The is a national expressway in Hokkaido, Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.
Naming The road is named the Dō-Ō Expressway ( "Central Hokkaidō Expressway") in Japanese; however, it's also known as the Hokkaido Expressway.
Officially the expressway is designated as the of the . The name distinguishes it from the , the .
Route description
The expressway connects the north of Hokkaido with the south via the city of Sapporo. Extension of the expressway in the north towards the city of Wakkanai and in the south towards the city of Hakodate is underway; although the Hokkaido Expressway itself is not planned to extend as far as these two cities, various expressway-standard roads (bypasses of National Route 40 to the north and National Route 5 to the south) will cover the remaining distances.
Some unfinished sections of the expressway (Shibetsu-Kenbuchi Interchange to Nayoro Interchange in the north and Ōnuma Interchange to Nanae Interchange in the south) will be constructed according to the New Direct Control System. These sections are expected to operate toll-free upon completion.
The section from Sapporo-minami Interchange through Sapporo Junction to Sapporo-nishi Interchange on the Sasson Expressway is built to an urban expressway standard and the tolls are charged at a flat rate. As of March 2008 the toll on this section is 400 yen for regular passenger cars. Tolls on all other sections of the expressway are assessed according to distance travelled in the same manner as most other national expressways.
History 4 December 1971 - Kitahiroshima Interchange - Chitose Interchange section opened. 19 September 1972 - Kitahiroshima Interchange - Chitose Interchange section expanded to 4 lanes. 24 October 1978 - Chitose Interchange - Tomakomai-higashi Interchange section opened. 29 October 1979 - Sapporo-minami Interchange - Kitahiroshima Interchange section opened. 29 October 1980 - Tomakomai-higashi Interchange - Tomakomai-nishi Interchange section opened. 9 November 1983 - Sapporo Interchange - Iwamizawa Interchange section opened. 30 November 1983 - Tomakomai-nishi Interchange - Shiraoi Interchange section opened. 18 October 1985 - Shiraoi Interchange - Noboribetsu-higashi Interchange section opened. 25 October 1985 - Sapporo Interchange - Sapporo-minami Interchange section opened. 9 October 1986 - Noboribetsu-higashi Interchange - Noboribetsu Muroran Interchange section opened. 18 September 1987 - Iwamizawa Interchange - Bibai Interchange section opened. Mikasa and Bibai Interchanges become the first in Japan to implement automated ticket dispensers at toll gates. 8 October 1988 - Bibai Interchange - Takikawa Interchange section opened. 12 September 1989 - Takikawa Interchange - Fukagawa Interchange section opened. 30 October 1990 - Fukagawa Interchange - Asahikawa Takasu Interchange section opened (originally 2 lanes, expansion to 4 lanes completed in 2004). 26 April 1991 - Highway Oasis opened at Sunagawa Service Area (at that time the second in Japan in first in Hokkaido). 25 October 1991 - Noboribetsu Muroran Interchange - Muroran Interchange section opened. 30 September 1992 - Sapporo Junction is opened, connecting with the Sasson Expressway. 27 October 1992 - Muroran Interchange - Date Interchange section opened. 30 March 1994 - Date Interchange - Abuta Tōyako Interchange section opened. 