View source for Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line

{{short description|Bridge–tunnel in Japan}}
{{Infobox road
|country=JPN
|type=Expressway
|route=Tokyo Wan Aqua-Line
|alternate_name=[[File:JP Expressway CA.svg|48px|link=|alt=]] {{Nihongo2|{{tooltip|2=とうきょうわん|東京湾}}アクアライン}}
|map={{Maplink|zoom=9|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=300|frame-height=300|frame-latitude=35.45|frame-longitude=139.85|type=line|stroke-color=#cc0000|stroke-width=2}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=The Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line highlighted in red
| length_mi =
| length_km =23.7
| length_round =
| length_ref =
| established =1997
| allocation = {{jct|country=JPN|Route|409}}
| direction_a =West
| terminus_a =Kawasaki Ukishima Junction<br />[[File:Shuto Urban Expwy Sign B.svg|20px]] [[Bayshore Route|Shuto Expressway Bayshore Route]]<br />in [[Kawasaki, Kanagawa]]
| junction = 
| direction_b =East
|section1=
|length_mi1=
|length_ref1=
|terminus_a1=
|terminus_b1=Kisarazu Interchange<br />{{jct|country=JPN|Exp|C4}} in<br />[[Kisarazu, Chiba]]
}}
{{Infobox bridge
| name          = Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line
| native_name   = 東京湾アクアライン
| native_name_lang = jp
| image         = Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line.jpg
| image_size    = 240
| alt           = Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line (bridge section)
| caption       = Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line (bridge section)
| official_name = 
| other_name    = Trans-Tokyo Bay Highway
| carries       = 4 lanes of {{jct|country=JPN|National|409}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aqua-line.com/about/about_e.html |title=Developments of transportation and industries, do bring a more comfortable life to every body. |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=1998 |website=Tokyo wan Aqua-line |access-date=6 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981203163853/http://www.aqua-line.com/about/about_e.html |archive-date=3 December 1998 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| crosses       = [[Tokyo Bay]]
| locale        = {{unbulleted list
 |[[Kisarazu]], [[Chiba Prefecture|Chiba]]
 |&nbsp;and Umihotaru Island }}
| owner         = 
| maint         = 
| id            =
| id_type       =  
| website       = 
| architect     = 
| designer      = 
| engineering   = 
| winner        = 
| contracted_designer = 
| design        = {{unbulleted list
 |Steel box [[girder bridge]] with [[orthotropic deck]]
 |Bored [[tunnelling shield|shield tunnel]] 
 |Artificial islands}}
| material      = 
| length        = {{unbulleted list
 |bridge: {{convert |4384|m|ft|0}}<ref name=Shioi&Nakamura />
 |tunnel: {{convert |9600|m|ft|0}} }}
| width         = {{convert |22.9|m|ft }}<ref name=Shioi&Nakamura />
| height        = 
| mainspan      = {{convert |240|m|ft|0}}<ref name=Duan>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jJ3MBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA1048 |title=Handbook of International Bridge Engineering |page=1048 |author1=Nagai, Masatsugu |author2=Okui, Yoshiaki |author3=Kawai, Yutaka |author4=Yamamoto, Masaaki |author5=Saito, Kimio |editor1=Chen, Wai-Fah |editor2=Duan, Lian |chapter=23: Bridge Engineering in Japan |date=2014 |publisher=CRC Press |location=Boca Raton |isbn=978-1-4398-1030-9 |access-date=6 March 2015 }}</ref>
| spans         = 
| pierswater    = 42<ref name=Shioi&Nakamura>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7xCDq3CEZYYC&pg=PA75 |title=Continuous and Integral Bridges |editor1=Pritchard, B.P. |chapter=8: Design Concept of the Trans-Tokyo Bay Bridge |author1=Shioi, Y. |author2=Nakamura, S. |date=1994 |publisher=E & FN Spon |location=London |pages=75–84 |isbn=0-419-19030-9 |access-date=8 March 2015 }}</ref>
| load          = 
| clearance     = 
| below         = {{convert |29|m|ft|0}}<ref name=Shioi&Nakamura />
| life          = 
| builder       = 
| fabricator    = {{unbulleted list
