Okinawa Expressway goes toll-free June 28

  • Published
  • By 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Travelers on Okinawa's Expressway will have a little more money in their pockets starting June 28 when the requirement to pay tolls is eliminated.

According to Nihon Expressway Company Okinawa Branch, the toll-free expressway is a pilot program for that will run until March 31, 2011.

Although the expressway will now be free, drivers will still need to pick up and return a ticket at the entrance/exit gates so that traffic volume can be measured.

Vehicles with electronic toll collection system (ETC) are required to have the ETC card inserted when going through the gates which is the same as the current toll system.

The Okinawa Expressway runs from Naha in the south to Kyoda in the north and has traditionally charged a toll based on the distance traveled on the roadway.

The Road Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Tourism will evaluate the results of the pilot program and make a decision on whether to continue the toll free expressway or reinstitute tolls.

For more information, call the Security Forces liaison office at 634-2239 or visit http://www.w-nexco.co.jp.