Koster Outlines Railway Plans and Toll Road Route Changes to Bali Regional Council
KAI has presented three times, everything is okay, and the budget has been prepared, so the railway construction will begin in 2027.
Denpasar (ANTARA) - Bali Governor Wayan Koster has presented several strategic infrastructure mega-projects during a plenary session of the Bali Regional Council (DPRD) aimed at addressing congestion issues and strengthening the regional economic foundation, ranging from railway construction plans to changes in the Gilimanuk-Mengwi toll road route.
“KAI has presented three times, everything is okay, and the budget has been prepared, so the railway construction will begin in 2027,” Koster said in Denpasar on Monday.
In his presentation, the Governor of Bali explained that this railway project is a follow-up to instructions from the Minister of National Development Planning (Bappenas) to the President Director of Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) to tackle severe congestion on the route from Ngurah Rai Airport to Canggu.
The project is targeted for a groundbreaking ceremony to be performed personally by President Prabowo Subianto, as it is directly related to managing traffic congestion in Bali.
Koster ensured that the railway design will be specially crafted to incorporate Balinese cultural aesthetics to remain in harmony with the tourism sector.
If the entire series of projects proceeds smoothly, the Bali Provincial Government is optimistic that the issue of congestion in Bali can be fully resolved by 2028.
During the plenary session, he also updated the council on the latest developments regarding the construction of the Gilimanuk-Mengwi Toll Road.
Based on technical considerations and replanning, there has been an adjustment to the route, where the section from Gilimanuk to Pekutatan will no longer hold toll road status as originally planned by the governor. Instead, the capacity of the national road along that route will be upgraded, while the section from Pekutatan to Mengwi will proceed as a toll road.
“Hopefully, there will be no obstacles despite the change in route, which necessitates changes in planning and budgeting,” Koster said, adding that the target is for the tender process to take place by the end of 2026, with physical construction commencing in early 2027.
In the same plenary session, Koster also revealed several supporting infrastructure projects funded by the State Budget (APBN) in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Transportation. Some of these include the construction of an overpass to ease congestion in the Jimbaran area, the construction of a bridge in Nusa Lembongan, and an integrated parking building in the Pura Batur Kintamani area to manage traffic caused by tourism activities.
“Everything will proceed in 2027 within a two-year period; therefore, by 2027–2028, the parking building in Batur will be completed, and the congestion in front of Pura Batur will be resolved,” he stated.
In the logistics and maritime transport sector, the Bali Provincial Government is also encouraging the operation of a new pier at Celukan Bawang Port by ASDP to divert some logistics trucks, thereby reducing the burden on the Gilimanuk-Denpasar land route. Additionally, the development of ports in Amed and Kusamba is being prepared to support logistics connectivity and marine tourism around Bali.
Through this series of integrated mega-projects, Governor Koster hopes that Bali will possess a much more robust economic and tourism foundation in the future.