Shuto Expressway
 |
|
| Public | |
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan |
|
Area served
|
Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, Chiba, Saitama |
|
Key people
|
Katsumi Sasaki, (CEO) |
| Products | Maintenance |
| Revenue |
 ¥444.91 billion (2008)
|
|
Number of employees
|
2609 (2008) |
| Subsidiaries | Metropolitan Expressway Service Co, Ltd. |
| Website | www.shutoko.jp |
Shuto Expressway (首都高速道路 Shuto Kōsoku Dōro?, lit. Metropolitan Expressway) is a network of toll expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the Metropolitan Expressway Co., Ltd. (首都高速道路株式会社 Shuto Kōsoku Dōro Kabushiki-gaisha?).
Most routes are grade-separated (elevated roads or tunnels) and central routes have many sharp curves and multi-lane merges which require caution to drive safely. The speed limit is 60 km/h on most routes, but 80 km/h on the Bayshore Route, and 50 km/h on the Inner Circular Route.
All trips on the expressway require a toll be paid. As of 2014, the cash toll for a standard-size car is ¥930 regardless of distance travelled. Vehicles using the ETC toll-collection system pay a distance-based toll ranging from ¥510 to ¥930 for ordinary vehicles (see toll price) – in some cases substantially less than the previous fixed-rate toll. Lower cash rates exist for certain radial routes (where there are only a few kilometers of expressway remaining) and ETC users have various time-of-day discounts. For large vehicles, the toll is doubled.
There are 24 routes currently in operation:
The Metropolitan Expressway was first built between Kyobashi Exit in Chūō, Tokyo and Shibaura Exit in Minato, Tokyo in 1962 for the purpose of increasing traffic flow efficiency in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, thus optimizing and improving the functionality of the traffic system. Since then, 280 kilometres of highway network has been built in the Tokyo metropolitan area; 30 kilometres more of highway are either constructed or planned, making the Metropolitan Expressway a vast network of urban expressways in the Tokyo region.
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Wikipedia