Tokushima: Construction of Cycling Road Has Begun on Onaruto Bridge; Will Use Space Once Meant For Shikoku Shinkansen

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:32 JST, August 10, 2024

NARUTO, Tokushima — Construction has begun on a cycling road on the 1.6-kilometer-long Onaruto Bridge connecting Shikoku and Awaji Island. The road will offer a panoramic view of the Naruto Strait, famous for whirlpools, and is scheduled to be completed in fiscal 2027.

A vacant space had been created on the Onaruto Bridge in anticipation of the development of the Shikoku Shinkansen, which was to connect Honshu and Kyushu with Shikoku. However, the Shinkansen idea faced profitability issues and never came to fruition, so the idea of putting in a cycling road instead was floated around 2017.

Like the Shimanami Kaido cycling road which connects Hiroshima and Ehime prefectures, the road is expected to stimulate regional development through cycle tourism, which has been booming in recent years.

The new road will have a maximum width of four meters, including both the road itself and a sidewalk. Both sides of the road will be covered with a mesh fence to allow for a better view. The Hyogo Prefectural government will contribute ¥3 billion and the Tokushima Prefectural government ¥2.8 billion to meet construction costs.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the cycling road was held in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, on July 22, attended by the governors of Hyogo and Tokushima prefectures. Although the Shikoku Shinkansen is not currently expected to be built, the Tokushima prefectural government will remove the cycling road if plans change.