The Hokkaido Expressway (道央自動車道, Dōō Jidōsha-dō) is a national expressway in Hokkaido, Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.
The road is named the Dōō Expressway (lit. "Central Hokkaidō Expressway") in Japanese; however, its official English name is "the Hokkaido Expressway". It is the only national expressway in Japan in which the English name is not a direct romanization of the Japanese name (such as "Dōtō Expressway"). Its abbreviated name in Japanese is Dōō Dō (道央道, "[Hokkai]dō-Center Way").
Officially the expressway is designated as the Hakodate-Nayoro Route (函館名寄線) of the Hokkaidō Jūkan Expressway. The name Jūkan (縦貫, "lengthways") distinguishes it from the Trans-Hokkaido Expressway, the Ōdan (横断, "transverse").
The expressway connects the north of Hokkaido with the south via the city of Sapporo. Extension of the expressway in the north towards the city of Wakkanai and in the south towards the city of Hakodate is underway; although the Hokkaido Expressway itself is not planned to extend as far as these two cities, various expressway-standard roads (bypasses of National Route 40 to the north and National Route 5 to the south) will cover the remaining distances.
Some unfinished sections of the expressway (Shibetsu-Kenbuchi Interchange to Nayoro Interchange in the north and Ōnuma Interchange to Nanae Interchange in the south) will be constructed according to the New Direct Control System. These sections are expected to operate toll-free upon completion.
The section from Sapporo-minami Interchange through Sapporo Junction to Sapporo-nishi Interchange on the Sasson Expressway is built to an urban expressway standard and tolls are charged at a flat rate. As of March 2008 the toll on this section is 400 yen for regular passenger cars. Tolls on all other sections of the expressway are assessed according to distance travelled in the same manner as most other national expressways.
December 4, 1971 - Kitahiroshima Interchange - Chitose Interchange section opened.
September 19, 1972 - Kitahiroshima Interchange - Chitose Interchange section expanded to 4 lanes.
October 24, 1978 - Chitose Interchange - Tomakomai-higashi Interchange section opened.
October 29, 1979 - Sapporo-minami Interchange - Kitahiroshima Interchange section opened.
October 29, 1980 - Tomakomai-higashi Interchange - Tomakomai-nishi Interchange section opened.
November 9, 1983 - Sapporo Interchange - Iwamizawa Interchange section opened.
November 30, 1983 - Tomakomai-nishi Interchange - Shiraoi Interchange section opened.
October 18, 1985 - Shiraoi Interchange - Noboribetsu-higashi Interchange section opened.
October 25, 1985 - Sapporo Interchange - Sapporo-minami Interchange section opened.
October 9, 1986 - Noboribetsu-higashi Interchange - Noboribetsu Muroran Interchange section opened.
September 18, 1987 - Iwamizawa Interchange - Bibai Interchange section opened. Mikasa and Bibai Interchanges become the first in Japan to implement automated ticket dispensers at toll gates.
October 8, 1988 - Bibai Interchange - Takikawa Interchange section opened.
September 12, 1989 - Takikawa Interchange - Fukagawa Interchange section opened.
October 30, 1990 - Fukagawa Interchange - Asahikawa Takasu Interchange section opened (originally 2 lanes, expansion to 4 lanes completed in 2004).
April 26, 1991 - Highway Oasis opened at Sunagawa Service Area (at that time the second in Japan in first in Hokkaidō).
October 25, 1991 - Noboribetsu Muroran Interchange - Muroran Interchange section opened.
September 30, 1992 - Sapporo Junction is opened, connecting with the Sasson Expressway.
October 27, 1992 - Muroran Interchange - Date Interchange section opened.
March 30, 1994 - Date Interchange - Abuta Tōyako Interchange section opened.
October 22, 1997 - Abuta Tōyako Interchange - Oshamanbe Interchange section opened.
March 23, 1998 - Connection with the Hidaka Expressway is completed at Tomakomai-higashi Interchange.
April 11, 1998 - Fukagawa Junction is opened, connecting with the Fukagawa-Rumoi Expressway.
October 7, 1999 - Chitose-Eniwa Junction is opened, connecting with the Dōtō Expressway.
November, 1999 - Chitose-bound exit opened at Sapporo-minami Interchange.
March 29, 2000 - Date Interchange - Toyoura Interchange section closed due to risk of eruption from nearby Mount Usu.
July 13, 2000 - Temporary Abuta Tōyako Interchange opened, allowing access to Toyoura Interchange.
October 4, 2000 - Asahikawa Takasu Interchange - Wassamu Interchange section opened.
February 9, 2001 - Date Interchange - Toyoura Interchange section reopened.
June 30, 2001 - Temporary Abuta Tōyako Interchange closed due to full reopening of expressway.
September 10, 2001 - Asahikawa-bound entrance opened at Sapporo-minami Interchange.
October 17, 2001 - Fukagawa Interchange - Otoe Parking Area section expanded to 4 lanes.
November 19, 2001 - Oshamanbe Interchange - Kunnui Interchange section opened.
September 30, 2003 - Otoe Parking Area - Asahikawa Takasu Interchange section expanded to 4 lanes.
October 4, 2003 - Wassamu Interchange - Shibetsu-Kenbuchi Interchange section opened.
March 27, 2004 - Pippu Junction is opened, connecting with the Asahikawa-Monbetsu Expressway.
November 18, 2006 - Kunnui Interchange - Yakumo Interchange section opened.
December 21, 2007 - Abuta Tōyako Interchange is moved to a new location to meet the rebuilt National Route 230.
October 10, 2009 - Yakumo Interchange - Otoshibe Interchange section opened.
November 26, 2011 - Otoshibe Interchange - Mori Interchange section opened.
November 10, 2012 - Mori Interchange - Ōnuma Kōen Interchange section opened.
August 3, 2013 - New Chitose Airport Interchange opened.
List of interchanges and features
IC - interchange, JCT - junction, SA - service area, PA - parking area, BS - bus stop, SIC - smart interchange, TB - toll gate
