Today, November 18, is Civil Engineering Day in Japan, when the work of people who build the country’s massive infrastructure is celebrated. Since we marked the Tokyo Olympics earlier this year (and last) it’s only fitting that we mention another Olympics-inspired project: the Haneda Route, or Route 1 of the Shuto Expressway system. Connecting Haneda Airport with central Tokyo, construction began in 1962 in anticipation of the 1964 Summer Games. The expressway was opened in sections, with the section pictured above, by the Higashi-Shinagawa Pier and and Keihin Canal, opened to traffic in December 1963. The route has evolved over the decades. This once close-to-sea-level section has been replaced with an elevated one, and where Cedrics and Crowns roamed in 1963, Subaru and Mazda SUVs run today. Happy Civil Engineering Day from JNC.
Happy EDay!!!!
I rode that initial segment ! The posted speed limit was 60 KPH. Wow ! 35 MPH !
View today from the water just to the left of the Snap picture. (You can see the monorail hump) So much of the bay has been filled in since then. We used to drive that route on many Sundays from Yokohama to dine out at the old Sanno Hotel near Akasaka & the US Embassy. I was crammed in the back seat of a mid 60’s Nissan Cedric. This route is SO much closer from downtown to Haneda than Narita (:20 vs 1:00).
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6157916,139.752046,2a,75y,221.04h,81.73t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFgbGO6YVMc5Wuzfhdi9GzA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
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