(How To:) Urban Expressway Type: How To: Guides | Expressway
A guide to using the local city urban expressway system.
• expressway entrance ramp
Using the Urban Expressway.
The centre of Fukuoka often gets congested and passage by car across the city is sometimes best facilitated by the raised expressway system. This connects the important areas of the city and is also linked in to the national expressway backbone. There is a flat fee of (at 3/31/2000) 550 yen for cars.
You may get on the expressway at a dozen or so entry points around the city.
• across the harbour
Drive up the ramp and pay 550 yen at the ticket barrier. You do not need to keep the ticket you are given as you will not be asked for it again.
The official maximum speed is 60kph (about 40mph) but in our experience this is honoured more in the breach than the observance.
Although signposting is bilingual it sometimes provides little notice of moves onto different expressways. In particular, traffic flow from the short entry lane into the main expressway can occasionally require a steady nerve and good acceleration. Keep your wits about you.
Offramps can be on either the left or right side, so there is not always a clearly defined "slow lane".
There are excellent view of the city from the top of the (car only) Arae bridge on the Momochi/Tenjin part of the expressway.
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How To: Guides
Expressway
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