Former JNR Shihoro Line Third Otofuke River Bridge

The Widest Span on the Line

The Former JNR Shihoro Line Third Otofuke River Bridge (旧国鉄士幌線第三音更川橋梁) is a concrete arch bridge of 1936 in Kamishihoro, Kato District, Hokkaido, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 23, 1999 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a concrete arch bridge 71 metres long overall; registration number 01-0011.

Four Arches

The Former JNR Shihoro Line Third Otofuke River Bridge crosses the Otofuke River in four arches over 71 metres. The Agency records two 10-metre arches, one 32-metre arch and a further 10-metre arch; only the 32-metre arch over the river is reinforced concrete (RC).

The Hokkaido branch of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers names the designer as Tsujiguchi Asakichi and the builder as the Kurihara company, and says the bridge had the longest span of any RC arch when it was built. It was completed in 1936, the date the Agency also gives.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency counts it among the Higashi-Taisetsu railway arch bridges and notes that it is known for the widest span of any railway concrete arch bridge built in Hokkaido before the war. It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.

Kamishihoro Town records that a project to conserve and use the bridge began in October 2009, so it has received more attention than most of the bridges the town took over.

What to Look For

The central 32-metre arch, opening wide between the smaller arches on either side, is the thing to see. Set beside the 10-metre arches, it shows plainly how the span was stretched to clear the river in one leap.

Nippon Tabi Magazine says the whole bridge can be seen downstream from the footway of the Sensui Bridge on National Route 273, with its reflection on the reservoir of the Motogoya Dam.

Visiting

Nippon Tabi Magazine says there is a roadside parking bay at the west end of the Sensui Bridge, on the Sounkyo side, and no parking at the east end, which is inside a snow shed. The deck of the railway bridge cannot be walked (Hokkaido Fan Magazine).