A project that would see the construction of a network of high-tech, automated conveyor belts for transporting goods more than 500 km between Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, has been proposed as a solution to a pending cargo logistics crisis.

The so-called Autoflow Road, which is being proposed by a panel from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, would be composed of a network of massive conveyor belts that would flow through tunnels underneath major highways and on above-ground tracks, linking Japan’s two largest cities.

To accomplish this, the team expects to leverage existing high-capacity conveyor belt systems — including the 23 km conveyor belt at Torigatayama limestone mine in Kochi prefecture, or the 100 km conveyor system used that transports phosphate from a remote mine in the Western Sahara.

The ministry believes that pallets capable of holding up to 1 tonne of cargo will travel along the conveyor belts that will operate 24 hours a day, potentially delivering the same amount of freight as 25,000 drivers per day would.

“Automated logistics roads are designed to get the most out of road space by utilizing hard shoulders, median strips [central reservations] and tunnels beneath the roadway. Our study is examining the impact on road traffic, including on surrounding roads, and costs,” the ministry explained.

In addition to addressing the looming logistics crisis as well as global labor shortages, the proposed Autoflow-Road promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.