Repairs to a section of the Minami-Kyushu Expressway in Kumamoto Prefecture damaged by a powerful earthquake in July are expected to take at least two years, the road operator said.
The magnitude-7.1 quake damaged a joint on one of the bridge girders in Yatsushiro, creating a 1-meter height difference between sections of the road surface. West Nippon Expressway Co. said it reviewed several restoration methods before concluding that the closed section would not reopen for at least two years.
The damage is located between the Yatsushiro Junction and the Yatsushiro-Minami Exit. The July 28 earthquake left 38 people dead and damaged more than 42,000 homes.