Bali to get new underpass before IMF meeting

BADUNG, BALI. The Public Works and Public Housing Ministry is set to build an underpass at the intersection of the Ngurah Rai Monument in Badung regency to ease traffic on roads connecting Ngurah Rai International Airport, Nusa Dua and Denpasar.

The construction of the underpass is part of the government’s preparations ahead of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual meetings that will be held in Bali in October next year.

The underpass is also aimed at enhancing the quality of infrastructure on the island, which serves as Indonesia’s main tourist hub and contributes around 40 percent of foreign visitors to the country.

Minister Basuki Hadimoeljono said the ministry was ready to begin the project soon after the Bali administration and Badung administration completed land acquisition.

“The IMF meeting is a very important annual international event. Therefore, the government will fully support the local administration in improving infrastructure in Bali,” the minister said during a recent visit to the designated location of the underpass project. 

The ministry’s director general of road development, Arie Setiadi Moerwanto, said it was expected the underpass could ease traffic at the Ngurah Rai traffic circle, which connects Ngurah Rai Airport and the Bali Mandara toll road, Nusa Dua and Denpasar.

“We have a traffic problem in this area, especially during busy hours and the peak of the holiday seasons. The underpass will be built along 600 meters,” he said.

The underpass will connect the area of Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai and Jl. Sunset Road to Nusa Dua. (ebf)