HSBE TOP > News 2009 > 10th Anniversary of Nishi-Seto Expressway

10th Anniversary of Nishi-Seto Expressway

Nishi-Seto Expressway celebrates its 10th anniversary in May 2009.

Nishi-Seto Expressway is a motorway that links Nishiseto-Onomichi IC in Honshu to Imabari IC in Shikoku. Bicycle & pedestrian paths are accommodated at long-span bridges in the expressway. Tourists can go cycling & walking seeing beautiful scenery around the route. There are many beautiful and historical spots along the expressway. The number of visitors has increased since the opening of Nishi-Seto Expressway.

The 21st typhoon in September, 2004 hit the northern part of Shikoku. National highways, expressways and railway lines were closed due to the disasters such as landslides. At that time, Nishi-Seto Expressway was utilized as an alternate route between Honshu and Shikoku together with Seto-Chuo Expressway. The expressway supported socio-economic activity in Shikoku.

Nishi-Seto Expressway has played a vital role as an artery between Honshu and Shikoku as well as a residential highway for such remote islands.

There are five suspension bridges and three cable-stayed bridges in Nishi-Seto Expressway. Tatara Bridge is known for the second longest span cable-stayed bridge in the world. Innovative technologies have been applied for realizing rational maintenance. Dry-air injection system for main cables was installed during the construction stage in Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridges, which are three consecutive suspension bridges for the first time in the world. Dehumidification system was adopted in the box-girder of Shin-Onomichi Bridge.

HSBE makes every effort to maintain Nishi-Seto Expressway with long-span bridges for a long time, as well as other two routes of the expressways.

Photo.1 Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridges (10th anniversary)		Photo.2 Tatara Bridge (10th anniversary)