It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).

"[2] The expressway is incomplete in many areas, however it is planned to eventually be a continuous route spanning northern Fukushima, Yamagata, and southern Akita prefectures.

[3][4] The route of the expressway parallels the Ōu Main Line of East Japan Railway Company for most of its length.

After 1984, the roads along this section were sporadically constructed, but in 1987, the Cabinet decided that they would be developed together as the Tohoku Chuo Expressway from Soma, Fukushima to Yokote, Akita.

[6] MLIT began construction on the last gap of the road on 30 March 2018, a 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long section in Kaneyama, Yamagata.