 |bridge: Yokogawa Bridge Corp.<ref name=Yokogawa>{{cite web |url=http://www.yokogawa-bridge.co.jp/english/05_steelbridges/index7.html |title=Steel Bridges: Structures in Japan |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Yokogawa Bridge Corporation |access-date=6 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107200337/http://www.yokogawa-bridge.co.jp/english/05_steelbridges/index7.html |archive-date=7 January 2015 }}</ref> and JFE Engineering<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jfe-eng.co.jp/en/products/infrastructure/bridge/br01.html |title=Girder bridges |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=JFE Engineering Corporation |access-date=6 March 2015 }}</ref>
 |tunnel: }}
| begin         = 1989
| complete      = 
| cost          = {{JPY|1.4|link=yes}}&nbsp;trillion
| open          = {{start date|1997|12|18|df=yes}}<ref name="opens">{{cite news |title=Japan opens world's longest undersea tunnel |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19971219-1.2.50.3?qt=tokyo,%20bay&q=tokyo%20bay |work=The Straits Times |agency=Reuters |date=19 December 1997}}</ref>
| inaugurated   = 
| named_for     = 
| toll          = 
| traffic       = 
| preceded      = 
| followed      = 
| heritage      = 
| collapsed     = 
| closed        = 
| replaces      = 
| coordinates   = {{coord|35|27|47|N|139|52|31|E|display=inline,title}}
}}
{{Infobox tunnel
 | name          = Tokyo Bay Tunnel
 | image         = Umihotaru Parking Area Aerial Photo 20150131.jpg
 | image_size    = 240
 | alt           = Umihotaru, where the bridge transitions to tunnel
 | caption       = Umihotaru, where bridge transitions to tunnel
 | official_name = 
 | other_name    = 
 | location      = 
 | coordinates   = 
 | os_grid_ref   = 
 | status        = {{unbulleted list 
  |2 in use
  |1 planned }}
 | route         = 
 | start         = Umihotaru Island
 | end           = Ukishima, [[Kawasaki, Kanagawa|Kawasaki]], [[Kanagawa Prefecture|Kanagawa]]
 | owner         = 
 | operator      = 
 | traffic       = 
 | character     = 
 | toll          = 
 | vpd           = 
 | engineer      = 
 | construction  = Taisei<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.taisei.co.jp/english/ir/image/ar2014/taisei_annual_2014_05.pdf |title=Taisei Corporation's Journey over 140 Years |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2014 |website=Taisei Corporation |access-date=8 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402143426/http://www.taisei.co.jp/english/ir/image/ar2014/taisei_annual_2014_05.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2015 }}</ref>
 | length        = 
 | lanes         = 2 (unidirectional) in each of 2 tunnels
 | speed         = 
 | hielevation   = sea level
 | lowelevation  = {{convert |-45|m|ft|0}}
 | height        = 
 | width         = {{unbulleted list
  |{{convert |14.1|m|ft|0}} OD
  |{{convert |11.9|m|ft|0}} ID
  |{{convert |10.5|m|ft|0}} roadway }}
 | grade         = 4%<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.5169/seals-59019 |title=Construction of Trans-Tokyo Bay Highway |author1=Funasaki, Tsuneyoshi |author2=Yamada, Norio |author3=Izumi, Yasutaka |author4=Miki, Keizou |pages=43–48 |journal=IABSE Reports |date=1998 |volume=78 }}</ref>
 | map           = 
 | extra         = 
}}
The {{nihongo|'''Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line'''|{{ruby|東京湾|とうきょうわん}}アクアライン|Tōkyō-wan Akua-rain<ref>''Katakana-shingo-jiten'', Gakken 2003, {{ISBN|4-05-301351-8}}</ref>}}, also known as the '''Trans-Tokyo Bay Expressway''', is an expressway that is mainly made up of a [[bridge–tunnel]] combination across [[Tokyo Bay]] in [[Japan]]. It connects the city of [[Kawasaki, Kanagawa|Kawasaki]] in [[Kanagawa Prefecture]] with the city of [[Kisarazu, Chiba|Kisarazu]] in [[Chiba Prefecture]], and forms part of [[Route 409 (Japan)|National Route 409]].  With an overall length of 23.7&nbsp;km, it includes a 4.4&nbsp;km bridge and 9.6&nbsp;km tunnel underneath the bay&mdash;the fourth-longest underwater tunnel in the world.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_dyKGYwBE50C&pg=PA94 |title=Engineered Coasts |author=Hotta, Kenji |editor1=Chen, Jiyu |editor2=Eisma, Doeke |editor3=Hotta, Kenji |editor4=Walker, H. Jesse |date=2002 |publisher=Kluwer Academic |location=Dordrecht |isbn=1-4020-0521-0 |pages=94–95 |chapter=4: Tokyo Bay Reformation |access-date=6 March 2015 }}</ref>

