# Tōhoku-Chūō Expressway

The Tōhoku-Chūō Expressway (東北中央自動車道, Tōhoku-Chūō Jidōsha-dō) (lit. Central Tōhoku Expressway) is a 2-laned national expressway in the Tōhoku region of Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). The expressway is numbered E13 under the MLIT's "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering."

## Overview

The expressway is incomplete in many areas, however it is planned to eventually be a continuous route spanning northern Fukushima, Yamagata, and southern Akita prefectures. As of July 2019, all gaps in the expressway are in the process of being eliminated, with all gaps in near the border between Yamagata and Akita set to be removed.
The route of the expressway parallels the Ōu Main Line of East Japan Railway Company for most of its length.
The speed limit is 70 km/h along the majority of the route, there are short 80 km/h sections between Yonezawa-kita and Yonezawa-Hachimanbara interchanges and Higashine and Higashine-kita interchanges.

## History

After 1984, the roads along this section were sporadically constructed, but in 1987, the Cabinet decided that they would be developed together as the Tohoku Chuo Expressway from Soma, Fukushima to Yokote, Akita. Since then the road has gradually been extended by adding short extensions. The 8.8 km (5.5 mi) long Yonezawa-Nan'yō Road was incorporated into the Tōhoku-Chūō Expressway on 4 November 2017. MLIT began construction on the last gap of the road on 30 March 2018, a 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long section in Kaneyama, Yamagata.
Effective November 30, 2023, the section of Yuzawa-Yokote Road connecting Yuzawa and Yokote, which is an automobile-only road, was incorporated into the Tōhoku-Chūō Expressway.

