The Nihonkai-Tōhoku Expressway (日本海東北自動車道) is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.

Naming

The course of the expressway takes it alongside the coastline of the Sea of Japan (Nihonkai) in the Tōhoku region of Japan. The Nihonkai-Tōhoku Expressway is the operating name for the sections of the Nihonkai Engan Tōhoku Expressway that are operated by East Nippon Expressway Company. The Nihonkai Engan Tōhoku Expressway is an official designation consisting of several routes that link Niigata with Aomori via Yamagata and Akita, reaching a total of approximately 322 km.

Overview

The first section of the expressway was opened to traffic in 2001. As of March 2008 the expressway incomplete in many areas. The next section is scheduled to open in 2009 (Nakajō Interchange to Arakawa Interchange) to coincide with the National Sports Festival which is planned to be held in Niigata that year. After this, all future sections will be built according to the New Direct Control System, whereby the burden for construction costs will be shared by the national and local governments and no tolls will be collected. Currently the section between Honjō Interchange and Iwaki Interchange operates according to this principle. The expressway is 4 lanes from Niigata-Chūō Junction to Toyosaka Service Area, and 2 lanes for all remaining sections. The route parallels the Uetsu Main Line of East Japan Railway Company and National Route 7 for much of its length.

List of interchanges and features

Niigata section

{| class="wikitable" !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|No. !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Name !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Connections !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Dist. from Origin !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Dist. from Terminus !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Bus Stop !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Notes !colspan="2" style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Location (all in Niigata) !style="background-color: #BFB;"|(42) !style="background-color: #BFB;"|1[43] !style="background-color: #BFB;"|1-1/BS !style="background-color: #BFB;"|2[44] !style="background-color: #BFB;"|2-1/SA !style="background-color: #BFB;"|BS !style="background-color: #BFB;"|3 Niigatahigashikō IC]] !style="background-color: #BFB;"|4 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|BS !style="background-color: #BFB;"| Authorized vehicles only !style="background-color: #BFB;"|5 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|TB !style="background-color: #BFB;"|BS !style="background-color: #BFB;"|6 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|PA/BS !style="background-color: #BFB;"|7 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|8 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|9 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|10 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|11

Yamagata section

{| class="wikitable" !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|No. !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Name !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Connections !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Dist. from Origin !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Dist. from Terminus !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Bus Stop !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Notes !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Location (all in Yamagata) !style="background-color: #BFB;"|13 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|14 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|15 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|PA !style="background-color: #BFB;"|16 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|17 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|18 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|19 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|19-1 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|20 !style="background-color:#ffdead;"| !style="background-color:#ffdead;"| !style="background-color: #ffdead;"|

Akita section

{| class="wikitable" !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|No. !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Name !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Connections !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Dist. from Origin !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Dist. from Terminus !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Bus Stop !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Notes !style="border-bottom:3px solid green;"|Location (all in Akita) !style="background-color: #BFB;"|11 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|12 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|13 !style="background-color: #BFB;"| !style="background-color: #BFB;"|PA !style="background-color: #BFB;"|14 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|14-1 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|14-2 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|TN !style="background-color: #BFB;"|15 !style="background-color: #ffdead;"| !style="background-color: #BFB;"|TB !style="background-color: #BFB;"|16 !style="background-color: #BFB;"|5-1