Overview | |
---|---|
Location | Yamanashi Prefecture |
Coordinates | 35°37′16″N 138°47′34″E / 35.62111°N 138.79278°E |
Status | Operational |
Route | Chūō Expressway |
Start | Ōtsuki, Yamanashi |
End | Kōshū, Yamanashi |
Operation | |
Opened | 1977 |
Closed | 2012-13 (temporary closure due to ceiling collapse) |
Owner | Central Nippon Expressway Company |
Traffic | Automobiles • Motorbikes |
Technical | |
Length | 4.784 kilometres (2.973 mi) (Tokyo-bound) 4.717 kilometres (2.931 mi) ( Nagoya-bound) |
No. of lanes | 2 uni-directional in each bore |
The Sasago Tunnel (笹子トンネル, Sasago Tonneru) is a twin-bore motorway tunnel on the Chūō Expressway located on the border of the cities of Kōshū and Ōtsuki in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. [1] It is located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of the capital Tokyo. [2] [3] It was built in 1977. [4]
At approximately 8 am on December 2, 2012, nearly 150 concrete ceiling panels inside the Tokyo-bound Sasago Tunnel collapsed, crushing three vehicles, including a van, carrying six persons, that caught fire. [4] [5] [6] The fallen panels were 20 centimetres (7.9 in) thick and weighed 1.2 tonnes (1.2 long tons; 1.3 short tons) each. [4] [7] The caved-in point was 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the Tokyo-side exit and spanned a length of 50 to 60 metres (160 to 200 ft). [7] Smoke could be seen billowing from the Kōshū entrance to the tunnel. [8]
Nine people died and two were injured, making it the deadliest roadway accident in Japanese history. The tunnel was closed for a period of 27 days for repairs and removal of ceiling panels, before the south tube reopened on December 29. [6] [9] The north tube, where the collapse happened, reopened on February 8, 2013. [10]
The nature of the collapse closely resembled a similar ceiling collapse in the Fort Point Channel Tunnel in Boston, Massachusetts in 2006.
Overview | |
---|---|
Location | Yamanashi Prefecture |
Coordinates | 35°37′16″N 138°47′34″E / 35.62111°N 138.79278°E |
Status | Operational |
Route | Chūō Expressway |
Start | Ōtsuki, Yamanashi |
End | Kōshū, Yamanashi |
Operation | |
Opened | 1977 |
Closed | 2012-13 (temporary closure due to ceiling collapse) |
Owner | Central Nippon Expressway Company |
Traffic | Automobiles • Motorbikes |
Technical | |
Length | 4.784 kilometres (2.973 mi) (Tokyo-bound) 4.717 kilometres (2.931 mi) ( Nagoya-bound) |
No. of lanes | 2 uni-directional in each bore |
The Sasago Tunnel (笹子トンネル, Sasago Tonneru) is a twin-bore motorway tunnel on the Chūō Expressway located on the border of the cities of Kōshū and Ōtsuki in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. [1] It is located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of the capital Tokyo. [2] [3] It was built in 1977. [4]
At approximately 8 am on December 2, 2012, nearly 150 concrete ceiling panels inside the Tokyo-bound Sasago Tunnel collapsed, crushing three vehicles, including a van, carrying six persons, that caught fire. [4] [5] [6] The fallen panels were 20 centimetres (7.9 in) thick and weighed 1.2 tonnes (1.2 long tons; 1.3 short tons) each. [4] [7] The caved-in point was 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the Tokyo-side exit and spanned a length of 50 to 60 metres (160 to 200 ft). [7] Smoke could be seen billowing from the Kōshū entrance to the tunnel. [8]
Nine people died and two were injured, making it the deadliest roadway accident in Japanese history. The tunnel was closed for a period of 27 days for repairs and removal of ceiling panels, before the south tube reopened on December 29. [6] [9] The north tube, where the collapse happened, reopened on February 8, 2013. [10]
The nature of the collapse closely resembled a similar ceiling collapse in the Fort Point Channel Tunnel in Boston, Massachusetts in 2006.