October 21, 2009 Chairman Yano's regular press conference

(Moderator)

Now that it's time, let's start the regular press conference. Well, then, I'm looking forward to working with you.

(Chairman)

There are several projects today. First, I would like to explain the current status of our annual business.
Regarding September, first of all, regarding Expressway, toll revenue in September was -19.8% compared to the same month of the previous year. High speed is -19.3%, and Ichiyu is -24.6%. Although it is the number of traffic, the daily average is + 5.0%. High speed is + 3.9%, and Ichiyu is + 9.5%.
Although it is the meaning of this number, September was also influenced by Silver Week. In addition to that, for the same reason as before, we judge that various discount systems have increased and are having an impact.
Although it is a discount amount of ETC, it is 31.8 billion, which is almost double compared to last year. Last year was 16 billion.
The ETC discount rate is about 45.8%. The income without ETC discount is 69.5 billion yen, which is 10.3% higher than last year. Next is the construction situation, which has not changed from last month, so I will omit it.

I always say that the traffic situation by vehicle type is how the number of vehicles passed, but 108.7% for mini vehicles, 107.7% for ordinary vehicles, 90.3% for medium-sized vehicles, 89.1% for large vehicles, and 87.5% for oversized vehicles. %, 103.9% overall.
Looking at this in terms of mileage, light vehicles account for 126.1%, ordinary vehicles at 128.1%, medium-sized vehicles at 92.1%, large-sized vehicles at 92.5%, oversized vehicles at 91.6%, and overall 116.3%. I think this is also the result of the fact that there was Silver Week and the trip length became longer.

Next, regarding the status of ETC, the usage rate was 84.6% this month. Looking at the latest week, it increased by 85.1% from October 2nd to 8th, 84.3% from September 4th to 10th of the previous month, about 1%, which is similar on weekdays and Saturdays and holidays. It has become a trend. The cumulative number of on-board units installed is 28.25 million.

Next, regarding the status of the service area, sales are 124.1%. Looking at food and beverage sales, the total is 126.6%. Holidays account for 149.1% and weekdays account for 103.4%, and the influence of holidays is the same as before. Looking at the breakdown of food and beverage sales, the food and beverage sector accounted for 123.2%, and product sales accounted for 128.7%. In the gasoline sector, this is 117.1%. Although there was a unit price difference of 45 yen / L, the amount of refueling increased by 158.2%, and it is supposed to increase by 17.1% as a whole. The service department accounted for 125.8%, and the advertising department accounted for 91.7%. The above is the outline of the business.

Next is the topic.
There are several cases, but we will report the analysis results of the bidding status that is reported quarterly.
In the three months from July to September, there were 79 successful bids, and the average successful bid rate is 82.6%. Looking at Figure 1, there were 138 cases, or 83.4%, from April to September. Table 1 shows the successful bid rates for the main types of construction for the past three months, but to mention only the characteristic points, the superstructure of the PC bridge, which is 100.4%. If there are special conditions for this construction, we are no longer using the construction technology competitive comprehensive evaluation method, but by doing so, we can bid and contract even if the contract limit price is exceeded. As a result, the winning bid rate exceeded 100%.
Also, there are construction types with a relatively low winning bid rate, electricity, landscaping, and sound insulation walls, but in the case of these construction types, looking inside, the number of bidders at the time of bidding has increased, and it seems that more competitiveness has worked. We are here.
Next, as shown in Figure 2, the situation is low bidding.
Compared to 2007 and 2008, the incidence rate from April to September is as high as 50.0%. This high incidence has continued since December of last year. One of the reasons for this is that the standard price for the construction work after December of last year, which is investigated at the time of low bidding, has been revised and the standard price has increased.
However, there is a low bid priority survey that was newly introduced after June of this year, but for this, the winning bid rate, which requires a survey, is 75%, but the occurrence rate of low bids below this is introduced. It has been halved compared to before, and I think that the effect is appearing. In addition, due to the disqualification criteria introduced at the same time, there are two cases where the lowest price presenter could not contract.
Figure 3 is a graph showing the status of bid failures, failures and failures. In the last three months, the number of malfunctions has been 16 and the incidence is 11.6%. Compared to last year, it has dropped to about half. This is due to the application of a bidding method such as the open-call quotation consultation method, and we believe that the effects of this countermeasure against malfunctions have emerged. Regarding unsuccessful cases, as soon as we review the ordering method and decide on a response policy, we are proceeding with the procedures one by one, and we have already reached a contract for three works.
The above is the first topic, the quarterly report on the bidding status.

