Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism reflects installation of remote circuit breakers in underpasses with high risk of flooding in guidelines

On the 6th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced guidelines for ``underpasses'' that pass under roads and railways across the country, which include a policy to install remote gates in areas with a particularly high risk of flooding and to impose advance traffic restrictions in the event of heavy rain above a certain level. The measures will be strengthened in response to a number of deaths caused by flooding of underpasses during the Chiba heavy rains in August.

More than 2,700 homes damaged in 17 prefectures due to series of record-breaking heavy rains, including one death - Fire and Disaster Management Agency

According to guidelines compiled for road managers such as local governments, the risk of flooding on underpasses nationwide is divided into four levels, and each road manager determines which category it falls into. Remote circuit breakers will be required to be installed in areas with "particularly high risk of flooding," where there has been damage to people or property in the past. Preventive traffic restrictions will be implemented when disaster prevention weather information equivalent to Alert Level 4 is announced or when a certain amount of rainfall in one hour, including forecasts, is announced.

It also stipulated that in the event of an abnormality in drainage equipment, etc., traffic restrictions and measures to prevent vehicles from entering the area will be taken.

At a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Tatsunori Ibayashi said, ``We will promptly take effective measures to prevent underpass flooding accidents in cooperation with related organizations.''