Year-End and New Year Traffic Jams on the Kyushu Expressway: Inbound Up to 25 km on January 3 (2025-26 Forecast)

This page sorts out the traffic forecast that NEXCO West Japan announced for the year-end and New Year period, for drivers using the Kyushu Expressway. The forecast for 2026-27 had not been released when this page was written on October 27, 2026. The dates and sections below come from the 2025-26 forecast (last year) and are a guide to which days and places tend to be crowded.

In short

Last year’s forecast: the Kyushu Expressway peaked on Friday, January 2 (outbound) and Saturday, January 3 (inbound), with inbound also heavy on Sunday, January 4.
Longest jam: 25 km inbound on January 3 between Kikusui IC and Kurume IC, from about 11:00 to 21:00.
Easiest day to avoid: inbound from noon to night on January 3.
ETC holiday discount: last year it did not apply on weekends and holidays from December 27 to January 12.

Checked with official pages on October 27, 2026 (Japan time). Prices and hours may change. These are forecasts for 2025-26; the 2026-27 forecast has not been released yet.

1. Last year’s forecast: the Kyushu Expressway was busy on January 2-4

In NEXCO West Japan Kyushu Branch’s forecast for last year, outbound traffic peaked on Friday, January 2 and inbound on Saturday, January 3, with the 3rd and Sunday the 4th the worst inbound. The forecast covered the 10 days from December 26, 2025 to January 4, 2026. For the whole Kyushu Branch area (including the Okinawa Expressway), 24 jams of 5 km or more were expected in both directions combined. It was announced by NEXCO West Japan Kyushu Branch on November 26, 2025 (Japanese). No jams of 5 km or more were forecast for December 30 or January 1.

The longest jam was inbound on January 3: up to 25 km between Kikusui IC and Kurume IC, with the head of the queue near Hirokawa IC. It was expected to last from about 11:00 to 21:00, peaking around 16:00. A section that normally takes 15 minutes was forecast to take 1 hour 15 minutes.

NEXCO West Japan: Year-end and New Year traffic forecast for FY2025 (Kyushu area)

2. Main jams by day (Kyushu Expressway, last year’s forecast)

Day and direction	Section (head of the jam)	Time and maximum length	Travel time through the section
Dec 27 (Sat) and 28 (Sun), outbound	Fukuoka IC to Chikushino IC (near Dazaifu IC)	10:00-12:00 10 km	6 min to 30 min
Dec 31 (Wed), outbound	Chikushino IC to Tosu JCT	12:00-14:00 5 km	3 min to 15 min
Jan 2 (Fri), outbound	Sue Smart IC to Chikushino IC (near Dazaifu IC)	10:00-13:00 10 km	6 min to 30 min
Jan 2 (Fri), outbound	Dazaifu IC to Tosu JCT (just past Kiyama PA)	12:00-14:00 10 km	6 min to 30 min
Jan 2 (Fri), inbound	Kurume IC to Chikushino IC (just past Kiyama PA)	15:00-22:00 10 km	6 min to 30 min
Jan 3 (Sat), inbound	Kikusui IC to Kurume IC (near Hirokawa IC)	11:00-21:00 25 km	15 min to 1 hr 15 min
Jan 3 (Sat), inbound	Kurume IC to Chikushino IC (just past Kiyama PA)	12:00-21:00 10 km	6 min to 30 min
Jan 3 (Sat), inbound	Fukuoka IC to Wakamiya IC (near Koga SA)	14:00-18:00 10 km	6 min to 30 min
Jan 4 (Sun), inbound	Kurume IC to Dazaifu IC	12:00-20:00 20 km	12 min to 1 hr
Jan 4 (Sun), inbound	Nankan IC to Hirokawa IC (just past Yame IC)	15:00-18:00 10 km	6 min to 30 min

Besides the table, the forecast also lists inbound on Friday, December 26 (10 km between Kurume IC and Chikushino IC, 16:00-20:00), outbound on Monday, December 29 (Kurate IC to Miyata Smart IC, and Kurume IC to Hirokawa IC), and inbound Chikugo-Ogori IC to Tosu JCT (5 km) on January 2, 3 and 4. The full list is in NEXCO West Japan Kyushu Branch’s traffic forecast table (PDF, Japanese). The same list notes that on some days jams on the Kyushu Expressway extend onto the Oita and Nagasaki Expressways.

3. How to avoid the jams: NEXCO West Japan’s requests

The clearest way to avoid them is to skip the inbound lanes from noon to night on January 3. Outbound, the area near Dazaifu IC is crowded from morning to noon. Inbound, Kurume IC to Chikushino IC is crowded in the evening. The announcement asks drivers to avoid the busy days and peak hours and to shift their departure time. It also asks drivers to keep a steady speed, keep a safe distance and not crowd into the passing lane. On the outbound Kyushu Expressway at Dazaifu IC, drivers are asked to stay in the first driving lane for a while after merging.

4. Days when the ETC holiday discount does not apply

Last year, the ETC holiday discount did not apply on weekends and holidays from Saturday, December 27 to Monday, January 12 (a national holiday). For the 2026-27 dates, check the same page when the announcement is made.

5. Where to check on the day

When NEXCO West Japan announces the 2026-27 forecast, this page will be updated with its dates and sections. Last year the announcement came on November 26. Use these three sources.