#Road

What civil engineering technologies are essential for lunar activities?

Lunar exploration activities are becoming more active in various countries, including China and India, centered around the US-led Artemis program. In Japan, various initiatives are underway through collaboration among industry, academia, and government, including participation in the Artemis program. Pacific Consultants has also formed a project team to work on technological development related to the construction of lunar infrastructure. We interviewed seven key members of the project about infrastructure construction on the Moon: Kenichiro MIYASHITA of Ports and Harbors Design Sec., Ports and Harbors Dept., Land Infrastructure Div.; Takahiro YAMAMOTO of Geotechnical Engineering Dept., Land Infrastructure Div.; Tomoki SAKATA of Road & Highway Project Sec., Road & Highway Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div.; Shu NISHIMURA of Road & Highway Promotion Sec., Road & Highway Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div.; Hirohito MIZUSHIMA of the Road & Highway Sec., Transportation Infrastructure Dept., Hokkaido Branch Office; and Kenichi SAKAI and Taro KADOKURA of Area Value Creation Sec., Integrated Project Dept., Social Innovation Div.

What is Electric Micromobility?

In urban areas and tourist destinations, more and more people are casually sharing and using electric-assist bicycles and electric scooters. Electric micro-mobility, which allows people to travel short distances on their chosen routes at their preferred time, is gaining attention not only as a tourist option but also as a new means of transportation in cities facing population decline and aging, where compactness is increasingly demanded. We spoke with Tomohiro IWAKAMI from Transportation Planning Dept., Social Innovation Div., and Shogo NAGAO from Urban Management Sec.

The Utsunomiya LRT, Supporting the Compact City Concept, is Running Smoothly

On August 26, 2023, the Light Rail Transit (LRT) "Light Line" opened in Utsunomiya City, marking the first LRT in Japan in 75 years and the first new LRT in the country as it is not an extension or improvement of an existing line. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS participated in the introduction of this LRT, which is expected to play a major role in the next generation of public transportation networks, as a member of the joint venture. They were mainly responsible for the design of sections that were considered difficult to construct on the new line, such as the improvement of the Minemachi Overpass and the Kinu River Bridge. Bunya IKEHATA from the Transportation Infrastructure Div., Osaka Headquarters, who led the project, and Takenori MIKAWA from Railway Planning Sec., Railway Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div., reflected on the project.

Why Bicycles Now?

Bicycles have many advantages, including being easily accessible to many people, emitting no carbon dioxide, contributing to health promotion, and helping to maintain transportation functions during disasters. Promoting their use will play a major role in realizing a sustainable society. We talked to Takashi KURISU, Chief Consultant of the Transportation Planning Promotion Sec., Transportation Planning Dept. Social Innovation Div., PACIFIC CONSULTANTS, and Yu MASUIKE from the same section, who are involved in supporting the formulation of the national "The Third Bicycle Utilization Plan" and in the planning of bicycle utilization policies for many local governments.

What is LRT?

2026.07.01 #Mobility #Road #Railway Attention is growing on the next-generation light rail transit (LRT) system. In August 2023, a new line opened in Utsunomiya City, the first in 75 years. What kind of new urban transportation system is this, which also plays an important role in urban development known as compact cities, and what points should be considered when planning its introduction? We talked to Bunya IKEHATA, General Manager of the Transportation Infrastructure Dept., Osaka Headquarters who is centrally involved in LRT introduction projects, and Takenori MIKAWA, General Manager of Railway Planning Sec., Railway Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div. of PACIFIC CONSULTANTS to find out.

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..

Working as a Private Sector's Engineers Team to Quickly Complete the "Kamaishi-Yamada Road"

The Sanriku Coastal Road (Sanriku Road), which runs along the coast of the Tohoku region and connects Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, and Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture, had been under construction before the earthquake, but only a portion of it was open. National Route 45, which also runs along the coast, suffered extensive damage in various parts from the Tsunami. The early reopening of the Sanriku Road was essential for the restoration from the earthquake. In order to advance this project at the exceptional speed of approximately 10 years, the government introduced a PPP to expedite the project, a first in the country. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS was awarded the contract for this work in the Kamaishi-Yamada construction section, making a significant contribution to the early completion of the road. Four people who played a central role in the project - Amane TOMATSU from the Structural Sec., Tohoku Transportation Infrastructure Dept. of the Tohoku Branch Office, Osamu YAMAKAGE, Masato SHIRAISHI, and Tomohiro OYAMA from the Roads Sec. of the same department - look back on that time.

What is a Vehicle-Infrastructure Integration (VII) System?