## List of major junctions

* PA - parking area, SA - service area, SIC - smart interchange, TB - toll gate
| Prefecture | Location | km | mi | Exit | Name | Destinations | Notes |
| Fukushima | Sōma | 0.0 | 0.0 | 23 | Sōma | Jōban Expressway – Iwaki, Mito, Sendai, Ishinomaki National Route 115 – Central Sōma, Fukushima | Southern terminus |
| Fukushima | Sōma | 6.0 | 3.7 | 1 | Sōma-Yamakami | National Route 115 – Central Sōma, Fukushima | Northbound entrance, southbound exit |
| Fukushima | Sōma | 16.5 | 10.3 | 2 | Sōma-Tamano | National Route 115 – Sōma, Fukushima | Southbound entrance, northbound exit |
| Fukushima | Date | 21.5 | 13.4 | 3 | Ryōzen-Iitate | National Route 115 – Sōma, Fukushima | Southbound exit, northbound entrance |
| Fukushima | Date | 33.5 | 20.8 | 4 | Ryōzen | National Route 115 – Sōma, Fukushima, Central Ryōzen | Temporary at-grade intersection |
| Fukushima | Date | 40.9 | 25.4 | 5 | Date-chūō | | |
| Fukushima | Date | 43.7 | 27.2 | 6 | Date-Koori | National Route 4 – Shiroishi, Fukushima | |
| Fukushima | Koori | 45.7 | 28.4 | 22-1 / TB | Koori | Tōhoku Expressway north – to Yamagata Expressway, Sendai | Southern end of Tōhoku Expressway concurrency |
| Tōhoku Expressway concurrency ||||||||
| Fukushima | Fukushima | 49.550.0 | 30.831.1 | 21-1 / TB | Fukushima | Tōhoku Expressway south – Utsunomiya, Tokyo | Northern end of Tōhoku Expressway concurrency |
| Fukushima | Fukushima | 50.9 | 31.6 | 7 | Fukushima-Ōzasō | Fukushima Prefecture Route 5 (Kaminagura Iizaka Date Route) – to National Route 13, National Route 115, Aizuwakamatsu, Yonezawa, Central Fukushima | |
| Fukushima/Yamagata border | Fukushima/Yamagata border | 61.269.2 | 38.043.0 | Kuriko Tunnel; marking the border between Fukushima and Yamagata prefectures | Kuriko Tunnel; marking the border between Fukushima and Yamagata prefectures | Kuriko Tunnel; marking the border between Fukushima and Yamagata prefectures | Kuriko Tunnel; marking the border between Fukushima and Yamagata prefectures |
| Yamagata | Yonezawa | 77.5 | 48.2 | 8 | Yonezawa-Hachimanpara | National Route 13 – Yamagata, Nan'yō, Koriyama, Fukushima | |
| Yamagata | Yonezawa | 82.2 | 51.1 | 9 | Yonezawa-chūō | Yamagata Prefecture Route 1 (Yonezawa Takahata Route) | |
| Yamagata | Yonezawa | 86.5 | 53.7 | 10 / TB | Yonezawa-kita | National Route 13 / National Route 121 (Yonezawa Bypass) | |
| Yamagata | Takahata | 95.3 | 59.2 | 11 | Nan'yō-Takahata | National Route 13 (Nan'yō Bypass) / National Route 113 (Akayu Bypass) | |
| Yamagata | Nan'yō | 102.4 | 63.6 | PA | Nan'yō | | |
| Yamagata | Kaminoyama | 110.6 | 68.7 | 12 | Kaminoyama Onsen | National Route 13 (Kaminoyama Bypass) / National Route 458 north | |
| Yamagata | Kaminoyama | 119.7 | 74.4 | 13 | Yamagata-Kaminoyama | National Route 13 (Yamagata Bypass) | |
| Yamagata | Yamagata | 127.0 | 78.9 | PA / SIC | Yamagata | | Smart interchange |
| Yamagata | Yamagata | 130.1 | 80.8 | 14 | Yamagata-chūō | Yamagata Prefecture Route 18 (Yamagata Asahi Route) | |
| Yamagata | Yamagata | 135.2 | 84.0 | 15 | Yamagata | Yamagata Expressway – to Tōhoku Expressway, Sendai, Sakata | |
| Yamagata | Tendō | 141.8142.4 | 88.188.5 | 16 / TB | Tendō | Yamagata Prefecture Route 23 (Tendō Ōe Route) | |
| Yamagata | Higashine | 146.8 | 91.2 | 17 | Higashine | National Route 287 | |
| Yamagata | Higashine | 151.1 | 93.9 | 18 | Higashine-kita | Yamagata Prefecture Route 25 (Sagae Murayama Route) | |
| Yamagata | Murayama | 154.7 | 96.1 | 19 | Murayama | Yamagata Prefecture Route 25 (Sagae Murayama Route) | |
| Yamagata | Murayama | 160.0 | 99.4 | 20-1 | Murayama-Natori | Yamagata Prefecture Route 381 (Murayama Ōishida Route) | Southbound exit, northbound entrance |
| Yamagata | Murayama | 160.3 | 99.6 | 20-2 | Murayama-Motoiida | Yamagata Prefecture Route 36 (Shinjō Jinengo Murayama Route) | Southbound exit, northbound entrance |
| Yamagata | Murayama | 164.8 | 102.4 | 21 | Ōishida-Murayama | Yamagata Prefecture Route 189 (Ōishida Tsuchiuda Route) | |
| Yamagata | Obanazawa | 170.1 | 105.7 | 22 | Obanazawa | National Route 347 | |
| Yamagata | Obanazawa | 174.1 | 108.2 | – | Nokurosawa | National Route 13 (Obanazawa Bypass) | Southbound exit, northbound entrance |
| Yamagata | Obanazawa | 176.5 | 109.7 | – | Obanazawa-kita | National Route 13 | |
| Yamagata | Obanazawa | 180.2 | 112.0 | – | Kawarago | National Route 13 | Southbound exit, northbound entrance |
| Yamagata | Funagata | 184.1 | 114.4 | – | Funagata | Yamagata Prefecture Route 56 (Shinjō-Funagata Route) | |
| Yamagata | Shinjō | 188.3 | 117.0 | 27 | Shinjō | National Route 47 (Shinjō-minami Bypass) / Yamagata Prefecture Route 34 | |
| Yamagata | Shinjō | 193.0 | 119.9 | 28 | Shinjō-Sakegawa | Yamagata Prefecture Route 308 | |
| Yamagata | Shinjō | 201.2 | 125.0 | 29 | Shinjō-Mamurogawa | Yamagata Prefecture Route 319 | At-grade intersection |
| 9.3 km gap in the expressway, connection is made primarily by National Route 13 ||||||||
| Yamagata | Kaneyama | 210.5 | 130.8 | – | Kaneyama-kita | National Route 13 north | At-grade intersection |
| Yamagata | Kaneyama | 215.4 | 133.8 | – | Nakada | National Route 13 | Southbound exit, northbound entrance |
| Yamagata | Mamurogawa | 220.4 | 137.0 | – | Nozoki | National Route 13 south | At-grade intersection |
| 7.2 km gap in the expressway, connection is made by National Route 13 ||||||||
| Akita | Yuzawa | 227.6 | 141.4 | – | Kamiinnai | National Route 13 north | At-grade intersection |
| Akita | Yuzawa | 230.6 | 143.3 | – | Shimoinnai | National Route 13 south | At-grade intersection; northern terminus |
| 3.7 km gap in the expressway, connection is made by National Route 13 ||||||||
| Akita | Yuzawa | 234.3 | 145.6 | – | Ogachikomachi | National Route 13 south | Southern terminus; at-grade intersection |
| Akita | Yuzawa | 237.9 | 147.8 | – | Sukawa | National Route 13 south | |
| Akita | Yuzawa | 243.4 | 151.2 | – | Mitsuseki | National Route 13 south | |
| Akita | Yuzawa | | | — | Emergency Exit | Akita Prefecture Route 278 | Access for Ogachi Chūō Hospital Authorized vehicles only |
| Akita | Yuzawa | 247.5 | 153.8 | — | Yuzawa | National Route 398 | Southern end of the tolled section |
| Akita | Yokote | 254.9 | 158.4 | TB | Jūmonji | | |
| Akita | Yokote | 255.2 | 158.6 | — | Jūmonji | National Route 13 | |
| Akita | Yokote | 210.0 | 130.5 | 3 | Yokote | Akita Expressway – Kitakami, Iwate, Akita | Northern end of tolled expressway section, the road continues as an at-grade arterial |
| Akita | Yokote | 261.0 | 162.2 | – | Yokote | National Route 13 / National Route 107 – Akita, Daisen, Yuzawa, Yurihonjō | Northern terminus; at-grade intersection |
| Through as National Route 13 ||||||||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access Unopened ||||||||