Indonesia's Minister for Public Works and Housing, Basuki Hadimuljono, has announced a temporary halt to the construction of a major toll road project in Bali. The 96.2-kilometre expressway, linking Gilimanuk to Mengwi, is up for tender again, with bids being accepted from October to early November 2023.
The search for a new contractor comes after one of the initial investors found it financially unviable to continue funding the construction. It's uncertain when the expressway will resume development, but it won't be before 2024. Nonetheless, Hadimuljono remains hopeful that the tender issue will be resolved by November of this year.
BUJT, Indonesia's National Toll Road Enterprise, is set to participate in the new tender. The government is keenly interested in the creation of a modern transport link connecting the most popular areas of southern Bali. Starting from the Bali-Java ferry crossing in Gilimanuk, the road will extend to the outskirts of Denpasar, the island's capital.
Originally, the project was expected to be completed by July 2024, and its current budget stands at over $508 million. The land for the expressway's construction has already been purchased, and concerns raised by local residents, who were initially wary of the project, have been amicably settled. It's evident that the final expenditure will significantly exceed initial estimates.