New Toll Road Proposed To Connect Iconic Bali Tourism Destinations With Emerging Vacation Hotspots

Share The Article

Bali is struggling to cope with increased road traffic.

From Denpasar to Gilimanuk, from Uluwatu to Ubud, for tourists visiting Bali, traffic congestion can often feel like an unavoidable reality. It is an issue that leaders are all too aware of and are committed to making right. 

Back in 2024, the then Minister of Tourism for Indonesia, Sandiaga Uno, confirmed that plans for a new toll highway connecting the south and north of the island were being drawn up. Speaking at the time, he confirmed that the tender for the project would go live in 2025, but there was little public discussion around the project again, until now.

Minister Uno told reporters in September 2024, “The toll road also connects to the re-tendering process of the Gilimanuk-Mengwi toll road. If there is this new toll road, hopefully, it will take around 90 minutes to reach North Bali.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Canggu News Updates (@whatsincanggu)

The North Bali Toll Road would also provide vital infrastructural support for the proposed North Bali Airport that President Subianto Prabowo has committed to building during this term in office.

Uno, like the current Minister for Tourism Widiyanti Wardhana, was committed to developing North Bali into a top tourist destination. Uno told reporters, “I feel that the constraints of distance and travel time are the most vital issues. We must take the same side in developing North Bali because this is an area full of potential.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BALI INFO (@bali.info.official)

With the end of 2025 just days away, the discussion around the North Bali Toll Road has hit local headlines once again. Bali politician Gede Sumarjaya Linggh, who has long been a vocal advocate for developing North Bali, has spoken to reporters about his support for the mega road project. 

Linggih shared “The large [state development] in Badung, and Denpasar drives uneven growth, increasing inequality as the northern and eastern regions lag behind, employment opportunities are low, and labor flows southward, ultimately unable to accommodate the lower classes.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Walikota Content Creator (@ivanderchristians)

Linggih is even going one step further in this vision, suggesting that existing plans to complete the Gilimanuk-Mengwi Toll Road, connecting central Bali with the west of the island, should be rerouted via the north of the province.

This would transform the proposed Gilimanuk-Mengwi Toll Road into the Gilimanuk-Seririt-Soka-Denpasar Toll Road. As unlikely as that is to happen, Linggih’s calls for more support of medium, small, and micro enterprises (MSMEs) in these areas are ones that other political voices have backed. 

He added, “The toll road that originally led to Gilimanuk–Mengwi should be diverted to Gilimanuk–Seririt–Soka to reduce traffic congestion and allow MSMEs to continue growing. If the toll road remains on its current route, MSMEs along the road could potentially die.”

Linggih concluded by reiterating his view that toll road projects should link areas identified in the Detailed Spatial Planning (RDTR), which highlights underdeveloped regions. He stated that development budgets should be focused on areas facing challenges for growth, as the southern region has essentially developed naturally.

One of the biggest reasons Bali needs improved transportation networks across the province is to help mitigate traffic congestion within the busiest areas of the island.

This is an issue that will be felt by tourists visiting Bali this Christmas and New Year period and beyond. Tourists driving in Bali over the next two weeks will see way more officers out on patrol working to coordinate traffic flow and keep everyone moving.

The Head of the Badung Regency Transportation Agency, Anak Agung Ngurah Rai Yuda Darma, told reporters on Monday, 22nd December, “Collaboration and synergy are key to maintaining smooth traffic management in Badung.”

“We hope that coordination with all stakeholders will run optimally so that transportation services to the public and tourists, both domestic and international, can be provided optimally.”