1. Report on 3-Year Plan for Improving Safety
  2. List of activities
  3. "To use Meishin more safely and more conveniently."

Responsible for improving safety NEXCO CENTRAL Group employees

"In order to continue using Meishin safely,
To be more convenient. "

  • Hiroyuki Horiuchi
    NEXCO CENTRAL
    Nagoya Regional Head Office Office Maintenance & Service DivisionKoji Ikeda
    Responsible for drafting execution plans for large-scale repairs and large-scale updates.

We will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Meishin, please tell us your feelings

-Thanks to all who cooperated and to all customers who have used-

Looking back on the history of Meishin, celebrating its 50th anniversary, I realize that there has been cooperation from various people, and I am grateful that I can not express it in words. First of all, there was no Meishin itself without everyone who provided their ancestral land to the unknown plan of constructing Japan's first Expressway. We are grateful to the residents along the road during construction and for their understanding and cooperation since the opening. And I would like to thank all the customers who have used it so far. At the time of opening, the traffic volume was about 3,800 a day, but it is still used by many people, with a maximum of about 50,000 even when Shin-Meishin Expressway opened. thank you very much.

What are the characteristics of Meishin, the first intercity Expressway Japan?

-As a Japanese artery that can never be stopped, Meishin introduced Japan's first innovations and technologies one after another-

Ladder snow removal

First of all, Meishin connects Japan's east and west and connects to Hokuriku. With civil engineering technology at the time, the route through the Suzuka Mountains by tunnel was expected to be very difficult technically, so it had to be a route through Sekigahara, a snowfall area. When the Meishin was closed for three days due to heavy snow, it was said that there were no objects at nearby supermarkets or convenience stores. For this reason, Meishin has implemented various measures related to the conservation of Expressway for the first time, such as removing snow on all lanes and removing snow at a stretch by spraying deicers to prevent snow on the road and freezing on roads. Expressway. On the other hand, 30% of the passing vehicles are large vehicles, which imposes a heavy burden on structures, and Meishin also has difficulties in dealing with snowfall near Sekigahara. Based on these characteristics of Meishin, we will make further efforts for inspection and repair so that Meishin can be used safely, securely and comfortably 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Large-scale renewals and large-scale repairs that were commercialized in 2015 are one of them.

What is large-scale renewal and large-scale repair?

-The large-scale renewal business aims to maintain functions and improve performance, and the large-scale repair business aims to extend the life of structures-

Meishin is a Expressway built using the best of Japanese road technology at the time, but damage has been accumulated in various places in addition to aging due to the fact that 50 years have passed since its opening. Inspections and repairs are repeated daily to maintain a healthy state, so of course you can still use it safely today. However, in order to keep the 50-year-old Meishin permanently healthy, it is necessary to take a precautionary perspective and work on large-scale renewal and repair projects as soon as possible. Based on this belief, the large-scale renewal project aims to maintain the function and improve the performance of the structure, and the large-scale repair business aims to extend the life of the structure.

Specifically, what kind of construction is planned for each

-"Renewal" to replace and "repair" to modify-

The large-scale renewal business involves replacing parts where the pain has progressed to the point where the original function cannot be achieved with conventional repairs. For example, the easy-to-understand example is the part where a car is running on a bridge girder One of the tasks is to replace a slab from a conventional reinforced concrete slab to a more durable prestressed concrete slab. Large-scale repairs, on the other hand, are "hands-on" with new materials and technologies so that structures can be degraded as quickly as possible and used longer, before they are damaged enough to require replacement. For example, high-performance floor slab waterproofing. This is, as the name implies, the work of improving the waterproof performance of the floor slab. Like a school swimming pool, the concrete surface is sprayed with a material called a waterproof layer that prevents water from entering. It takes more time to complete than floor slab waterproofing that is usually performed in repairs, but it is more waterproof.


We will replace the floor slab to distribute the weight of the vehicle to the bridge girder and pier.

Floor slab replacement

The waterproof layer blocks the penetration of water and chloride ions from the road surface, which deteriorates the floor slab, into the concrete, thus suppressing the progress of deterioration.

State after construction of floor slab waterproof layer

Every construction is expected to have large traffic regulations, but how are those measures taken?

-In order to minimize the impact on people along the road and on the passengers, we will formulate a plan that also takes into account the Expressway network-

For example, when replacing a slab in a large-scale renewal project, it will take two to three months at one location, depending on the location and work content. From a long-term perspective, it is important to adopt new materials and technologies that can extend the service life from a long-term perspective, in order to minimize the impact on customers along the road and customers who use the service. Another important thing is to shorten the construction period and plan how to secure a detour during the construction period. There are several ways to detour traffic, such as two-way Expressway, two-way detour, and other Expressway detours. When two-way traffic is used, the number of lanes decreases and traffic congestion may occur. In addition, if you detour to a general road, traffic congestion will occur at the interchange at the exit. In consideration of these situations, we will formulate a construction plan to make detours using the Expressway network as much as possible.


Some traffic on the main line may be restricted face-to-face.

Like the Shin-Meishin Expressway, which is currently under construction with the aim of opening it three years later, it will be possible to make a detour to the Shin-Meishin Expressway where double networking with Meishin and Higashi Meihan is possible.

What are your thoughts on Meishin and the future of the Expressway

-Applying the knowledge of the past 50 years to future Meishin and to the future Expressway network-

Meishin is Japan's main artery, and stagnation will have a major impact on economic activity. In order to avoid such a situation, we will utilize the knowledge we have cultivated so far to ensure maintenance such as inspection and repair. In addition, using the experience and data accumulated over 50 years and the latest IT technology, adopting new materials with higher durability and optimally combining machines and human specialties, inspection and work faster and more accurately We are also working to improve efficiency. This is very important as the Expressway network Large and the number of facilities and structures to be managed increases. It is no exaggeration to say that the 50-year history of Meishin will create a Expressway in the future. We look forward to your continued understanding and cooperation as we work together as a group.

List of activities

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