Doto Expressway (Doto Expressway) is a Expressway connecting the central and eastern Hokkaido areas, and is expected to be useful for the development of industry, economy, culture, and tourism in the areas along the line. To date, a total of 288.1 km has been opened between Chitose Eniwa JCT ~ Kushiro Betsuho IC and Honbetsu JCT ~ Ashoro IC. NEXCO EAST manages a total of 206.1 km between Chitose Eniwa JCT ~ Honbetsu IC and Honbetsu JCT ~ Ashoro IC, which are paid sections.
Effects of developing Doto Expressway
Contribution to the flow of people and goods
The opening of Doto Expressway will shorten travel times between central and eastern Hokkaido. The expansion to four lanes will further contribute to the flow of people and goods.
Travel time between Sapporo City Hall and Obihiro City Hall
Tokachi-produced agricultural and livestock products and raw milk
Improved access to New Chitose Airport and Tomakomai Port will contribute to the export of local specialties such as yams and beef.
Raw milk is shipped out of Hokkaido from Tomakomai Port, Kushiro Port, and Otaru Port via Doto Expressway, supporting a stable supply throughout Japan.
Contribution to local healthcare
Doto Expressway makes a significant contribution to regional healthcare, including transporting patients to medical facilities and transporting blood. The expansion to four lanes will allow it to more reliably support the safety and security of the region.
Large the options for emergency medical services
Shimukappu Village has a high rate of patients being transported outside the village. With the opening of Doto Expressway, transport to medical facilities in Obihiro City and Shimizu Town has become an additional option.
Supporting stable blood transport
Blood supply from the Sapporo Blood Center to the Obihiro branch office increased after the opening of Doto Expressway. The improved speed and drivability of the expressway made stable blood transport by land possible.
We will be carrying out construction work to widen the sections from Oiwake-cho IC to Yubari IC and Shimukappu IC to Tokachi-Shimizu IC to four lanes.
In Hokkaido, the priority given to connecting the expressways within limited financial resources has resulted in many sections being provisionally two lanes (one lane in each direction), and Doto Expressway is one of them. One-lane Expressway present challenges such as reduced speeds due to the inability of slow-moving vehicles to overtake, accidents caused by vehicles crossing into oncoming lanes, and the risk of road closures during large-scale disasters. To address these issues, a planned four-lane Expressway project is underway, starting with the sections with the greatest problems.
The route covers approximately 42.6 km, passing through Yuni Town, Kuriyama Town, Shimukappu Village, Minamifurano Town, Shintoku Town, and Shimizu Town (Oiwakecho IC to Yubari IC, Shimukappu IC to Tokachi Shimizu IC).
Sections for which a four-lane expansion project has been approved.
Sections for which the project to expand to four lanes has been approved.
- 2019 (2019) Part of the section between Tomamu IC ~ Tokachi Shimizu IC in March (about 9.5km)
- 2020 (2020) March Shimukappu between IC ~ Tomamu IC (about 19.9km)
- March 2021 (Reiwa 3): Part of the section between Tomamu IC and Tokachi Shimizu IC (approximately 3.2 km)
- March 2022 (Reiwa 4): Part of the section between Tomamu IC and Tokachi Shimizu IC (approximately 4.7 km + approximately 1.2 km)
- 2024 (2024) Part of the March Oibuncho IC ~ Yubari IC (about 4.1km)