Tokyo Wan Aqua-Line Expressway

March 2019.

Members of the School of Architecture of Universidad Panamericana campus Aguascalientes visited this impressive infrastructure guided by Mr. Keita Kasahara, director of Future House Lab Japan. The Tokyo Wan Aqua-Line Expressway.

During the trip, we were able to discover this magnificent construction with 23.7 km of length that cost 11,077 million dollar.

This marvel of engineering was opened on December 18^th 1997 to connect the cities of Kawasaki in the Kanagawa prefecture with Kisarazu in the Chiba prefecture.

It includes a submarine tunnel and a bridge. In the connection of both, the Japanese built an artificial island called Umihotaru, where the visitor can park to rest, see the amazing view, eat and do some shopping as well.

From the Umihotaru island it is possible to see the cities of Tokyo, Yokohama, Kawasaki and Kisarazu in the side of Chiba prefecture, and during a clear day, you could even observe the Fuji volcano and Tsukuba mountain.

The Aqua-Line Tokyo tunnel includes another artificial island, built for means of ventilation inside the tunnel, it is called the air tower or Kaze no Too.

A marvel of infrastructure built in the last century not so well known in the western hemisphere.

If there is interest to visit in a tour, Umihotaru Island offers one option at a low price, check here.