The Bali Provincial Government this week announced that road developments for a “shortcut” between Singaraja, Buleleng and Mengwitani, Badung will continue even amid the ongoing pandemic.
“The governor is committed to finish developing the Singaraja-Mengwitani shortcut even during the pandemic. All infrastructure development funded by the state budget (APBN) is still going according to plan, nothing has been canceled or defunded,” Nusakti Yasa Weda, who heads the Public Works and Spatial Planning Department in Bali Province, said in a statement.
According to Nusakti, the shortcut will help evenly distribute infrastructure developments across Bali, and especially to tap on the tourism potential of northern Bali.
The mega road project, which reportedly cost IDR471.5 billion (US$33 million) and funded by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR), is expected to help reduce bends and slopes between Denpasar and Singaraja on the existing roadway, which have slowed down cars to speeds of about 20 kilometers per hour at some points on the journey.
The project also includes the development of several picturesque rest areas, officials say, with a number of points identified as 7D, 7E, 9, and 10 to begin next year and conclude by 2023. However, there are two more points planned after that, which officials are aiming to conclude by 2024. Earlier points along the road project have reportedly finished developments in 2019.
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