Comments on: Kyoto’s Road to Nowhere

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 01:39:17 +0000

Japan is famous for its overbuilt infrastructure. Basically, the government doesn’t know how to stimulate the economy, except by building infrastructure. So they just keep building infrastructure. Even when it’s already overbuilt, they continue to build more and more.

The planners are basically in the situation of having to come up with places to spend money, even when there’s no need for it. Bridges and tunnels are good ways to “absorb” excess money, because of their extreme cost.

By: Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 11:09:03 +0000

I have never seen anything like this before. Surely, the planners got fired for coming up with this costly mistake.

By: Ernie

Ernie — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:14:05 +0000

I’m surprised no one has mentioned this yet, but I find myself thinking of some of those Wile E. Coyote vs. Roadrunner cartoons, where Wile E. paints a tunnel where a road dead ends along a cliff and Roadrunner runs into it as if it really there, and then a truck comes out of it and runs over Wile E. He then tries to run into the painting, only it turns out to really be a cliff for him. LOL

By: Rui Brito

Rui Brito — Sat, 10 May 2008 04:56:34 +0000

hmm, let's see, shortening the distance between 2 points, allowing less time wasted in the travel process... Which part exactly doesn't make sense here? You're joking, right? Spending millions of dollars to shorten a pleasant drive by 30 seconds for a few dozen cars a day? What part does make sense here???? Are you a politician, or something? —Jeffrey

By: Teresa Heffernan

Teresa Heffernan — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:53:03 +0000

Dear Jeffrey,

I am an English professor and have a book coming out called Post Apocalyptic Culture with the University of Toronto press. I really like your bridge to nowhere photos, and I am wondering if you would let me use one of them for the cover? (you would be fully acknowledged of course). I am sending a couple of ideas on to the publisher later this week, so let me know if this might be possible. Thank you. Best, Teresa

By: Guillaume

Guillaume — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 09:03:07 +0000

LDP’s pork barrel politics are famous… A way for local politicians to buy the support of affiliated local contruction companies (most of them are also linked with yakuza)…

By: warren

warren — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:43:54 +0000

Careful review of map gives a posible hint that there will be another tunnel strait ahead

By: Julia

Julia — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 08:59:24 +0000

Nice find! Reminds me of our mountain areas up here in Iwate, where many such shortenings are built in places where they don’t seem very necessary, and lots of incredibly wide roads lead to incredibly small villages.

Welcome to Japan, as you said.

By: Derek

Derek — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 04:24:46 +0000

I was less concerned about hairpins in the ROAD as I was about hairpins in the RIVER.

Hairpins in a RIVER are recipes for erosion issues, and considering that the road at that point seems to be nearly right above it (or at the very least, in the area that would be being eroded away), it might be a proactive measure to prevent the road from being wiped when that bend finally wears that road away. Now that’s not the tightest river-bend I’ve ever seen, but judging from the photos, it looks like it’s the kind of river that sees some significant increase in flow during thaw-season.

I see. I suppose that could be… I’ll have to check it out next time I go. I’ll be sad when they put the tunnel in, though, because I think a bridge deadending into a solid rock face is sort of cool —Jeffrey

By: Grandma Friedl

Grandma Friedl — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 14:30:22 +0000

A possible third opinion might be that building the roads first allows much more convenient access to removing the earth from the tunnel and adding shoring as it is dug. It seems that some sort of access road would be needed even to begin construction, so instead of building both a tempory and a permanent road, they let one suffice,thus saving money in the long run. However, that doesn’t seem to be how government works as a rule, so Derek and Dan probably are both right.
Did enjoy the photos as usual, Jeff

Certainly, if you’re going to build a tunnel here, it makes sense to build the bridges first so that you have easy access. The question I raise is why do any of this? Mostly, though, I posted this because the bridge leading into a sold rock face makes for a surreal sight….—Jeffrey