Snow removal work has begun on the tourist road "Zao Echo Line" that connects Miyagi and Yamagata prefectures, which are closed during the winter.
The Zao Echo Line is closed from November to April of the following year due to the effects of snow and road surface freezing on the 16.5 km section connecting Zao Town in Miyagi Prefecture and Kaminoyama City in Yamagata Prefecture.
On the Miyagi prefecture side, snow removal work began at 9 am on the 8th at a gate near an altitude of 1000 meters, and six heavy machines and snowplows were used to remove the snow that had accumulated during the winter on the side of the road.
According to the management company, the snowfall near the summit is about 11 meters this season because it started to snow early in winter, which is more than 2 meters more than last year.
Noboru Sakaguchi, the management company, said, "It will take longer to remove snow because there is more snow than usual, but I want to make a clean snow wall and work safely."
Snow removal work on the Zao Echo Line is proceeding at a pace of about 300 to 500 meters a day, and is scheduled to open at 11:00 am on the 22nd of next month.