e) Local development plans

As part of the development plan related to the preservation of the three nominated properties, there is a plan to construct a new national highway route, the Tokai Hokuriku Jidosha-Do. This highway was planned by the national government and approved by the national council, designed to connect Ichinomiya City in Aichi Prefecture with Oyabe City in Toyama Prefecture. The total length is 185 kilometers, with a width of 20 meters with four traffic lanes. The basic plan of the section of the roadway which affects the designated districts was designed in 1973; this section will pass about 500 meters to the west of Ogimachi Village, and will run about 700 meters to the west of Suganuma Village. The environmental impact assessment of this highway construction project has been done in relation to air and water pollution, noise, and the impact on wildlife and the scenic landscape; as a result of this assessment, the most serious impact was judged to be the detrimental effect on the scenic landscape of the Ogimachi district. As a counter-measure, plantings have been planned along the roadside and the embankments, and the design of the forms and colors of bridges will be controlled to protect the view of the landscape from Ogimachi Village. There are no other development plans which are expected to have a negative impact on the historic environment of the nominated properties. Additional Reference Materials 5 : Planning for the national highway "Tokai-Hokuriku Jidosha-do" and the environmental impact assessment reports 5-1. Planning Map of the National Highway "Tokai-Hokuriku Jidosha-do" 5-2. Environmental Impact Assessment Report: Roadway Route from Shokawa-Mura to Shirakawa-Mura (outline) 5-3. Environmental Impact Assessment Report: Roadway Route from Shokawa-Mura to Shirakawa-Mura (extract of full report) 5-4. Environmental Impact Assessment Report: Roadway Route from Kamitaka-Mura to Fukumitsu-Machi (outline) 5-5. Environmental Impact Assessment Report: Roadway Route from Kamitaka-Mura to Fukumitsu-Machi (extract of full report)