== Overview ==
An [[artificial island]], {{nihongo|Umihotaru|{{tooltip|2=うみ|海}}ほたる|Umi-hotaru|extra="sea firefly," referring to ''[[Vargula hilgendorfii]]''}}, marks the transition between the bridge and tunnel segments and provides a rest stop with restaurants, shops, and amusement facilities. A distinctive tower standing above the middle of the tunnel, the Kaze no Tō ({{tooltip|2=かぜ|風}}の{{tooltip|2=とう|塔}}, "the tower of wind"), supplies air to the tunnel, its ventilation system powered by the bay's almost-constant winds.
[[File:Tokyo_Wan_Aqua-Line.jpg|thumb|Tokyo Wan Aqua-Line.]]
[[File:Tokyo_Aqua_line_bridge.jpg|thumb|Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line bridge.]]

The Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line shortened the drive between Chiba and Kanagawa, two important industrial areas, from 90 to 15 minutes,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/2126 |title=JAPAN Big New Crossings Can Use Much More Traffic &#124; TOLLROADSnews |access-date=2009-11-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211210213/http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/2126 |archive-date=2010-02-11 }}</ref> and also helped cut travel time from Tokyo and Kanagawa to the seaside leisure spots of the southern [[Bōsō Peninsula]]. Before it opened, the trip entailed a 100 km journey along [[Tokyo Bay]] and pass through central Tokyo.

[[File:Tokyo_Bay_Aqua-Line_Highway_(30700131481).jpg|thumb|Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line Highway at night.]]
An explicit goal of the Aqua-Line was to redirect vehicular flow away from central Tokyo, but the expensive toll has meant only a limited reduction in central-Tokyo traffic.

Many highway bus services now use the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line, including lines from [[Tokyo Station]], [[Yokohama Station]], [[Kawasaki Station]], [[Shinagawa Station]], [[Shibuya Station]], [[Shinjuku Station]] and [[Haneda Airport]] to [[Kisarazu]], [[Kimitsu, Chiba|Kimitsu]], [[Nagaura Station (Chiba)|Nagaura station]], [[Ichihara, Chiba|Ichihara]], [[Mobara]], [[Tōgane]], [[Kamogawa, Chiba|Kamogawa]], [[Katsuura, Chiba|Katsuura]] and [[Tateyama, Chiba|Tateyama]].

==History==
One of the last Japanese megaprojects of the 20th century,<ref name="longest">{{cite news |title=World's longest undersea tunnel: Tokyo's costly folly? |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19971215-1.2.26.5?qt=tokyo,%20bay&q=tokyo%20bay |work=The Straits Times |agency=AFP |date=15 December 1997}}</ref> the roadway was built at a cost of [[Japanese yen|¥]]1.44 trillion (US$11.2 billion) and opened on December 18, 1997<ref name="opens"/> by then-[[Crown Prince of Japan|Crown Prince]] [[Naruhito]] and then-[[Crown Princess of Japan|Crown Princess]] [[Empress Masako|Masako]]<ref name="road"/> after 23 years of planning and nine years of construction. The roadway was conceived during the [[Japanese asset price bubble|bubble economy of the late 1980s]].<ref name="road"/>

At opening time, the roadway had the highest toll fee in Japan {{endash}} a one-way trip costs ¥5050 or ¥334 per kilometer.<ref name="longest"/> Due to its expensive toll, analysts see lower traffic volume than what [[Japan Highway Public Corporation]], the operator of the roadway, expected at 25,000 cars.<ref name="road">{{cite news |title=World's longest submarine road opens |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/biztimes19971219-1.2.47.12.4?qt=tokyo,%20bay&q=tokyo%20bay |work=Business Times (Singapore) |agency=AFP |date=19 December 1997}}</ref>

The Aqua-Line is a popular spot for illegal [[street racing]], although stricter law enforcement including [[speed camera]]s has cut down on this.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Saito |first=Ken |date=2018-06-12 |title=I Met Japan's Highway Racers In The Middle Of The Sea |url=https://www.jalopnik.com/i-met-japans-highway-racers-in-the-middle-of-the-sea-1826250826/ |access-date=2025-10-04 |website=Jalopnik |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Tolls ==
The cash toll for a single trip on the Aqua-Line is ¥3,140 for ordinary-size cars (¥2,510 for [[kei car]]s); however, using the [[Electronic toll collection|ETC]] (electronic toll collection) system, the fare is ¥2320 (¥1860 for kei cars). The ETC toll is reduced to ¥1000 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. In general, tolls for usage of the Aqua-Line in either direction are collected at the mainline toll plaza on the Kisarazu end.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
|+Toll table of Tokyo-bay Aqua Line<br/>(Kawasaki-Ukishima Junction – Kisarazu-Kaneda Interchange)
|-
!Type of car!!Toll!!ETC Aqua-Line <br/>Special discount!!ETC Pilot Test discount<br/> (from July 2009)
|-
|Normal cars||3,140JPY||2,320JPY||800JPY
|-
|Midsize cars||3,770JPY||2,780JPY||960JPY
|-
|Large cars||5,190JPY||3,830JPY||1,320JPY
|-
|Specific large cars||8,640JPY||6,380JPY||2,200JPY
|-
|[[Kei car|Kei-car]]s and motorcycles||2,510JPY||1,860JPY||640JPY
|}