22 October 1997 - Abuta Tōyako Interchange - Oshamanbe Interchange section opened. 23 March 1998 - Connection with the Hidaka Expressway is completed at Tomakomai-higashi Interchange. 11 April 1998 - Fukagawa Junction is opened, connecting with the Fukagawa-Rumoi Expressway. 7 October 1999 - Chitose-Eniwa Junction is opened, connecting with the Dōtō Expressway. November 1999 - Chitose-bound exit opened at Sapporo-minami Interchange. 29 March 29, 2000 - Date Interchange - Toyoura Interchange section closed due to risk of eruption from nearby Mount Usu. 13 July 2000 - Temporary Abuta Tōyako Interchange opened, allowing access to Toyoura Interchange. 4 October 2000 - Asahikawa Takasu Interchange - Wassamu Interchange section opened. 9 February 2001 - Date Interchange - Toyoura Interchange section reopened. 30 June 2001 - Temporary Abuta Tōyako Interchange closed due to full reopening of expressway. 10 September 2001 - Asahikawa-bound entrance opened at Sapporo-minami Interchange. 17 October 2001 - Fukagawa Interchange - Otoe Parking Area section expanded to 4 lanes. 19 November 2001 - Oshamanbe Interchange - Kunnui Interchange section opened. 30 September 2003 - Otoe Parking Area - Asahikawa Takasu Interchange section expanded to 4 lanes. 4 October 2003 - Wassamu Interchange - Shibetsu-Kenbuchi Interchange section opened. 27 March 2004 - Pippu Junction is opened, connecting with the Asahikawa-Monbetsu Expressway. 18 November 2006 - Kunnui Interchange - Yakumo Interchange section opened. 21 December 2007 - Abuta Tōyako Interchange is moved to a new location to meet the rebuilt National Route 230. 10 October 2009 - Yakumo Interchange - Otoshibe Interchange section opened. 26 November 2011 - Otoshibe Interchange - Mori Interchange section opened. 10 November 2012 - Mori Interchange - Ōnuma Kōen Interchange section opened. 3 August 2013 - New Chitose Airport Interchange opened. 13 December 2020 - Tomakomai-chūō Interchange opened.
List of interchanges and features
IC - interchange, JCT - junction, SA - service area, PA - parking area, BS - bus stop, SIC - smart interchange, TB - toll gate
Southern route (Sapporo JCT - Nanae IC) No.NameConnectionsDist. fromSapporo JunctionBus stopNotesLocation(all in Hokkaido)32Sapporo Junction Northern Route Sasson Expressway0.0Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo31Kitagō Interchange National Route 274 (Sapporo Shindō)1.6Asahikawa-bound exit, Tomakomai-bound entrance only30Ōyachi Interchange National Route 274 (Sapporo Shindō)3.6Tomakomai-bound exit, Asahikawa-bound entrance only29TBSapporo-minami InterchangeSapporo Shindō7.4Kiyota-ku, Sapporo28Kitahiroshima Interchange National Route 3611.9Kitahiroshima27PASICWattsu Parking AreaCity Route (Hiroshima Wattsu Route)16.0OBSKita-Eniwa Bus StopPausedEniwa26Eniwa InterchangePref. Route 117 (Eniwadake Kōen Route)25.8O25Chitose-Eniwa Junction Dōtō Expressway29.8Chitose24Chitose InterchangePref. Route 77 (Chitose Inter Route)34.823New Chitose Airport InterchangePref. Route 1175 (New Chitose Airport Inter Route)38.8PAMisawa Parking Area41.4Tomakomai22Tomakomai-higashi Interchange/Tomakomai-higashi Junction Hidaka ExpresswayPref. Route 91 (Tomakomai-higashi Inter Route)46.7BSTakaoka Bus StopAbolished21Tomakomai-chūō InterchangePref. Route 1179 (Tomakomai-chūō Inter Route)56.220Tomakomai-nishi InterchangePref. Route 141 (Tarumae Nishikioka Route)64.3SATarumae Service