Finance.detik.com reports that the next phase to connect Denpasar and Gilimanuk with a toll road is ready for the bidding process. Bali’s second toll road will cover 95.51 kilometers between the Bali’s western port of Gilimanuk and Mengwi on the outskirts of the Island’s capital of Denpasar.
Like the first toll road in Bali that now connects Sanur-Bali’s Airport-Nusa Dua, the new toll road includes plans for a separate lane reserved exclusively for the use of motorcycles. This feature was confirmed by Eka Pria Anas of the Indonesian Toll Road Authority (BPJT) at a meeting on Wednesday, 30 September 2020.
The bidding process will be based on a private sector cooperation scheme with the Government (KPBU).
Four Interesting Facts on the Proposed Mengwi-Gilimanuk Toll Road
1. Only Two Sections of the Toll Road will Allow Motorcycle Access
Eka told the meeting held on 30 September 2020 that the toll road would be divided into three sections. Section One will be a 54-kilometers long connection between Gilimanuk and Perkutatan. Section Two will be 23.6-kilometers long connecting Perkutatan and Soka. Section Three will have a length of 21.8 kilometers between Soka and Mengwi. Only Section Two and Three will have specially designated lanes for two-wheeled motorcycles.
As the longest segment of the three sections, section one is planned to be closed to motorcycle traffic.
Planners consider the 54-kilometer road segment as being “too long” for motorcycles. These planners have, however, indicated their readiness to reconsider creating a lane for motorcycles on the Gilimanuk-Perkutatan stretch of road.
The construction of the toll road is planned to take place over two phases. The first phase will encompass Sections Two and Three of the roadway and will commence construction in 2021. The first phase (KM 54-96) will be completed in 2022 and open for traffic. The second phase of construction will be for Section One will begin in 2022 and is targeted to be open for operations in 2024.
3. The Additional Cost of Land Acquisition
While the cost of the toll road is estimated at Rp. 19.3 trillion. The initial construction cost of the toll road is put at Rp. 14.2 trillion. Land acquisition costs are estimated to require Rp. 1.026 trillion.
Eka explained: “What must be noted because this is an initiative project, the cost of the land acquisition must be funded or financed by the winner of the bidding process. The current cost (of land) is estimated at around Rp. 1 trillion and could prove to be even more, as land costs tend to escalate.
4. The Proposed Toll Road Could Carry 50,000 Vehicles Each Day
Under the terms of the bid tender, the concession period for the operation of Gilimanuk-Mengwi Toll Road is 45-years. Once completed, planners estimate around 50,000 vehicles will use the road each day, 21,000 of which will be four-wheeled vehicles.
Bidding Process
It is hoped that the project’s bidding process will be completed by June 2021 and that constructions can begin in Q4 2021.
Once the entire toll road covering a distance of 95.51-kilometers is completed in 2024, the roadway will form part of a national east-west highway system. The Bali toll road would connect the western ferry port of Gilimanuk with Bali’s capital of Denpasar, linking these two points in a drive of under two hours over a distance that can now take four hours or more to travel.
From Bali Discovery
