#River

Narita Airport's Further Functional Enhancement Project Vol. 1

This is the first large-scale "Further Functional Enhancement Project" for Narita Airport since 1978. For over 10 years, PACIFIC CONSULTANTS has been involved in a wide range of tasks, including environmental assessment surveys and surveys, planning, and design related to infrastructure development. Currently, more than 100 people from various technical fields, mainly from Aviation Dept., are participating in the project team. We spoke with the team's General Project Manager, Kiyotsugu Nagai, along with Naoto Futamata and Mifuyu Kurosaki from Aviation Dept., Hiroyuki Nagai from Tunnel Dept., Yoshio Namiki from the Watershed Planning Department, Tomoki Sakata from Road & Highway Dept., and Shunichiro Kaneko from Geotechnical Engineering Dept..

Former Kitakami River Estuary Restoration and Reconstruction Project

Ishinomaki City, which has long thrived as an river port centered around the former Kitakami River estuary, suffered severe damage in Great East Japan Earthquake. New embankments are essential to protect the city from Tsunamis, storm surges, and flooding. However, building new embankments in a city that has developed a unique lively atmosphere in harmony with its waterfront precisely because it lacked embankments is no easy feat. How could an embankment be constructed to protect the lives and property of residents while maintaining the close relationship between the river and their daily lives? PACIFIC CONSULTANTS was deeply involved in the restoration and reconstruction project for the former the Kitakami River estuary, a difficult challenge. Takahito AMADA from the River Structure Sec., Watershed Structure Dept., Land Infrastructure Div., and Kiyoto TSUKA from the Waterworks Sec., Hokkaido Land Infrastructure Dept., Hokkaido Branch Office who were central contributors to the project, look back on the work, which spanned more than 11 years.

PACIFIC CONSULTANTS' Naganuma Dam Project

The Hasama River, a Class A river in northern Miyagi Prefecture, frequently floods and is nicknamed the "Wild River." In 1971, a comprehensive flood control plan was drawn up to build 10 dams and one retarding basin, with Naganuma Dam, which utilizes natural lakes and marshes, at the center of the plan. However, the surrounding area is low-lying marshland with continuous soft ground. No dam had ever been built on such soft ground before. Four people who supported this difficult construction project, which lasted 40 years, from planning to completion: Tetsuo KOMORIYA, General Manager of Renewable Energy Promotion/Development Sec., River Basin Structural Dept., Land Infrastructure Div.; Takehiko HIRATSUKA in the Dams and Erosion Control Sec. of the same department; Atsushi FUNAYAMA, Geotechnical Engineering Dept. of the same division; and Ken OKAYA in the Tohoku Land Infrastructure Dept., look back on the efforts.

What is "Gun-Mane"?

The proportion of social infrastructure that has been in place for more than 50 years is rapidly expanding. However, many local governments are facing difficulties in maintaining and managing infrastructure due to a lack of personnel and funds. As a result, they are currently considering "Regional Infrastructure Group Regeneration Strategy Management (abbreviated as "Gun-Mane")," which would involve wide-area government collaboration and the efficient maintenance and management of infrastructure across multiple fields. Currently, 11 model regions across the country have been selected, and consideration is being given to their implementation. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS is actively supporting Gun-Mane, including involvement in all of these model regions. We interviewed Kojiro TODANI from the Infrastructure Management Sec.,Infrastructure Management Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div., and Shigeto TANAKA from the Infrastructure Management Sec.,Osaka Transportation Infrastructure Dept., who are spearheading the initiative, about the current state of Gun-Mane and its future prospects.

Taking Responsibility for the "Once In a Century" Shibuya Great Renovation  <Part 2>

The large-scale redevelopment of the area around Shibuya station is said to be a "once in a century" event, not because many skyscrapers will be built. It is because it is an attempt to reinvent the area into a completely new town through cooperation between the public and private sectors, moving the station, changing the flow of the river, and creating a new pedestrian network. Moreover, it is unprecedented in that it will be realized while maintaining the functions of a huge terminal. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS has been involved in this project since the early planning stages and continues to support it up to day. We talked to five people who have been central persons in the project for many years: Ryuji KOWAKI, Hisashi KUBO, Takayasu NIWA, Yoshio NAMIKI, and Terue KAMINO.

Taking Responsibility for the "Once In a Century" Shibuya Great Renovation <Part 1>

The large-scale redevelopment of the area around Shibuya station is said to be a "once in a century" event, not because many skyscrapers will be built. It is because it is an attempt to reinvent the area into a completely new town through cooperation between the public and private sectors, moving the station, changing the flow of the river, and creating a new pedestrian network. Moreover, it is unprecedented in that it will be realized while maintaining the functions of a huge terminal. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS has been involved in this project since the early planning stages and continues to support it up to day. We talked to five people who have been central persons in the project for many years: Ryuji KOWAKI, Hisashi KUBO, Takayasu NIWA, Yoshio NAMIKI, and Terue KAMINO.

Hokuriku Shinkansen Tsuruga Extension Project Vol.3 ~ Kakehashigawa Bridge ~

The Kakehashi River is a first-class river that originates at Suzugatake in Komatsu City, flows north through the mountains, enters the plains, then changes direction to the west before flowing into the Sea of Japan. The downstream area is surrounded by the Komatsu city area, making it a valuable open space and a place of relaxation for local residents, who go for walks, fishing, boating, etc. It is also in this downstream section that the Hokuriku Shinkansen crosses the Kakehashi River just before Komatsu Station, and because the river is wide, bridge piers must be built across the river channel. As well as flood control, it became more important than anything to reach an agreement with the river manager, who is promoting the development and conservation of the river environment that is loved by local residents.

What is Green Infrastructure?

The term as green infrastructure is becoming more common. Green infrastructure is the term refers to the idea and initiatives to utilize various functions and mechanisms of nature to create rich living spaces and prepare for disasters. However, the areas covered are extremely broad, ranging from urban areas to mountainous areas, and the content of the initiatives is diverse, making it not easy to get a concrete image of what it means. We interviewed Shogo OGASAWARA, Environmental Symbiosis Dept., Social Innovation Div. about what green infrastructure is and how it can be used.

Nihonbashi Shutoko Renewal Project

"Bringing the skies back to Nihonbashi!" - Going beyond the framework of infrastructure development supporting Metropolitan Expressway Nihonbashi Underground Project, we look into a strategic approach to underground construction that connects multiple technologies!