All snow-stuck vehicles on Kanetsu Expressway cleared after 2 days

Many people were forced to stay in their vehicles overnight as the year's most intense cold spell

Wow! That is really tough!

I hope that everyone is safe and didn't catch a cold.

Drink 熱燗 when you arrive at home to warm you up!

Kudos to all those working in abominable conditions to try and loosen the logjam.

Once the sun comes out though, this will all magically solve itself. Power of Nature vs Power of Humanity.

This will be their third night stuck in the snow.

Why in a snow storm do people think "I might go for a drive?" its a disaster waiting to happen. The clock is running on these people

It happens every year. We pay a lot of city tax for what? How about sending the 10 billion local hall workers who spend all their time in aircon offices faxing tons of paper to other office workers, to put on a snow jacket and shovel some snow?

good job JSDF though.

The Japan Sea side is very snowy and people are used to living in it and moving through it. Towns designated as very snowy get extra money off the national government, so they have all kinds of big machinery to clear the roads and do a good job of it. The record snow this week has simply overcome them. If there is any blame, it is that they did not close the highway sooner. During record snowfall, It is much better for people to be on a regular main road with connecting side roads, houses, shops etc. than a highway with no way to get off. The regular roads underneath the highway in the photo are clear and the people there will be going about their business as normal. None of them will be stuck.

Just another mismanaged situation. The Sdf should get the people out and take the keys of the vehicles. The people can wait in safe harbours ( hotels...) and get the vehicles delivered as possible

beginning of earth changes!! more and more climatic events will come. be prepared!

the earth is waking UP!

Some traffic jam, even got reported on the BBC!!

If other roads are clear, there would seem to be a problem with either the design or operation of this road. Snow in this area of Japan is hardly a new or surprising thing so this scale of problem simply should not have happened.

@kohakuebisu

You are right.

Two years ago, the same story happened on a national or départemental road in Niigata or Fukui. Previously in Hokkaido , Yamanashi.... It happens nearly every year. When the snowfall goes beyond snow removal capabilities, it is better to stay home. Even if these people are used to snow, it will always be someone being too slow, then get stranded, or stranded simply because of the snow thickness. , or the car slipping and obstructing the traffic. Others will stay in line and not moving.

I remember this happened a few years ago in Tokyo too, This truck could not move upward in a tunnel due to snow and icy road, all the cars behind kept stranded for hours and hours.

Stay Home is the only solution

What is so hard to comprehend is that fact that one can literally have the weather forecast within seconds on their hand held device, computer, tv, radio, etc.

The lack of effort to communicate is stunning.

Why in a snow storm do people think "I might go for a drive?" its a disaster waiting to happen. The clock is running on these people

since this happened mid-week, common sense tells us that the majority of people on the highway are there for work purposes, not a Sunday drive.

Storms such as this are common for Niigata Prefecture, and that suggests that the Prefecture dropped the ball on this one. They weren't prepared.

Disclaimer, I do love Japan however,

"I hardly slept, and I was worried because I had absolutely no information (about the situation),"

perhaps the worlds worst purveyors of important , timely and useful information. The chain of command is way out of its depth and dangerously focused on the wrong things.

In any other G7 country, they'd sue the tolled road company for not salting the road.

I wonder if they're even going to refund the toll?

Hmm, good time to have a Ham / Amateur Radio in your car, huh ?

Wow! That is really tough!

I hope that everyone is safe and didn't catch a cold.

Drink 熱燗 when you arrive at home to warm you up!

Unbelievably tone deaf!!!

This comes across as ridiculously flippant and suggests that you really do not understand the perilous situation these people are in. You make it sound like those stuck in this situation have been caught in a heavy downpour of rain and may be subject to ‘the sniffles.’

I've been in a similar situation back in the 大雪 big snow that hit Kanto on Valentine's day in 2014. It was on a normal road.

Traffic was backed up, everyone sitting in their cars waiting for someone else to solve their problems, snow piling up. I got out and went up the road, found a trucker asleep in his cab, the road in front of him clear. Rattled his window, eventually he got going, then the cars behind him woke up and moved. This all happened at glacial speed.

Afformentioned trucker then came to a standstill on a slight incline due to poor tyre choice, at which point the truck behind him with equally poor tyre choice tried to overtake, failed and came to a standstill.

So now both lanes blocked and nobody can move at all. An hour or so later myself and a few people who I managed to get away from their warm seats helped us to fit chains to the truckers' tyres.

The next car who tried to overtake the stricken truck also failed. So we all had to sort his problems out too. This seemed to go on ad infinitum.

Long story cut slightly less long, it took me 9 hours for a 30 minute trip. Lots of people slept in their cars on that road that night. And it was largely due to dumb people who don't read weather reports or have the right kit.

Yeah! I remember that snow! I lived north of Tokyo but stayed overnight at a hotel because I had to attend a convention that day. I have a great video on my phone of people walking around outside like giant cranes trying to get through the snow.

I think the people should try to help the workers clearing the path as much as they even though they are tired because even the workers are suffering right? Everyone drink Hot tea or milk to warm yourselves up. Stay Safe

I went to the northeast US and weather forcast was big snow.

Freeway was shut down. Good to be safe than sorry.

It is a inconvience for people to do things like that here.

Glad to hear everyone has been rescued.