Photo/Illutration An artist’s rendition shows how the Tokyo Expressway site will be revived following its closure. (Provided by Tokyo Kousoku Expressway Co.)

The Tokyo Expressway running around the Ginza district will be abolished on April 5 and converted into a public walkway and marathon course for the Deaflympics in November, the metropolitan government said.

The 2-kilometer-long, U-shaped highway known as the KK Route was built in 1966 by reclaiming parts of the Shiodomegawa and Kyobashigawa rivers.

The KK Route is connected to the Metropolitan Expressway, and the route’s purpose was to assist in Ginza’s recovery from the destruction of World War II and alleviate congestion around the area.

Under current plans, the Metropolitan Expressway’s Nihonbashi section between the Kandabashi Junction and the Edobashi Junction will be moved underground, leaving the KK Route without roads to connect with.

As a result, the KK Route has completed its role.

The Tokyo metropolitan government in 2019 started discussing how to use the site of the KK Route. After listening to experts’ opinions, the government decided to introduce “a public space catering mainly to pedestrians.”

The KK Route is expected to be repaved to incorporate cafes and benches for visitors. It will also be redeveloped to host recreational events.

Reconstruction of the entire KK Route is expected to be completed in the 2030s or 2040s.

“We will collaborate with communities nearby to create a vibrant atmosphere,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said about the project. “It will be revived as a space filled with attractions for pedestrians, such as a night view from a unique perspective.”

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