Central Circular Route (Shuto Expressway)

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Shuto Urban Expwy Sign C2.svg
Kasai JCT Shuto expressway kasai jct.jpg
Kasai JCT
Ogi-ohashi exit Shuto expressway ogiohashi.jpg
Ōgi-ōhashi exit
Senju-shinbashi exit Shuto expressway senjushinbashi.jpg
Senju-shinbashi exit
Kohoku JCT Shuto expressway kohoku jct.jpg
Kohoku JCT

The Central Circular Route(中央環状線,Chūō Kanjō-sen), signed as Route C2, is one of the routes of the Shuto Expressway system serving the central part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The route is a circumferential highway running through the outer wards of Tokyo. The route is the middle of three ring expressways planned for the city; the other two being the C1 Inner Circular Route and the C3 Tokyo Gaikan Expressway.

Shuto Expressway Highway network in the metropolis of Tokyo in Japan.

Shuto Expressway is a network of toll expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the Metropolitan Expressway Co., Ltd..

Greater Tokyo Area Place in Japan ----

The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan, including Tokyo Metropolis, as well as the prefecture of Yamanashi of the neighboring Chūbu region. In Japanese, it is referred to by various terms, one of the most common being Capital Region.

Tokyo Gaikan Expressway Highway in Tokyo and Chiba prefecture, Japan (C3).

The Tokyo Gaikan Expressway is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.

The complete route is 48.8 km in length. Construction work on underground sections of the route began in 1992 with the final section opened to traffic on 7 March, 2015. Given the extensive tunneling and engineering challenges involved construction costs for the route were estimated to be 2 Trillion yen. [1]

The route is approximately 8km from the center of the city and goes through the wards of Edogawa, Katsushika, Adachi, Kita, Itabashi, Toshima, Shinjuku, Nakano, Shibuya, Meguro, and Shinagawa.

Edogawa, Tokyo Special ward in Kantō, Japan

Edogawa is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It takes its name from the Edo River that runs from north to south along the eastern edge of the ward. In English, it uses the name Edogawa City.

Adachi, Tokyo Special ward in Kantō, Japan

Adachi is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It is located north of the heart of Tokyo. The ward consists of two separate areas: a small strip of land between the Sumida River and Arakawa River and a larger area north of the Arakawa River. The ward is bordered by the cities of Kawaguchi, Sōka and Yashio in Saitama and Katsushika, Sumida, Arakawa, and Kita in Tokyo. The ward is called Adachi City in English.

Kita, Tokyo Special ward in Kantō, Japan

Kita is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is City of Kita. The ward was founded on March 15, 1947.

Yamate Tunnel Shutoko-YamateTunnel.JPG
Yamate Tunnel

The Yamate Tunnel forms a key part of the Central Circular Route. A deep underground tunnel constructed beneath Yamate Dori, the first section over 11km in length, was opened to traffic on December 22, 2007. From 2010 the tunnel extended the Central Circular Route south from near Ikebukuro to Ohashi Junction connecting with Route 3. The last 9.4 km through Meguro and Shinagawa was opened to traffic on March 7, 2015. [2] When this last section of the tunnel opened the Yamate Tunnel formed Japan's longest, and the world's second longest road tunnel. [3] During the tunnel's first week of operations, traffic volume on the Inner Circular Route was reduced by seven percent from the previous week, and congestion on expressways inside the Central Circular Route (an index measured by recording segments where average traffic speed is less than 40 km/h, and multiplying the affected distance by the affected time) was approximately halved from the previous week. [4]

Yamate Tunnel

The Yamate Tunnel carries the Central Circular Route (C2) of the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo, Japan from the Takamatsu on-ramp in Toshima to near the Ōi Junction in Shinagawa. The overall length is 18.2 km.

Ikebukuro town located in Toshima-ku, Tokyo

Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits.

Route 3 (Shuto Expressway) radial route of the Shuto Expressway

Route 3 is one of the radial routes of the Shuto Expressway system in the Tokyo area. Route 3 runs southwest from Tanimachi Junction in Minato-ku and runs for 12 kilometres through Shibuya-ku, Meguro-ku, and Setagaya-ku. The Route 3 designation ends at the Yoga Rampway and the expressway continues as the intercity Tomei Expressway to Nagoya.

The C2 begins and ends at the Bayshore Route, which serves to close the loop.

Bayshore Route Japanese highway between Kanagawa, Tokyo and Chiba prefecture, Japan

The Bayshore Route of Shuto Expressway is a stretch of toll highway in Greater Tokyo, 70 km, that runs from Yokohama city, Kanazawa ward, to Ichikawa city of Chiba Prefecture. It is an important route that runs between artificial islands of Tokyo Bay by way of bridges and sub-sea tunnels, bypassing Tokyo entirely.