Next, I was very worried about the recovery situation from the earthquake in the Tomei Makinohara area, but I was able to survive without the recent typhoon No. 18. While proceeding with the committee after that, we are proceeding with various incidental works, and Managing Director Yoshikawa will report on the current situation in that area.

 

(Managing Director Yoshikawa)

This is Yoshikawa from the Maintenance and Service Business Director General.
Now, I would like to explain based on the materials of the Tomei Expressway disaster emergency recovery (current status report) of the earthquake with the epicenter in Suruga Bay at hand. Due to the earthquake that occurred at around 5:07 on August 11, the embankment slope near Makinohara SA collapsed Tomei Expwy. We have held two committee meetings so far. August 17th and September 28th. This time, we have examined the results of the investigation boring, the cause analysis, and the proposed restoration countermeasures (draft) deliberated at the second committee meeting, so I would like to report on the general situation. The selection of areas with similar conditions to the restoration measures in these areas will be deliberated at the third review committee meeting scheduled to be held on Tuesday, October 27.
The first page is the damage and recovery status.
Please see page 2. This is the local situation and the current work status. Locally, there has been no displacement or cracks in the road surface, and the situation is stable at this time. The section in question was closed to traffic with a continuous rainfall of 300 mm, but we are doing it according to the standard of closing the road with a continuous rainfall of 150 mm, taking into account the emergency restoration, but as the chairman said, we were very worried when Typhoon No. 18 passed on October 8. Fortunately, the rainfall was relatively low at 43mm, so there was no displacement. As for the current work status, we have implemented (1) temporary drainage work, (2) construction road, (3) temporary bridge, (4) maintenance of work yards, and (5) river runoff measures of collapsed soil in preparation for this restoration work.
Continued on page 3. We will report on the progress of additional reinforcement measures for the embankment that has been urgently restored. Since heavy rain due to typhoons and autumn rain fronts was also expected, we received the opinions of the teachers of the review committee for the purpose of improving the stability of the slope, and we have implemented or are currently implementing strengthening measures. As for the contents of the additional reinforcement measures, as shown in the figure below, 13 water collection boring is planned, and the red part in the figure has already been completed, and the blue part is the part that has not yet been implemented. Of the 13 trees, 8 of the lower rows were completed on September 19th. In addition, the installation of deterrent piles, another reinforcement measure, was scheduled to be extended to a maximum of 16.5 meters and the number was 16, but it was completed on October 18. Water collection boring aims to lower the groundwater level, and deterrent piles deter slippage. In the future, we plan to proceed with the five bowling in the upper row by the end of this month.
Please see page 4. This is a report on the results of the survey boring that was conducted. The figure shows the cross-sectional view of Tomei and the vertical direction as "main cross-section (1)-(1)" and the cross-sectional view parallel to Tomei "sub-section (2)-(2)". The light color side in the figure is called Sagara Formation Mudstone, and it is the bedrock here. On top of it is a layer of valley floor sediment. And on top of that, it is represented that the embankment was made during the construction of Tomei. The pink line in the figure is the assumed groundwater level, and the assumed slip surface where the red line collapses. The stratigraphic composition table is as described.
On the next 5 pages, I will briefly explain the mechanism of how the slope collapsed. Figure "(1) Before road construction (40 years ago)" is an estimate from the floor plan at the time of the construction order and the results of this geological survey. It is estimated that there will be bedrock of mudstone layers, and there will be valley floor sediments on top of it. Figure "(2) When the road is shared (use of mudstone that is easy to weather)" is from the time of use, and it is presumed that there is a part of the lower part of the road embankment that uses mudstone to fill the soil, and on top of it is a high-quality material Makinohara gravel layer. Figure "(3) A few years after road use ~ just before the earthquake (weathering of mudstone and rise of groundwater)", this structure itself seems to have risen due to the infiltration of water for many years, and the mudstone that is easy to weather has dried up and moistened repeatedly under the action of water, and gradually becomes mud and becomes like a clay layer, and the groundwater has risen due to a decrease in strength and a decrease in water permeability. In such a state, an earthquake with a measured seismic intensity of 5.9 occurred on August 11, and this was the cause, and a landslide as shown in Figure "(4) After the earthquake" occurred. This is thought to have occurred in the embankment. I briefly write about this on the next page, but to summarize, as a cause analysis, 1) (1) The slope collapse occurred in the embankment. This is due to the results of the survey boring and the fact that the retaining wall of the embankment butt is not moving and is in the same position as before the collapse, so it is thought that the collapse of the slope on the slippery surface occurred. As for (2), it seems that the land in question had topography and geological conditions that were easy for water to collect. Then, (3) the groundwater level at the collapse site seems to have been high. (4) means that the lower part of the embankment was made of mudstone that is easy to weather, and the upper part was made of high-quality sand and gravel, and (5) means that the embankment was constructed according to regulations at the time of construction. As I mentioned earlier, the estimated cause is described in 2), but it is presumed that the mudstone at the bottom of the embankment has decreased in strength and permeability due to the action of water for many years, and as a result, the groundwater level in the embankment has risen, and the earthquake caused the collapse to occur.

