Japan National Route 280
National Route 280 (国道280号, Kokudō Nihyaku hachi-jugō) is a national highway of Japan that traverses the prefectures, Aomori and Hokkaido as well as the Tsugaru Strait that separates them. It currently is made up of two sections that travel 150.7 kilometres (93.6 mi) from Aomori, north across the Tsugaru Peninsula to Sotogahama where the first section ends at the site of a former ferry to across the Tsugaru Strait to the town, Fukushima. The other section begins at the corresponding former ferry terminal in Fukushima. The road then travels alongside the southern coast of Hokkaido concurrently with National Route 228 to Hakodate where the route meets its northern terminus.
National Route 280 | ||||
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| 国道280号 | ||||
Japan National Route 280 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Length | 171.7 km (106.7 mi) Distance does not include the defunct Minmaya-Fukushima ferry route, but does include bypasses signed with the same route number | |||
| Existed | 1 April 1970–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| North end | National Route 5 in Hakodate, Hokkaido | |||
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| South end | National Route 7 in Aomori, Aomori | |||
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| Country | Japan | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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National Route 280's path across Aomori and Hokkaido follows one of the oldest roads in northern Japan, the Matsumaedō. It was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu for government officials traveling through the area as a branch of the Edo Five Routes and it had some defensive importance to the Japanese who feared a Russian incursion into Ezo, which was ruled by the Matsumae clan.