From Hanamaki to Tōwa the expressway is maintained and tolled by the East Nippon Expressway Company. The rest of the expressway is able to be driven without any fees. That section of the expressway is maintained by the Tōhoku branch of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
The entire expressway has only one lane in each direction, with passing lanes at some interchanges. The speed limit is 70 km/h for the entire route, except for the section between Tōno and Miyamori.
History
The Kamaishi Expressway was first opened in 2002. There was a 10 kilometer gap in the expressway in Tōno and the expressway did not connect to its eastern terminus at a junction with the Sanriku Expressway. These missing links in the expressway were scheduled to be completed in 2018, but were instead opened later in March 2019.[1][3]