As for this restoration measure work, the basic policy is (6.(1)) We believe that the construction method will not have a significant impact on the traffic of the main line, and that the construction will be carried out from outside the main line in principle. As mentioned in (2), safety is the first priority in construction, and the construction method is determined by comprehensively considering early completion, constructability, economy, etc. Also, as a design condition, this area has collapsed and may be undergoing emergency restoration, so as mentioned in (1), we would like to replace the collumbling soil as much as possible in this restoration. In addition, as shown in (2), the embankment structure at the affected area is different from the structure of the embankment in the general part, such as large foam styrofoam, large sandbags, and soil stabilized with cement, as it is considered to be designed with safety in consideration of earthquakes. Then, as a constraint, we believe that the construction will be carried out within the scope that does not affect the adjacent side roads and cemeteries, and to put it simply (as an explanation of the figure), we will focus on water countermeasures, carry out appropriate wastewater treatment, and use high-quality materials with good water permeability, and we will construct deterrent piles to ensure the stability of the embankment, although some have already been poured. Then, I would like to finish the protection work as shown in the diagram (cross-section) to ensure the stability of the slope surface.

As a reference on the last page, the Disaster Review Committee has been held twice so far, and we have had various discussions with Chairman Ota and other committee members. This time, the third meeting is scheduled to be held on October 27 (Tuesday), and this will be the final report, and the content will be to discuss the cause of the disaster and the summary of the restoration countermeasures, as well as the measures at similar embankments in the Makinohara area. That is all.

 

(Chairman)

Next, I would like to explain about the highway campaign Mie 2009 Autumn.
Regional Head Office on October 8th, but we are planning to tie up with the Mie Prefecture Tourism Federation. I used to do it in the spring, but after that, the traffic volume will increase due to the discount, so I'm planning to do it in the fall this year.
There are various coupons and plans to win gifts by lottery, but it's just the 5th anniversary of Kumano Kodo World Heritage registration. In addition, there is the Ise Jingu Shikinen Sengu event, and the beginning of the replacement of the Uji Bridge in November, and we are positioning it as a campaign to commemorate such a thing.

