At 15:00 on Sunday, Apr. 24, a 7.2 km stretch of the Higashi-Kyushu Expressway in Fukuoka Prefecture between the Shiida-Minami and Buzen interchanges will open, enabling uninterrupted highway travel between Kitakyushu and Miyazaki via Oita. The new link is expected to energize the flow of people and goods and have a ripple effect on the local economy. With part of the Oita Expressway still out of commission after the recent earthquake, the Higashi-Kyushu Expressway will also serve as an alternate route. The new link shortens travel time between Kitakyushu and Oita by 10 minutes to approximately one hour and 45 minutes. Travel time between Kitakyushu and Miyazaki will stand at about four hours and 20 minutes. Last March, the stretch of the expressway passing through the Oita Prefecture was completed with the opening of the Usa ~ Buzen (21.1 km) and Saiki ~ Kamae (20.4 km) sections, and this has invigorated tourism between Oita and Miyazaki Prefectures. With the link to Kitakyushu now complete, the number of tourists from northern Kyushu and Honshu is expected to increase, as are transactions between businesses. With 351 km of the planned 436 km now in place between Kitakyushu and Kagoshima, the Higashi-Kyushu Expressway is 81% complete. Source: Oita Godo Shimbun, 4/22
