Shuto Expressway

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Image:Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway map.svg Template:Nihongo is a network of expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the Template:Nihongo.

1 Routes
2 History
3 Trivia
4 See also
5 External links

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Routes

There are 24 routes currently in operation:

C1 Inner Loop (Hitotsubashi - Takaracho - Kyobashi - Ginza - Shiodome - Hamazakibashi - Shiba Park - Tanimachi - Kasumigaseki - Daikanmachi - Hitotsubashi)
C2 Central Loop (Itabashi JCT - Kasai JCT)
No. 1 Haneda Route (Edobashi JCT - Iriya)
No. 1 Ueno Route (Hamazaki-bashi JCT - Haneda)
No.2 Meguro Route (Ichinohashi JCT - Togoshi)
No.3 Shibuya Route (Tanimachi JCT - Yoga)
No.4 Shinjuku Route (Miyakezaka JCT - Takaido)
No.5 Ikebukuro Route (Takebashi JCT - Bijogi JCT)
No.6 Mukojima Route (Edobashi JCT - Horikiri JCT)
No.6 Misato Route (Kosuge JCT - Misato JCT)
No.7 Komatsugawa Route (Ryogoku JCT - Yagochi)
No.9 Fukagawa Route (Hakozaki JCT - Tatsumi JCT)
No.10 Harumi Route (under construction)
No.11 Daiba Route (Shibaura JCT - Ariake JCT)
S1 Kawaguchi Route (Kohoku JCT - Kawaguchi JCT)
Y Yaesu Route (Kandabashi JCT - Shiodome JCT)
B Bayshore Route (Kawasaki-ukishima JCT - Koya)
K1 Yokohane Route (Haneda - Ishikawa-cho JCT)
K2 Mitsusawa Route (Kinko JCT - Mitsuzawa)
K3 Kariba Route (Honmoku JCT - Kariba)
K5 Daikoku Route (Namamugi JCT - Daikoku JCT)
K6 Kawasaki Route (Tonomachi - Kawasaki-ukishima JCT)
B Bayshore Route (Namiki - Kawasaki-ukishima JCT) (Yokohama Circular Route (under construction))
S2 Saitama Shintoshin Route (Yono - Shintoshin-nishi)
S5 Omiya Route (Bijogi JCT - Yono)

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History

The Metropolitan Expressway was first built between Kyobashi Exit in Chuo-ku, Tokyo and Shibaura Exit in Minato-ku, 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 km of highway network has been built in the Tokyo metropolitan area; 32 km more of highway are either constructed or planned, making the Metropolitan Expressway a vast network of urban expressway in the Tokyo region.

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Trivia

Like all others expressways in Japan, the Shuto line has become a common street racing roads. One of the line Bayshore Route (or known as the Wangan by hashiriyas) received worldwide notoriety during the 90's was the home course for the MidNight Club, one of the most notorious street racing clubs, who were known for their 300kph, sometimes 320kph exploits.

Portions of the Manga and arcade game Wangan Midnight is based on the Shuto Expressway. C1 Loop is one of the tracks in the game you can drive on.

It also appears on all six installments of the Shuto Kousoku Trial, one of the most controversial films to come out from Japan, made between 1988 and 1996 and is centralised about the expressway and exploits around it.

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