Next, regarding the relationship with the quick valve, this is what we will announce today, but there is a company called UNY, and there is a store called Apita, which this company operates in Aichi, Gifu, and Mie. There is a nationally famous ekiben specialty lunch fair held in a part of it, and from this 31st to February 14th next year, we will sell it for a total of 10 days including Saturday and Sunday. Starting from the autumn menu, we will enter the winter menu in December, and it will change like that, but we are going to do this.

And finally, regarding the environment, I prepare at least one theme each time and report it to everyone, but today I will report on regional saplings with the cooperation of elementary school and elementary school students. The content is to pick up acorns.
This is an acorn grown by us as a regional sapling and used for Expressway
We started in 1995, but so far we have picked up acorns 11 times, and about 1,100 people have participated. We have planted trees 12 times and have planted a total of 20,000 trees. This time we are planning an elementary school in Sagamihara City, but one is Shonan Elementary School, which ended on the 19th. A total of 9 people from the 1st and 2nd grades participated.
Then, on Friday, October 30th, we are planning to have about 80 first and second graders at Goryo Elementary School. The first school I mentioned was a small school with a small number of 9 students, but the total number of students is over 60, so it means that they often participated. A photo is attached below.
That concludes my explanation.

 

(Moderator)

So I'd like to take your questions.

(Reporter)

At the press conference last month, there was talk of a change of government, but by today's press conference, there was talk of a social experiment, such as a review of the four lanes due to the suspension of execution of amendments, or the budget for the new year (budget request). However, there was a statement by Deputy Minister Noda that it should be reviewed again, but please tell us what you think about these two points.

(Chairman)

We accept that the issue of four lanes is "reserved". It's not a cancellation. Regarding design and surveying, I have already placed an order for some work, but I will proceed with that. For businesses that have not been ordered yet, I think we will consider the transition after this.
This is a project with high expectations from the local people, but since this is a national policy, we are in tune with it and are waiting for the next development.
Also, we have heard through everyone (reports) that those involved in this budget are preparing hundreds of billions of yen in resources for free. When I ask, I understand that the contents have not been decided, so it will be decided in the overall budget formulation, including what kind of scale it will be. It may not be clear when it will be, whether it will be within the year, how far it will be packed within the year, such points and specific contents, so I would like to look at the situation for a while and think about various things depending on the result. I am.

(Reporter)

If it is an average year, while the budget request for this period is visible, how do you think about such things as the change of government, the uncertain future, or the suspension of business? Are you there?

(Chairman)

I've come with various expectations, so I'll brake a little and respond to changes in the situation. Such a big change is rare, so this is a good idea. I think that way because we will respond. There are many other default businesses, and we would like to proceed quietly as planned. We have unified our intentions within the company based on the ideas I have mentioned so far, so I think we can do that. Of course, I have a desire to come up with a concrete plan.

(Reporter)

Tomei Expressway, it seems that the cause of the slope collapse was analyzed and it was affected by the geology and the situation, but it will be investigated in the future whether a similar situation will occur on your company's route. How to prevent recurrence?

(Chairman)

I would like to inspect similar parts. If the cause is clarified, we can roughly assume similar parts, so I would like to check that and work on it.

(Reporter)

When will this restoration work be started? For construction ... How much will it be at this stage?

(Director Yoshikawa)

The 3rd Committee will be held on October 27th, and I would like to start promptly based on the results.

(Reporter)

When to start?

(Director Yoshikawa)

I would like to consider the contents of the measures and go. We are doing the emergency restoration and reinforcement work that I explained earlier. Part of the reinforcement work can also be used for the main restoration, and we would like to start the full-scale restoration as the reinforcement work progresses.

(Chairman)

I think I can explain the details after this committee, so I would appreciate it if you could come and visit us.

(Moderator)

If you don't mind, this is the end of today's regular press conference. Thank you very much.