NEXCO East Japan and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will begin operating the section between Kanzaki IC and Daiei JCT—part of the Ken-O Expressway (C4, Tokyo Metropolitan Central Link Expressway) between Kuki-Shiraoka JCT and Daiei JCT—as a four-lane highway starting at 6:00 a.m. on November 1.
In conjunction with this, the speed limit on that stretch of road will be raised from 70 km/h to 80 km/h.
This project involves expanding the section from Kanzaki IC to Daiei JCT (9.7 km) within Chiba Prefecture to four lanes as part of the broader project to expand the Kuki-Shiraoka JCT to Daiei JCT section (92.9 km) to four lanes, which spans Saitama, Ibaraki, and Chiba prefectures. North of Kanzaki IC, on the opposite side of the river, construction is still underway, so that section remains a two-lane road.
On the Ken-O Expressway, four-lane operations between Goka Interchange and Sakai-Koga Interchange in Ibaraki Prefecture began just on July 24. Future four-lane expansions are scheduled for the sections between Tsukuba-Nishi Smart Interchange and Tsukuba-Chuo Interchange, and between Inashiki-Higashi Interchange and Kanzaki Interchange, within fiscal year 2026; the sections between Bando Interchange and Tsukuba-Nishi Smart Interchange, Ushiku-Ami IC to Ami-Higashi IC around summer 2027, and Inashiki IC to Inashiki-Higashi IC around fall 2027.
In addition, although the Kanzaki PA (tentative name) is subject to the proviso that “procurement of equipment and materials proceeds smoothly,” it is scheduled to begin operations within fiscal year 2026.
© Source travel watch