Bali Government Commits To Building New Road To Tackle Canggu’s Tourist Traffic Woes

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The Badung Regency Government has confirmed that it will be constructing a new road in Canggu to help alleviate some of the tourism traffic congestion that the popular beach resort has become synonymous with. 

Speaking to reporters, the Acting Regional Secretary of Badung, Ida Bagus Surya Suamba, explained, “In 2025, a feasibility study will be made.”

The new West Gatsu Street is anticipated to help reduce traffic congestion not only in Canggu but through to Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak to the east and to the west, towards Tanah Lot. 

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Suamba explained, “The construction of West Gatsu Road through Canggu as a continuation of the primary arterial road, which is currently not properly connected. This condition causes a narrowing which causes traffic jams on the Canggu-Tanah Lot road.”

The Denpasar-Tanah Lot Highway through the Kerobokan intersection has been identified as one of the root causes of traffic congestion leading into Canggu, from the highway to the village roads.

Traffic congestion is also in serious need of attention along the Canggu Shortcut routes. 

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The traffic jams along the Canggu-Tanah Lot route are also extended along the Dalung-Abianbase route. Suamba revealed that the continuation plan of the West Gatsu-Canggu Road has been added to the Badung Regency Spatial and Regional Plan (RTRW).

He noted, “We target the land acquisition process to be carried out in 2026. So that a year later, in 2027, hopefully, the physical construction of the road can be carried out.” 

The announcement of a new major road project in Canggu comes just days after top transportation officials in Bali came together to discuss possible solutions to the issues of traffic congestion in Bali’s most popular beach resort. 

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After the meeting held on 9th January, Bali Police Traffic Director, Senior Commissioner Turmudi, told the media, “To overcome the traffic congestion problem in the Canggu area, we initiated discussions with the Badung Regency government and traditional leaders in the Canggu area.”

He explained that we had been conducting a survey for two days for engineered points. Next, the Transportation Agency and the Badung Police Traffic Unit will discuss with relevant stakeholders to determine which points.”

Adding, “Currently, what we can do is deploy a traffic jam relief team that goes around to the congestion points. We hope for support from the community so that all efforts made run well.”

The biggest issue faced by Canggu’s roads and the highways feeding into the area is the sheer volume of vehicles. Only ten years ago, much of the Canggu area was a small, traditional coastal village, and over the course of the last decade, the area has ballooned into one of the most in-demand vacation destinations in the world.

Now, construction trucks, cars, and motorcycles driven by local residents, incoming workers, and additional tourism vehicles are all struggling to navigate the narrow village streets within the relatively new resort areas. 

Traffic in Canngu during rush hour is often in complete gridlock. Journeys that would take 7-10 minutes with clear roads often take over an hour, even for those on motorcycles that can overtake standstill cars and trucks.

Traffic congestion has been cited by many disgruntled tourists as a reason not to return to Bali for another vacation. 

The new West Gatsu Road in Canggu won’t be open and useable until at least the end of 2027, meaning leaders in Bali will continue to be called upon to implement short-term solutions to help keep traffic moving and maintain a positive public image of the area. 

For tourists visiting Canggu for the first time, the traffic issue can be quite a shock to the system. The best piece of advice that anyone can share is to, as best as possible, move around the resort outside of peak travel hours in the morning and evening and leave double, if not triple, the amount of time suggested by mobile maps apps.