On April 15, Metropolitan Expressway held a regular press conference at its headquarters in Kasumigaseki, announcing that it will begin demolition work on the Daishi Main Line tollgate on the Yokohane Line.
In FY2026, 44 tollgates (a cumulative total of 134) will be ETC-only, and by the spring of FY2028, all but a few tollgates, including mainline tollgates, will be ETC-only.
Among these, a new compact ETC-only toll booth will be built at the Haneda entrance of the Haneda Line (downbound), which will allow the removal of the Daishi Main Line toll booth on the Yokohane Line. The construction period is scheduled from 22:00 on May 11 to the end of FY2027, and will be divided into two phases without closing the main line to traffic.
In conjunction with the removal, the Daishi Exit of the Yokohane Line (downhill) will be closed at night from 18:00 on May 11 to 6:00 the following day, the Haneda Entrance of the Haneda Line (downhill) will be closed continuously day and night from 20:00 on May 11 to 1:00 on July 1, and the Daishi PA of the Yokohane Line (downhill) will be closed long-term from 22:00 on May 11 to the end of FY2027.
In the first phase of construction (from 10:00 p.m. on May 11), the entrance and exit will be closed to traffic and three lanes on the right side will be removed. Although the toll booth building will remain during the construction phase, the company encourages traffic to pass through without stopping.
Note that the Haneda entrance on the Haneda Line (downbound) will become an ETC-only entrance from July 1.
In addition, although the Daishi PA appears to be wider after construction in the attached figure, it is necessary to install an acceleration lane from the PA exit to the main line, and the expansion of parking spaces is under consideration (current: 8 spaces for regular vehicles + 1 space exclusively for persons with disabilities).
In addition, regarding the current difficulty in obtaining organic solvents due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, President Terayama explained that the Metropolitan Expressway has almost completely eliminated the use of organic solvent paints and has shifted to water-based paints in response to the fire accident that occurred on Routes 3 and 7 about 10 years ago. Although organic paints are not being used at all, he said, the impact of the sharp rise in raw material prices is not significant at this time.
© Source travel watch