Dō-Ō Expressway


The Dō-Ō Expressway Expressway 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 in Japanese; however, it's also known as the Hokkaido Expressway.
Officially the expressway is designated as the Hakodate-Nayoro Route of the.
The name distinguishes it from the, the.

Overview

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 will cover the remaining distances.
Some unfinished sections of the expressway 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 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

Northern route (Sapporo JCT - Nayoro IC)