Efforts are underway to realize Level 4 autonomous driving. As navigating intersections on public roads is a major challenge, the development of a Vehicle-Infrastructure Integration (VII) through road infrastructure development has been considered, and demonstration experiment have been carried out in various locations. From next fiscal year, the launch of technical standards and guidelines will finally begin, and the system will enter the widespread adoption phase. We talked to Naoki FUNAOKA from the Transportation Planning Dept., Social Innovation Div., Akira MITSUYASU from the Mobility DX Sec., DX Business Promotion Dept., Digital Service Div., Ryotaro TOMINAGA from the Transportation Strategy Sec., Social Innovation Div. of Chubu, and Daichi NAKAYAMA from the Transportation Policy Sec., Social Innovation Div. of Hokkaido, PACIFIC CONSULTANTS, who have all conducted numerous demonstration experiments tailored to local traffic conditions, about the current state and challenges of road-vehicle collaborative systems.

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.

What does Carbon Neutrality for Roads mean?

Extreme weather events such as heat waves, torrential rains, and forest fires are causing increasingly frequent and severe disasters that threaten people's lives around the world. To halt the progression of global warming, which is the cause of these disasters, the steady implementation of measures toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 is essential. Efforts are also being made urgently in the road sector, which accounts for approximately 18% of Japan's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The government included "promotion of road decarbonization" in the revised Road Act, which was enacted in April 2025. What will be required of road managers in the future? We spoke with four people: Hiroyuki WADA, General Manager of the Transportation Infrastructure Div. Transportation Planning Dept., Social Innovation Div.; Sayo SAITO, Urban Mobility Sec., the same department; Nobuo TAKAHASHIi, Road Promotion Office, Road & Highway Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Business Headquarters; and Naohiro UCHIYAMA, Urban & Disaster Prevention DX Office, Osaka Digital Services Business Department, Osaka Osaka Headquarters.

What is a Autonomous Driving Bus?

Route buses are essential public transportation that anyone can use easily. However, an increasing number of routes are being forced to reduce or discontinue service due to decreasing users and a lack of drivers, making stable continuity a major issue. This is where expectations are rising for autonomous driving buses. While a field demonstration experiment and demonstration runs are underway across the country, challenges are also emerging. We interviewed three people who have been involved in the development of autonomous driving systems and supporting the introduction of autonomous driving buses for a long time, including Akira MITSUYASU and Kai KOMORI from the Mobility DX Sec., DX Business Promotion Dept., and Ken WATANABE from Urban Management Sec., Transportation Planning Dept., about the current state of the introduction of autonomous driving buses, the steps involved, and points to be aware of.

<Pakistan, Punjab Province> Project for Improving Rural Road Network Maintenance Capacity

Punjab province, the most populous province in Pakistan, is said to have a total of 87,700 km of local roads within the province. However, maintenance was a major issue due to a lack of human resources and skills, as well as an underdeveloped database system. At the request of the Punjab provincial government, a JICA technical cooperation project was implemented, and PACIFIC CONSULTANTS participated as the prime company of a joint venture consisting of three companies. Shintaro Muto of Global Company International Infrastructure Development Department was appointed as Deputy Chief Engineer Consultant.

Sanjo City's Comprehensive Private Sector Outsourcing Project

Sanjo City, which has been actively promoting comprehensive private sector outsourcing for infrastructure maintenance and management, began Phase III (5-year) of outsourcing in the spring of 2024. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS has been participating as a member of the joint venture (JV) that will receive comprehensive outsourcing since Phase II (April 2019 - March 2024), which precedes this. This is the first time for a construction consultant in the country to do so. Why did the local construction companies join a mainly made up JV, and what kind of results produced? Nobutaka INAMITSU, General Manager of the Spatial Creation Sect. of Infrastructure Management Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div. who is at the center of the initiative, along with Ryo NAKAI and Masahiro MATSUOKA from the same section, explain the story.

What is Comprehensive Entrustment of Infrastructure to Private Sector?

How to protect infrastructure such as roads with limited personnel and budgets is a major issue for local governments. One promising method that is garnering attention is "Comprehensive Entrustment to Private Sector." We spoke with three people from PACIFIC CONSULTANTS who have pioneered this field and have achieved many successes: Nobutaka INAMITSU of the Spatial Creation Section, Infrastructure Management Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div.; Kazuya MURAMATSU of the Infrastructure PPP Section, PPP Management Dept., Social Innovation Div.; and Shigeto TANAKA of the Infrastructure Management Section, Transportation Infrastructure Dept., Osaka Headquarters.

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!