Area67.419Shiraoi InterchangePref. Route 86 (Shiraoi Ōtaki Route)80.1ShiraoiPAHagino Parking Area84.9BSTakeura Bus Stop89.7O18Noboribetsu-higashi InterchangePref. Route 2 (Tōyako Noboribetsu Route)98.7NoboribetsuPATomiura Parking Area101.717Noboribetsu Muroran Interchange National Route 36Pref. Route 144 (Noboribetsu Muroran Inter Route)110.1PAMoto-Wanishi Parking Area118.2Hakodate-bound onlyMuroran16Muroran InterchangePref. Route 107 (Muroran Kanjō Route)Pref. Route 127 (Muroran Inter Route)119.7SAUsuzan Service Area130.2Date15Date InterchangePref. Route 145 (Date Inter Route)Pref. Route 519 (Takinomachi Date Route)132.6-Higashiusu Emergency ExitAuthorized vehicles onlyTōyako-Kitausu Emergency ExitAuthorized vehicles only14Abuta Tōyako Interchange National Route 230146.2PAToyoura-Funkawan Parking Area154.3Highway OasisToyoura13Toyoura Interchange National Route 37159.412Kuromatsunai Junction177.6KuromatsunaiPAShizukari Parking Area187.9Oshamanbe11Oshamanbe Interchange National Route 5193.210Kunnui Interchange National Route 230204.3<PA>Kunnui Parking AreaPlanned9Yakumo Interchange National Route 277226.0YakumoPAYakumo Parking Area234.4Highway Oasis8Otoshibe InterchangePref. Route 1155 (Otoshibe Inter Route)242.07Mori InterchangePref. Route 1156 (Mori Inter Route)262.2Mori<TB>Ōnuma Kōen Toll Gate6Ōnuma Kōen InterchangePref. Route 149 (Ōnuma Kōen Inter Route)Pref. Route 843 (Shukunobe Hoyōkichi Route)271.9<5>Nanae Interchange National Route 5PlannedNanaeThrough to Hakodate Shindō
Northern route (Sapporo JCT - Nayoro IC) No.NameConnectionsDist. fromSapporo JunctionBus stopNotesLocation32Sapporo Junction Sasson Expressway Southern Route0.0Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo33Sapporo Interchange National Route 274 (Sapporo Shindō)0.5Asahikawa-bound entrance, Tomakomai-bound exit only34Ebetsu-nishi InterchangePref. Route 110 (Ebetsu Inter Route)7.1EbetsuPANopporo Parking Area10.3O35Ebetsu-higashi Interchange National Route 33716.7BSKurisawa Bus Stop24.3OIwamizawa36Iwamizawa Interchange National Route 23432.4SAIwamizawa Service Area/Higashiyama Bus Stop36.1O37Mikasa InterchangePref. Route 116 (Iwamizawa Mikasa Route)42.3Mikasa38Bibai InterchangePref. Route 135 (Bibai Furano Route)53.6BibaiPAChashinai Parking Area59.0O39Naie Sunagawa InterchangePref. Route 114 (Akabira Naie Route)67.2NaieBSSunagawa Yoshino Bus Stop71.1OSunagawa40SASICSunagawa Service Area/Sunagawa Ishiyama Bus Stop76.1OHighway Oasis41Takikawa Interchange National Route 3881.2TakikawaBSEbeotsu Bus Stop86.6O42Fukagawa Junction Fukagawa-Rumoi Expressway94.0Fukagawa43Fukagawa InterchangePref. Route 79 (Fukagawa Toyosato Route)99.1PAOtoe Parking Area104.9BSOsamunai Bus Stop109.1O44Asahikawa Takasu InterchangePref. Route 146 (Asahikawa Takasu Inter Route)Pref. Route 1125 (Arashiyama Kōen Route)125.8Takasu45Asahikawa-kita InterchangePref. Route 1150 (Asahikawa-kita Inter Route)134.3AsahikawaPAPippu-Taisetsu Parking Area141.6Pippu46Pippu Junction Asahikawa-Monbetsu Expressway145.047Wassamu Interchange National Route 40155.6Wassamu<PA>Kenbuchi Parking AreaOpens in 2020KenbuchiTBKenbuchi Toll Gate171.648Shibetsu-Kenbuchi InterchangePref. Route 1161 (Shibetsu-Kenbuchi Inter Route)<49>Tayoro InterchangePref. Route 888 (Tōyō Tayoro Route)Shibetsu<50>Nayoro InterchangeNayoroThrough to Nayoro-Bifuka Road
References
External links East Nippon Expressway Company