A STUDY ON PLANNING A LOCAL TOTAL ROAD INFORMATION SYSTEM

The Shiozawa/Yuzawa area is located between the Gunma and Niigata prefectural boundary, and has one of the heaviest snowfalls in the world with the heaviest accumulated snowfall of 33m being recorded in 1944. In the Shiozawa-Yuzawa area, which is a popular sightseeing location in Japan, there are 20 ski slopes and several hot spring bath resorts. Around 7 million tourists visited this area to ski in 1999, with 80% of those coming from the Tokyo area, where there is no snow in winter. The Kan'etsu Expressway and National route 17, which pass through this area, are two of the main routes that connect the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Japan seaside cities. However, during the winter season, there are problems relating to traffic congestion due to the high concentration of skiers and adverse weather conditions. The weather conditions along these two roads change drastically on either sided of the Mikuni mountain pass. Therefore, in order to maintain these roads in winter, collecting information to grasp precise road conditions and offering advice to facilitate safe transport is indispensable. In this thesis, it is reported that a system is being developed to exchange and efficiently share information needed for road maintenance between road managers or related organizations through the Internet. This system may contribute to promote efficiency in road management. The system also offers information access for road users through personal computers and mobile phones.