The Kushiro Sotokan Road (釧路外環状道路, Kushiro-Sotokan Jōdōro) is a two-lane national expressway in Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of July 2019, it connects the city Kushiro to the adjacent town that bears the same name. It is owned and operated by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and is signed as E38 and E44 under their "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering."[1]
 | |
|---|---|
| 国道%route%号 | |
  釧路外環状道路 (Kushiro-Sotokan Jōdōro) | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism | |
| Length | 17.3 km (10.7 mi) |
| Existed | 2016–present |
| Component highways |   National Route 38 / National Route 44 |
| Major junctions | |
| West end | Kushiro-nishi Interchange Hokkaido Route 148 in Kushiro |
| East end | Kushirobeppo Interchange National Route 272 in Kushiro |
| Location | |
| Country | Japan |
| Highway system | |
Route description
editThe Kushiro Sotokan Road was built to reduce congestion along National Routes 38 and 44 through Kushiro and to build part of the larger Trans-Hokkaidō Expressway with plans to link it to the Dōtō Expressway.
The route has a total length of 16.8 kilometres (10.4 mi). Variable-message signs indicate the speed limit along the road, but the standard limit is 100 km/h.[2]
History
editKushiro Sotokan Road was opened in two stages. The first and largest stage was the construction of the road between Kushiro-nishi Interchange and Kushiro-higashi interchange. It was completed on 12 March 2016. The second stage extended the road east to its current eastern terminus at Kushirobeppo Interchange. This stage was completed on 9 March 2019.[3]
Junction list
editThe entire expressway is in Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaido. Distance markers reflect the distance traveled along the Dōtō Expressway from its terminus at Chitose-Eniwa Junction with the Hokkaido Expressway.
| Location | km | mi | Exit | Name | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Through to  Dōtō Expressway (under construction)
| |||||||
| Kushiro | 258.6 | 160.7 | 18 | Kushiro-nishi | Hokkaido Route 148 | At-grade junction; western terminus | |
| 265.0 266.1 | 164.7 165.3 | 19 | Kushiro-chūō | Yanagibashi Avenue – Central Kushiro | |||
| Kushiro (town) | 268.8 | 167.0 | 20 | Kushiro-higashi |  National Route 391 to National Route 44 – Teshikaga, Shibecha | East end of E38, west end of E44 | |
| 275.9 | 171.4 | 21 | Kushirobeppo | National Route 272 to National Route 44 – Shibetsu, Nemuro | At-grade junction; eastern terminus | ||
Through to  Trans-Hokkaidō Expressway (planned)
| |||||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
edit- ^ "Japan's Expressway Numbering System". www.mlit.go.jp.
- ^ MLIT (25 October 2016). "一般国道38号・44号 釧路外環状道路 再評価原案準備書説明資料 平成28年度" (PDF) (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- ^ MLIT (5 February 2019). "路外環 状道路（釧路東IC～釧路別保IC）と釧路中標津道路（一般国道272号）上別保道路 が 平成31年3月9日（土）15時に開通します！" (PDF) (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 July 2019.