National Route 289 is an incomplete national highway

National highways of Japan

Japan has a nationwide system of distinct from the expressways. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and other government agencies administer the national highways. Beginning in 1952, Japan classified these as Class 1 or Class 2. Class 1 highways had one- or two-digit numbers, while...

 in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 that will eventually connect central Niigata

Niigata Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...

 with Iwaki, Fukushima

Iwaki, Fukushima

is a city located in the southern part of the Hamadōri coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.A designated "core city", Iwaki is also one of the growing number of hiragana cities. Its area is 1,231.35 km², making it the 10th largest city in Japan...

 with a total length of 275.4 km (171.1 mi).

At present, work is underway to complete an 18 km (11.2 mi) central section that will join the eastern and western portions together through the very northern part of the Japanese Alps

Japanese Alps

The is a series of mountain ranges in Japan that bisect the main island of Honshū. The name was coined by William Gowland, the "Father of Japanese Archaeology," and later popularized by Reverend Walter Weston , an English missionary for whom a memorial plaque is located at Kamikochi, a tourist...

 on Niigata

Niigata Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...

's and Fukushima

Fukushima Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....

's prefectural border.

When finished, traffic will be able to travel coast to coast across Japan in a link between the Sea of Japan

Sea of Japan

The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...

 and Pacific.

Sections

Niigata

The western part of Route 289 begins in Yoshida

Yoshida, Niigata

was a town located in Nishikanbara District, Niigata, Japan. Yoshida is now a part of Tsubame.As of April 1, 2005, the town had an estimated population of 24,937. The total area was 32.00 km²....

 passing east through the towns of Tsubame

Tsubame, Niigata

is a city located in Niigata, Japan.The city was founded on March 31, 1954 by merging with 4 towns and villages. Nearly 52 years later on March 20, 2006, the old Tsubame merged with Bunsui and Yoshida from Nishikanbara District to form the new city of Tsubame....

 and Sanjo

Sanjo, Niigata

is a city located in central part of Niigata, Japan. The city has a Jōetsu Shinkansen stop at Tsubame-Sanjō Station.- Geography :Sanjō is located in the center of Niigata prefecture. It is about 2 hours from Tokyo by way of the Jōetsu Shinkansen or 4 hours on the Kan-Etsu Expressway and Hokuriku...

. It currently ends in the mountains 10 km south east of Shitada village

Shitada, Niigata

Shitada was a village located in Minamikanbara District, Niigata, Japan.As of 2003, the village had an estimated population of 11,118 and a density of 35.75 persons per km². The total area was 311.00 km²....

.

Fukushima

The eastern part of Route 289 starts in Iwaki, Fukushima near Nakoso Station

Nakoso Station

is a JR East railway station located in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.-Adjacent stations:...

. It then heads west through Shirakawa

Shirakawa, Fukushima

is a city in Fukushima, Japan. It is located in the southern portion of the prefecture.The 2003 estimated population was 48,297 and the density in that year was 410.44 persons per km². The total area was 117.67 km²...

 and passed Shinshirakawa

Shin-Shirakawa Station

is an East Japan Railway Company railway station located in Nishigō, Fukushima, Japan.-History:The station first opened as Iwaki-Nishigō Station on 7 April 1959. On 23 June 1982, it was renamed Shin-Shirakawa Station coinciding with the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen.-Adjacent stations:...

. It currently ends 12 km north west of Nishigō

Nishigo, Fukushima

is a village located in Nishishirakawa District, Fukushima, Japan.As of 2003, the village has an estimated population of 19,340 and a density of 100.56 persons per km². The total area is 192.32 km²....

 village.

Central part

Work to join the east and west sections began in 1999. But the scheme suffered a major setback after the Chūetsu earthquake

2004 Chuetsu earthquake

The occurred at 5:56 p.m. on Saturday, October 23, 2004 . The Japan Meteorological Agency has named it the Heisei 16 Niigata Prefecture Chuetsu Earthquake or The Mid Niigata Prefecture Earthquake of 2004...

 in 2004 when landslips covered large parts of the route. In 2005/06 efforts were made to clear these blockages and restart building work.

The finished route, which presently is a dirt track and is only passable by 4x4s or construction traffic, will include several spanned bridges, avalanche covers and a 1.5 km tunnel.

A provisional completion date has been given as 2012.

External links

• Tunnel Completion (In Japanese)