Exit List

List of currently existing interchanges and exits ordered following the outer loop (clockwise):

MunicipalityExit/interchange nameDestinationsNotes
Shinagawa-kuŌi JCT Bayshore Route
Meguro-kuŌhashi JCT Route 3 (Shuto Expressway) Outbound to Yōga and Tōmei Expressway. Inbound to Tanimachi from Inner Loop.
Shibuya-kuTomigaya
C22
Shibuya-kuHatsudai-Minami
C23
Shinjuku-kuNishi-shinjuku JCT Route 4 Outbound to Takaido and Chūō Expressway. Inbound to Miyakezaka from Inner Loop.
Nakano-kuNakano-chojabashi
C24
Shinjuku Station, Tokyo Metropolitan Government OfficeInner loop exit/outer loop entrance only
Shinjuku-kuNaka-ochiai JCT (Planned)Planned Nerima Route outbound to Nerima and Kan-etsu Expressway.Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway Corporation plans to connect between C2 and Kan-estu Expressway through Nerima Route.
Toshima-kuNishi-ikebukuro Entrance
C25
Ikebukuro Station Inner loop entrance/outer loop exit only
Toshima-kuNishi-ikebukuro Exit
C26
Ikebukuro StationInner loop exit.
Itabashi-kuTakamatsu Entrance
C28
Yamate-dori streetOuter loop entrance only. Inner loop exit has closed and moved to Nishi-ikebukuro in 2007, due to the extension of Yamate Tunnel.
Itabashi-kuKumanocho JCT Route 5 inbound to Higashi-ikebukuro and Takebashi JCT from Inner loop.

Route C2 Outer Loop to Route 5 inbound is not connected.

inbound only
Itabashi-kuItabashi JCT Route 5 outbound to Ōmiya and Kan-etsu Expressway via Tokyo Gaikan Expressway.outbound only
Itabashi-kuShin-itabashi
C29
National Route 17, also known as Nakasendō avenueOuter loop exit only
Itabashi-kuTakinogawa
C31
National Route 17, also known as Nakasendō avenueInner loop entrance only
Kita-kuŌji-minami
C33
Ōji Station, Asukayama Park.Under construction: Inner loop entrance/outer loop exit.
This interchange is currently being reconstructed into a full interchange in combination with Oji-kita Rampway.
Kita-kuŌji-kita
C34
Ōji Station, Asukayama Park.Inner loop exit/outer loop entrance
Note: this interchange is currently being reconstructed into a full interchange in combination with Oji-minami Rampway.
Adachi-kuKōhoku JCT Route S1 to Angyō and Tōhoku Expressway
Adachi-kuOgiohashi
C35, C36
Adachi-kuSenju-shimbashi
C37, C38
Kita-senju Station, National Route 4, also known as Nikkō Kaidō avenue
Katsushika-kuKosuge JCT Route 6 outbound to Misato and Jōban Expressway
Katshushika-kuKosuge
C40
Inner loop exit/outer loop entrance
Katsushika-kuHorikiri JCT Route 6 inbound to Ginza and Hakozaki
Katsushika-kuYotsugi
C41, C42
National Route 6, also known as Mito Kaidō avenue
Katsushika-kuHirai-ōhashi
C43
Outer loop exit/inner loop entrance
Edogawa-kuKomatsugawa JCT (Planned)Crosses over Route 7 without connection.
Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway Corporation plans to connect between C2 inner loop and route 7 inbound.
Edogawa-kuFunaboribashi
C44
Inner loop exit/outer loop entrance
Edogawa-kuSeishinchō
C45
Outer loop exit/inner loop entrance
This freeway stub will become part of Route 10
Edogawa-kuKasai JCT Bayshore Route East to Urayasu and Higashi-Kantō Expressway
Bayshore Route West to Shin-kiba and Haneda Airport

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References

  1. "Tokyo's 47-km-long expressway loop fully opens". The Japan Times. Jiji. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  2. "Completion Date of Central Circular Route". Press Release. Metropolitan Expressway Co. Ltd. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  3. "Planning and Construction - Urban Long Tunnels, Yamate Tunnel". Shutoko. Metropolitan Expressway Company Limited. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  4. 下田, 健太郎 (19 March 2015). "中央環状線内側の首都高各線で渋滞・混雑量が半減". Nihon Keizai Shimbun. 日経コンストラクション. Retrieved 20 March 2015.