== See also ==

* [[List of bridge–tunnels]]
* [[Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel]]
* [[Busan–Geoje Fixed Link]]
* [[Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge]]
* [[Bataan–Cavite Interlink Bridge]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
[[File:Tokyobay-aqualine-jan7-2015.ogv|thumb|left|The Aqua-Line from above, 2015]]
{{Commons category|Tokyo Wan Aqua-Line}}
<!--Dead link  * [http://www.pref.chiba.jp/outline/aqua-gaiyo-e.html Chiba prefecture government page (in English)]-->
* [http://www.jhnet.go.jp/aqua-line/ Japan Highways site (in Japanese)]
* {{in lang|ja}} [http://www.e-nexco.co.jp/ East Nippon Expressway Company]
* [http://www.driveplaza.com/etc/uturn.html NEXCO East's info regarding U-turns at Umi-hotaru (in Japanese)]
* {{Structurae |id=10003751 |title=Trans-Tokyo Bay Highway |accessdate=6 March 2015 }}
* {{Structurae |id=10000128 |title=Tokyo Bay Aqualine |accessdate=6 March 2015 |nolink=yes}}
* {{Structurae |id=20004415 |title=Tokyo Bay Aqualine Bridge |accessdate=6 March 2015 |nolink=yes}}
* {{Structurae |id=20004416 |title=Tokyo Bay Aqualine Tunnel |accessdate=6 March 2015 |nolink=yes}}
* {{cite news |url=http://archive.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/12/dayintech_1218 |title=Dec. 18, 1997: 360 Seconds Under Tokyo |author=Alfred, Randy |date=18 December 2008 |newspaper=WIRED |access-date=6 March 2015 }}
* {{cite journal |url=http://www.kajima.com/news_events/news_notes/pdf/v3.pdf |title=The World's Largest-Scale Marine Civil Engineering Project: The Trans-Tokyo Bay Highway |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |journal=KAJIMA News & Notes |volume=3 |pages=2–5 |date=Autumn 1997 |access-date=6 March 2015 }}
* {{cite conference |title=The Trans-Tokyo Bay Highway project - a huge project currently under construction |author1=Uchida, K |author2=Shioi, Y |author3=Hirukawa, T |author4=Tatsuoka, F |editor1=Wu, JTH |editor2=Barrett, R.K. |pages=57–87 |isbn=90-5410-343-4 |conference=Transportation Facilities Through Difficult Terrain |location=Aspen-Snowmass, Colorado |date=8–12 August 1993 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.saitama-u.ac.jp/gris/pdf/Full%20TransTokyoBayHigyway%20PP.pdf |title=Geotechnical Engineering Aspects of Trans-Tokyo Bay Highway Project |author=Tatsuoka, F. |date=1998 |website=Saitama University |access-date=8 March 2015 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.cobportaal.nl/Gedeelde%20documenten/GKO-101.CT.07.A.pdf |title=Trans-Tokyo Bay Highway |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=c. 1990 |publisher=Trans-Tokyo Bay Highway Corporation |access-date=8 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402121341/http://www.cobportaal.nl/Gedeelde%20documenten/GKO-101.CT.07.A.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2015 }}

<!-- {{Coord|35|27|47|N|139|52|31|E|region:JP-12_type:waterbody|display=title}} -->

{{Bridge–tunnels}}

{{East Nippon Expressway Company}}
{{Expressways of Japan}}

[[Category:Tunnels in Chiba Prefecture]]
[[Category:Tunnels in Kanagawa Prefecture]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Kawasaki, Kanagawa]]
[[Category:Toll bridges in Japan]]
[[Category:Toll tunnels in Japan]]
[[Category:Road tunnels in Japan]]
[[Category:Cross-sea bridges in Asia]]
[[Category:Undersea tunnels in Japan]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1997]]
[[Category:Regional High-Standard Highways in Japan]]
[[Category:Roads in Chiba Prefecture]]
[[Category:Tokyo Bay]]
[[Category:Tunnels completed in 1997]]
[[Category:Transport in Kawasaki, Kanagawa]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Immersed tube tunnels in Asia]]
[[Category:Bridge–tunnels in Asia]]
[[Category:Expressways in Japan]]
[[Category:1997 establishments in Japan]]