Japan National Route 48

National Route 48 shield
National Route 48
国道48号
Map
Japan National Route 48 highlighted in red
Route information
Length75.0 km[1] (46.6 mi)
Existed1963–present
HistoryFormerly National Route 110 from 1953-1963
Major junctions
East end National Route 45 / National Route 346 in Aoba-ku, Sendai
Major intersections
West end National Route 13 / National Route 112 in Yamagata
Location
CountryJapan
Highway system
← National Route 47→ National Route 49

National Route 48 (国道48号, Kokudō yonjūhachigō) is a national highway of Japan that connects the capital cities of Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture, Sendai and Yamagata. It has a total length of 75.0 kilometers (46.6 mi).

Route description

The eastern entrance to the Sendai Nishi Road
The Ayashi Bypass section of the highway in Sendai looking west towards the Ōu Mountains

National Route 48 is one of the primary east-west highways in the prefectures of Miyagi and Yamagata and is the main toll-free route between the city of Sendai on the Pacific coast and the city of Yamagata in Yamagata Prefecture's interior plains. It carries traffic across the Ōu Mountains that separate the two cities. The highway's eastern terminus lies at a junction with National Route 45 in Sendai's Aoba ward. Its first stretch is a brief concurrency with National Route 286. Leaving National Route 286 and central Sendai, a 5.4-kilometer-long (3.4 mi) section of the highway, the Sendai Nishi Road, is a limited-access road that connects central Sendai to the cross-country Tōhoku Expressway via 3.13 kilometers (3,130 m) of tunnels.[2][3] Continuing west from the highway's junction with the Tōhoku Expressway, the highway is known as the Ayashi Bypass. The highway meets National Route 457, which is shares a brief concurrency with before that route continues to the south. Crossing into Yamagata Prefecture the highway shares a significant concurrency with National Route 13 in the Yamagata cities of Tendō and Yamagata. The highway while running concurrently with National Route 13, meets its western terminus at a junction with National Route 112 to the south of central Yamagata. The highway has a total length of 75.0 kilometers (46.6 mi).[4]

History

National Route 48 was first established as Secondary National Route 110 in 1953 between the cities of Sendai and Yamagata.[5] It was upgraded to National Route 48 in 1963 and National Route 110 was abolished.[6] The Sendai Nishi Road, billed as the "Land Gateway to Sendai", that links central Sendai to Sendai-Miyagi Interchange on the Tōhoku Expressway was partially opened in 1983 and fully opened in 1987 after construction was completed on a series of tunnels.[3] It replaced the original, congested two-lane section of National Route 48 along the Hirose River.[3] The road along the river was redesignated as Miyagi Prefecture Route 31 after the completion of the Sendai Nishi Road.[3] The Ayashi Bypass to the west of the Sendai Nishi Road along the route was opened in 1994.[7]

Major intersections

All junctions listed are at-grade intersections unless noted otherwise.

PrefectureLocationkm[4]miDestinationsNotes
MiyagiSendai0.00.0 National Route 45 north (Jōzenji-dōri) / National Route 346 north – Matsushima
Miyagi Prefecture Route 22 north (Kōtodai-dōri) – Yamagata, Morioka		Eastern terminus; eastern end of National Route 286 concurrency
0.40.25 National Route 286 east (Higashi-Nibanchō-dōri) – Fukushima, ShiroishiWestern end of National Route 286 concurrency
5.63.5E48  Tōhoku Expressway – to Yamagata Expressway, Fukushima, Morioka, Tokyo, AomoriSendai-Miyagi Interchange (E4 exit 28)
6.03.7 Miyagi Prefecture Route 31 – to National Route 286, Kawasaki, Moniwa, Michinoku Park, Izumi, KitasendaiInterchange
7.94.9Miyagi Prefecture Route 135 north – Rikuzen-Ochiai Station
10.56.5Miyagi Prefecture Route 132 – Ayashi Station, Akiu Onsen, Nishikigaoka
11.57.1 National Route 457 north – Ayashi StationEastern end of National Route 457 concurrency
17.610.9 National Route 457 south – Futakuchi Kyōkoku Prefectural Natural Park, Akiu OnsenWestern end of National Route 457 concurrency
20.012.4Miyagi Prefecture Route 263 north – Saihō-ji
YamagataHigashine47.329.4 Yamagata Prefecture Route 29 west – to National Route 112, Tsuruoka, Murayama, Higashine Onsen
47.929.8Yamagata Prefecture Route 296 (Fruits Line) west – Central Higashine
Tendō49.630.8Yamagata Prefecture Route 297 south – Iwasaki
Yamagata Prefecture Route 298 north – Central Higashine
53.233.1Yamagata Prefecture Route 110 west – Doman
Yamagata Prefecture Route 281 south – Tendokogen
54.533.9Yamagata Prefecture Route 279 south – Yamamoto
55.834.7E13 National Route 13 (Yamagata Bypass) – to Tōhoku-Chūō Expressway, Yonezawa, Yamagata, Shinjō, HigashineEastern end of National Route 13 concurrency
See National Route 13
Yamagata75.046.6 National Route 13 south (Yamagata Bypass) – Yonezawa, Nan'yō
National Route 112 north – Central Yamagata
Yamagata Prefecture Route 267 south – Zao Onsen		Western terminus; interchange; western end of National Route 13 concurrency
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Japan National Route 110

National Route 110 marker
National Route 110
LocationSendai, Yamagata
Existed18 May 1953–1 April 1963[5]

National Route 110 (国道110号) is a former secondary national highway of Japan that occupied the same route as National Route 48 from Sendai to Yamagata. It existed from 1953 to 1963, when it was redefined as the National Route 48.[5]

References

  1. ^ "一般国道の路線別、都道府県別道路現況" [Road statistics by General National Highway route and prefecture] (PDF) (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  2. ^ "仙台西国道維持出張所" [West Sendai National Road Maintenance Office] (in Japanese). MLIT. 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "仙台西道路" [Sendai Nishi Road] (PDF). 座談会シリーズ (Roundtable Series) (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b "National Route 48" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "質問,国道の番号はどのような基準で決められるのですか？" [What is the standard for determining national highway numbers?]. MLIT Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  6. ^ 一級国道の路線を指定する政令 [Cabinet Order Designating General National Routes] (in Japanese). Cabinet of Japan. 1962. Retrieved 22 June 2020 – via Wikisource.
  7. ^ "City Plan Data" (PDF). City of Sendai. Retrieved 22 June 2020.