nuclear-news

Japan highway to open near Fukushima, with no exits allowed

Highway to Open Near Fukushima Nuclear Plant; No Exits Allowed  http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/02/19/highway-to-open-near-fukushima-nuclear-plant-no-exits-allowed/East Nippon Expressway Co. said it will open the complete Joban Expressway on March 1. The highway, most sections of which were already in operation, runs northeast from Saitama prefecture north of Tokyo through the Tohoku region in northern Japan. The final portion to be finished will pass through the towns of Okuma and Futaba in Fukushima prefecture where the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is located.

Here are five numbers to know about the Joban Expressway.

14.3 Kilometers

Completion of the expressway was substantially delayed by the nuclear accident triggered by the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. The final section is located between the Joban Tomioka interchange and Namie interchange, and is 14.3 kilometers (about nine miles)long. The entire Joban Expressway is approximately 300 kilometers.

Six Kilometers

The closest the expressway gets to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is approximately six kilometers. While drivers can ride on the expressway without any special permit, they are not allowed to make detours or get off the road.

Six Radiation Counters

According to a spokesman at East Nippon Expressway Co., there are six radiation counters set up outdoors alongside the road in the 14.3 kilometer section. On Tuesday, the counters showed 5.5 microsieverts per hour. Radiation exposure during a commercial flight between Frankfurt and Singapore is 39 microsieverts, according to the Australian nuclear safety agency.

0.2 Microsieverts

According to a test conducted by the government, a driver inside a car traveling at 70 kilometers per hour would be exposed to 0.2 microsieverts of radiation during a one-way trip on the 14.3 kilometer section. That’s about 1/300 of the radiation exposure during a chest X-ray, the government said.

15 Centimeters

Special measures were taken to decrease the level of radiation in the 14.3 kilometer section. For example, slopes around the expressway and the shoulder of the road have been paved with additional thickness to about 15 centimeters to prevent any seeping of contaminated soil or water from the ground.

February 20, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, safety