Akinada Tobishima Kaido
Solid blue: operational (bridges 1–7)
Dotted blue: planned (bridge 8)
Dotted red: possible extension to Omishima
The Akinada Tobishima Kaidō (安芸灘とびしま海道), officially the Akinada Islands Link Bridges (安芸灘諸島連絡架橋, Akinada-shotō-renraku-kakyō), is a road connecting Kure, Hiroshima to seven of the Geiyo Islands in the Seto Inland Sea.[1]
Route[edit]
The route spans seven bridges with a cumulative length of 5,300 m (17,400 ft), passing through the islands of Shimokamagari, Kamikamagari, Toyoshima, Ōsakishimojima, Herashima and Nakanoshima before terminating at Okamura Island.[1] The seventh of the bridges, Okamura Bridge, crosses the border from Hiroshima Prefecture to Ehime Prefecture。
An eighth bridge connecting Okamura to Ōsakikamijima is planned, but construction has not started. An alternative series of bridges to Ōmishima Island has also been proposed.
Nickname[edit]
After a public naming competition, the route was given the official nickname "Akinada Tobishima Kaidō" (lit. Akinada Island-Hopping Sea Road) in 2008.[2] The route is also unofficially known as the Ura-Shimamani Kaidō (裏しまなみ海道) after the nearby Shimanami Kaido.
Bridges[edit]
| Name | Japanese | Connecting | Opened | Length | Type | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Akinada Bridge | 安芸灘大橋 | Honshu - Shimokamagari | 18 Jan 2000 | 1175 m | Three-span, two-hinge suspension bridge | ||
| 2 | Kamagari Bridge | 蒲刈大橋 | Shimokamagari - Kamikamagari | October 1979 | 480 m | Three-span two-continuous truss bridge | ||
| 3 | Toyoshima Bridge | 豊島大橋 | Kamikamagari - Toyoshima | 18 Nov 2008 | 903 m | Single span suspension bridge | Also known as Abi Bridge (アビ大橋) | |
| 4 | Toyohama Bridge | 豊浜大橋 | Toyoshima-Osakishimojima | 30 Nov 1992 | 543 m | Three-span continuous truss bridge | ||
| 5 | Hera Bridge | 平羅橋 | Osakishimojima - Herashima | 1995 | 98.5 m | Cable-stayed bridge | Also known as the "Orange Line" (オレンジライン) | |
| 6 | Nakanoseto Bridge | 中の瀬戸大橋 | Herashima - Nakanoshima | 6 November 1998 | 251 m | Arch bridge | ||
| 7 | Okamura Bridge | 岡村大橋 | Nakanoshima - Okamura Island | 1995 | 228 m | Arch bridge | Future connection planned to Ōmishima Island | |
| 8 | （planned） | Okamura Island - Osakikamijima | - | - | - | Planning phase, no date for start of construction | ||