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NEXCO EAST Tohoku Regional Head Office (Miyagino-ku, Sendai City) is on the Expressway in the Tohoku region during the year-end and New Year period [8 days from December 28, 2020 (Wednesday) to January 4, 2020 (Wednesday)] Congestion forecast due to traffic concentration was compiled.

1. 1. Congestion forecast

Although there will be a concentration of traffic on the Expressway in the Tohoku region with customers spending the year-end and New Year holidays in their hometowns, we do not anticipate congestion of 5 km or more due to the concentration of traffic. Traffic is expected to peak on December 29 (Thursday) for the Out-bound direction and January 3 (Tue) for the In-bound direction.
In addition, traffic jams caused by accidents occur every year. When you depart, please be sure to use winter equipment such as winter tires and drive safely, and make a comfortable travel plan using information such as Expressway information before departure.

2. When using the Expressway in winter

• Before departure, please check the latest snow forecasts and snowy road live cameras on the Expressway traffic information site "DraTra", LINE, Twitter, etc.
• The rest facilities during the year-end and New Year holidays are expected to be crowded, so please refuel and toilet as soon as possible.
  Also, please park in a designated space so that large vehicles can be used easily.
• If the car stops due to an accident or breakdown at Expressway, do not stand on the road, stay in the car, and immediately evacuate to a safe place such as outside the guardrail.

≪Application of ETC holiday discount≫
　Holiday discounts do not apply on December 31st (Sat) and January 1st (Sun) to 3rd (Tue).

3. Rest facilities that require attention to congestion

During the year-end and New Year holidays, rest facilities in the Tohoku region are crowded with customers who use the Expressway to return to their hometowns, etc., and congestion occurs every year.
As a measure against congestion, some rest facilities will have parking lot sorters. At the same time, we will intensively secure large-sized vehicle parking spaces so that large-sized vehicles can easily use them. From night to morning, there are rest facilities that do not have parking lot control staff, so please park in the designated spaces so that large vehicles can be easily used.

• “SA” stands for service area and “PA” stands for parking area.

≪Reference≫ Congestion measures at rest facilities, etc.

Four. Request from NEXCO EAST Tohoku Regional Head Office

~ Before departure ~

• Be prepared and have your car winter-equipped
  Accidents are more likely to occur on Expressway in winter. Before departure, please make sure that you have winter equipment such as winter tires. (Refer to Attachment 1 [PDF: 341KB])
• Please plan your trip with plenty of room
  Utilize traffic congestion prediction information, and when using the Expressway, try to avoid traffic congestion by staggering the days and times when traffic congestion is expected to occur, and depart with a relaxed travel plan. Also, please check the latest road traffic information on the Expressway information site "DraTra" just before departure.
  Please finish​ ​refueling, quick charging, and using the toilet as early as possible before using the Expressway or at the SA / PA located in front of the congested area.
• Please prevent troubles such as car breakdowns and cargo falling.
  Before using the Expressway, please check the remaining amount of gasoline and tire pressure in advance to prevent trouble on the Expressway. Also, to prevent falling objects, please check that your luggage is fixed before departure.

~ On the Expressway ~

• Wear seat belts even in the back seat
  Expressway, including rear seats Wear seat belts in all seats Is required by law.
  Please be sure to wear it.
• Running backwards is a life-threatening act
  Expressway can only go in designated directions. Please check the direction of travel with information signs and road markings before driving. (Refer to Attachment 2 [PDF: 275KB])
• Take proper breaks and drive safely
  Fatigue tends to build up when driving at night or for long periods of time. In order to prevent accidents caused by falling asleep, etc., please use SA/PA to take appropriate breaks and drive safely.
• Appropriate use of parking spaces
  As a measure against congestion, we will allocate parking lot sorters and strive to ensure that customers can use the parking space appropriately. In addition, please park in the designated space so that large vehicles can easily use it. (Refer to Attachment 3 [PDF: 108KB])

-To avoid an accident-If an accident occurs-

(Refer to Attachment 4 [PDF: 331KB])

• Signal a following vehicle
  Within traffic jam section In Prevents rear-end collisions In order to do so, if you see a traffic jam ahead, Turn on the hazard lamp Please cooperate and signal the following vehicle.
• Never walk around and evacuate to a safe place
  In the unlikely event of an accident or breakdown, turn on the hazard lamps, install the flares and warning triangles, and immediately evacuate the driver and passengers to a safe place such as outside the guardrail. After that, please call 110 or an emergency call.
• If you discover an abnormality or emergency on the road
  Abnormalities on the road I found a falling object If the road emergency dial "# 9910" Please contact us.

Five. Providing traffic jam information, etc.

For safe and comfortable driving on Expressway, you can easily obtain the latest Expressway information (congestion conditions, road surface conditions, road conditions, etc.) on your computer or mobile phone. Please use it before departure.

• The use of mobile phones and smartphones while driving is prohibited. When using it, please operate it before departure, during breaks, or by a passenger.

Traffic jam prediction information

• Guidance of traffic congestion period special site
  NEXCO EAST 's website for customers "DraPla" has a traffic jam forecast guide, and traffic jam forecasters explain how to avoid traffic jams in videos.
  Please check the congestion forecast and avoid the busy days and times to prevent the Large of the new coronavirus infection.

Special site for traffic congestion period

Expressway information such as traffic congestion

• Drive Traffic (DraTra)
  You can check road traffic information such as real-time congestion information, road closure information, and regulation information.
• Road Traffic Information Now! !
  * (Public interest incorporated foundation) Japan Road Traffic Information Center HP
• Snow road information provision by LINE
  (Refer to Attachment 5 [PDF: 325KB])
  The LINE official account "NEXCO EAST" distributes information on snowy roads on Expressway. To register as a friend, please read the two-dimensional code below or enter @e_nexco in the ID search.

  

• NEXCO東日本お客さまセンター
  0570-024-024　または　03-5308-2424
  ※24時間365日オペレーターが対応します。
• （公財）日本道路交通情報センター
  050-3369-6666（全国共通ダイヤル）
• Other
  Major SA / PAs in the Tohoku region broadcast useful information for driving, such as weather forecasts and points to note when driving, on the "Driving Weather Channel."

• Traffic conditions may change significantly due to accidents or weather conditions, so please check the latest road traffic information on "DraTra" before departure.