Access from Bali’s airport all the way around to the Mandara Toll and Jimbaran Ngurah Rai By Pass has been reopened at the Ngurah Rai roundabout, as of Monday.
A section of the roundabout had been blocked for construction on the underpass that’s being developed to break up traffic in front of the airport. As a result, it had been a major pain in the tush if you were coming from the airport or Tuban and wanted to take the toll or go south to Jimbaran; you had to go in the opposite direction, all the way up to Simpang Dewa Ruci to turn back around. But now, the way has been cleared out, at least for the time being.
While the roundabout has been opened up to cars and motorcycles, Denpasar Traffic Police Chief Rahmawati Ismail says police will be filtering out larger vehicles.
“But we will still limit the weight of incoming vehicles. Heavy trucks and buses, we will not allow through for the sake of the underpass project,” Rahmawati told Tribun Bali.
The u-turn on the Ngurah Rai By Pass in Kuta, precisely in front of Rama Tour has also been opened up. However, this u-turn can only be used by motorcyclists and will only stay open depending on traffic flows.
The opening of the u-turn follows heavy complaints from Kuta residents about the blocking off of the road near in their hood.
“The opening of the u-turn in front of Rama Tour is conditional. When traffic is going down, we open it. But if there’s a traffic jam, it will be closed again,” said Rahmawati.
The traffic police chief is appealing to the community to be more patient during the construction on the underpass, both so the project can go smoothly, as well as for the safety of other road users.
Plans for an underpass have long been on the wish list of local authorities to help break up gridlock that is growing increasingly common at the Ngurah Rai roundabout, but push came to shove when it was announced that the IMF-World Bank meeting will be held in Bali in October 2018. It is the goal that the underpass will be completed before the big meeting.
