Most of the projects for eliminating electric poles have been done by road administrators. In such projects, underground common ducts for utility lines have been constructed mainly in urbanized and other populated areas.

Japan greatly lags other advanced countries in the undergrounding of utility lines. The Interim Report by the Committee for Examining How to Promote Utility Line Undergrounding (August 2017) says that the method using common ducts, which requires considerable time and costs for development, has limitations, and that methods other than the use of common ducts are necessary.

In the Revised Plan for the Undergrounding of Utility Lines (April 2018), the MLIT included (1) the elimination of electric poles from roads in order to foster favorable landscapes and promote tourism, (2) the undergrounding of utility lines using diverse development methods under a development system based on appropriate role-sharing by the organizations concerned, and (3) planning for the promotion of utility line undergrounding by local governments. It is estimated that planning and development projects by local governments will be increasing. To support such local governments, know-how in the selection of development methods and in the prioritization of development areas are called for.

Once developments in utility line undergrounding have progressed, equipment installed at the ground level will become necessary. Such equipment may affect landscapes and pedestrian traffic. It is also considered that such ground-level equipment may affect snow removal.

In some advanced countries, a shift from high-voltage power pylons, which affect roadside landscapes, to underground facilities has been promoted. It can be assumed that a shift from high-voltage power pylons to underground facilities will be called for in Japan, too.

This study proposes diverse methods for utility line undergrounding that are suitable for individual roadside environments and proposes appropriate role-sharing methods between road and utility administrators. We will conduct this study with the purpose of improving the way ground-level equipment affects the landscape.

All of these studies are for landscape improvements that relate to infrastructure, the creation of attractive communities, and the utilization of improved landscapes.