens the distance between the Kanto and Shinetsu regions to within a day's trip, and has played a major role in overcoming the inconvenience of transportation in winter and improving the convenience of life in the areas along the line, as well as promoting the development of the areas along the line, which are blessed with many recreational and tourist resources.

The Niigata Line opened in October 1985 (Showa 60) in its entirety, except for the Mitaka-Nerima section of the Tokyo Outer Ring Expressway, linking Tokyo and Niigata. It connects with the Kita-Kanto Expressway at Takasaki. The Joetsu Line opened in its entirety in October 1999 (Heisei 11). The Kan'etsu Tunnel (approximately 11.1 kilometers long), which runs under Mount Tanigawa on the border between Gunma and Niigata prefectures, is the longest road tunnel in Japan. The average number of vehicles using it in fiscal 2010 (Heisei 23) was approximately 200,000 per day.

[Shimoho Osamu]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

首都圏と上信越地方を結ぶ高速道路。管理は東日本高速道路。(1)起点の東京都三鷹(みたか)市から、埼玉県川越(かわごえ)市、群馬県高崎市、新潟県南魚沼(みなみうおぬま)市を経て長岡市に至り、長岡市―新潟市間は北陸自動車道を重複して使用する新潟線と、(2)起点の三鷹市から、群馬県藤岡市で新潟線と分岐し、長野県佐久市を経て千曲(ちくま)市で中央自動車道長野線に接続し、長野市を経て、終点の新潟県上越市に至り北陸自動車道に接続する上越線（上信越自動車道）の2路線がある。ただし、新潟線の三鷹市―練馬区間は不通である。新潟線が256キロメートル、上越線が203キロメートル、新潟線が練馬(ねりま)―前橋間6車線であり、前橋―長岡間は4車線、上越線は4車線（一部は暫定的に2車線）である。この道路は、関東地方と信越地方とを日帰り圏内に短縮させ、冬季の交通不便の克服、沿線地域の生活利便の向上などに大きな役割を果たすとともに、多くのレクリエーション、観光資源に恵まれている沿線地域の開発の進展にも役だっている。

　新潟線は1985年（昭和60）10月、東京外環自動車道の三鷹市―練馬区間を除き全線開通し、東京―新潟市間が結ばれた。高崎市では北関東自動車道と接続する。上越線は、1999年（平成11）10月に全線開通した。新潟線の、群馬・新潟県境の谷川岳の下を抜ける関越トンネル（延長約11.1キロメートル）は、日本最長の道路トンネルである。2010年度（平成23）の平均利用台数は1日約20万台。

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