First Toll Road of Bali
Bali’s Brand-new toll road is ready for action after a grand consecration ceremony on Wednesday (7/10/2013). This new highway stretches 12.7 km and connects Benoa Harbor, Ngurah Rai International Airport and Nusa Dua area. The toll road is constructed under a public-private partnership involving seven state-owned enterprises and a capital share from the provincial administration and Badung administration, the toll road is part of an expensive infrastructure overhaul designed for completion ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in early October. Around 21 heads of state are expected to attend the summit. The toll road is Bali’s latest attempt to ease congestion in the south of Bali.
The toll road has a long history, many plans to ease congestion in southern Bali had been rejected, for religious and cultural reasons. In 2010, the idea to construct a road along the coastal shoreline was finally agreed as congestion was worsening. A survey conducted by the Bali Tourism Agency several years ago also revealed that most tourists complained about congestion, as well as trash and poor services at Bali’s airport.
The construction of the road has been completed but it will take some weeks to conduct trial operations before the official inauguration in August by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Many people are eager to use it, particularly those working in Nusa Dua and the surrounding area. Motorists passing the road stopped just to ask the worker when the toll road would open.