Gilimanuk-Mengwi Toll Road Project Scaled Back as Gilimanuk-Pekutatan Section Cancelled
The planned development of the Gilimanuk-Mengwi toll road has been modified. The national strategic project will continue, but only for Section II (Pekutatan-Soka) and Section III (Soka-Mengwi). Meanwhile, Section I linking Gilimanuk to Pekutatan has been officially cancelled.
The Head of the Jembrana Public Works and Housing Office, I Wayan Sudiarta, confirmed the change, citing a letter from the Toll Road Director dated 11 February 2026 addressed to the National Land Agency Regional Office for Bali Province.
“Based on the information in that letter, toll road construction will continue but only from Pekutatan-Soka and Soka-Mengwi. Sections II and III are guaranteed to proceed, whilst Section I will not proceed due to population density considerations,” said Sudiarta when met by detikBali at his office on Friday (27 February 2026).
The letter explained that the route alignment has changed from the original Gilimanuk-Pekutatan-Soka-Mengwi to simply Pekutatan-Soka-Mengwi. The Directorate General of Infrastructure Financing of the Public Works Ministry is currently updating the financial feasibility study.
The Pekutatan to Mengwi stretch is considered to have higher population density and is therefore deemed more viable for supporting an integrated land development concept. The route change is also said to be more efficient from a financing perspective.
“After review of the Basic Design and ROW Plan is completed for the new route, the Directorate General of Highways will submit the Land Acquisition Planning Document to the Bali Governor for issuance of Location Determination,” Sudiarta added, quoting the letter’s contents.
Impact on SMEs Along National Highway
Sudiarta views the cancellation of Section I construction in western Jembrana as good news for small and medium-sized enterprises along the national highway route. Previously, local traders and business owners were concerned their operations would be affected if vehicle traffic completely shifted to the toll road.
“Businesses on the national highway actually benefit from the toll road (Section I) cancellation. Because before entering or after exiting the toll road at Pekutatan heading towards Gilimanuk or vice versa, vehicles can stop at their businesses,” he explained.
With the Gilimanuk-Pekutatan section cancelled, vehicles from Gilimanuk Port will continue using the national highway through to Pekutatan before entering the toll road. Economic activity along Jembrana’s main route is predicted to remain steady.
For context, the original Gilimanuk-Mengwi toll road plan had a total length of 96.84 kilometres and was to be built in three phases. Phase I from Gilimanuk-Pekutatan was 53.6 kilometres, Phase II from Pekutatan-Soka was 24.3 kilometres, and Phase III from Soka-Mengwi was 18.9 kilometres.