It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.

The route connects the capitals of the three northern prefectures in the Kantō region: Maebashi, Utsunomiya, and Mito.

The section connecting Tochigi and Ibaraki Prefectures was scheduled to be completed in 2009.

[3] From Sakuragawa in western Ibaraki, the route continues towards a junction with the Jōban Expressway and runs along the southern edge of the Mito city area, where the expressway has its final terminus.

At the terminus, the Higashi-Mito Road continues towards the Pacific Ocean coastline using the same roadway.