One day, and hopefully one day soon, we here at The Bali Sun will never need to report on traffic news ever again.
But until that day, we’re going to keep showing up and reporting on the biggest issues facing Bali right now, and for both residents and tourists, one of the biggest issues is the free flow of daily life.
Thankfully, solutions are on the horizon, and big solutions at that. The new West Ring Road Project is officially underway in the south of Bali, and there is hope that this will solve traffic congestion in the island’s top tourism resorts once and for all.
Be honest, can you even imagine destinations like Kuta, Jimbaran, Uluwatu and Sanur without traffic? Neither can we, but we can dream!
Over the last few days there has been major hype amongst Bali’s leaders about the new West Ring Road Project and the region’s other big development projects. The Regent of Badung, Wayan Adi Arnawa, and Deputy Regent Bagus Alit Sucipta inspected the progress of strategic programs funded by the Badung Regency Regional Budget (APBD) for the 2026 fiscal year.
The regency leader’s inspections were conducted to monitor and evaluate development progress to ensure that administrative and physical work are on target.
Site visits were made to the West Ring Road, as well as the Pecatu Traditional Village Market Trase Road-Uluwatu Highway, road improvements and drainage on the Pecatu-Labuan Sait section, the construction of the Kulat-Labuan Sait Temple Trase Road, the Labuan Sait-Padati Trase Road, as well as the construction of the Banjar Semer-Teuku Umar Barat Road, the Pengubengan Road section, and the Subak Kedampang Road.
There’s a lot going on. Tourists visiting the South Bali area will already be seeing much of the construction happening on a day-to-day basis – now you know what those teams are working on.
Speaking to reporters, Regent Adi Arnawa said that the construction of the new road is a longstanding commitment of the Badung Regency Government to reduce congestion in the South Kuta area, especially along Jalan Raya Uluwatu to Simpang Nirmala and Pecatu.
He explained that the infrastructure development work that will be carried out in 2026 and 2027 is a real step to overcome the bottlenecks that are crippling this region of Bali.
He shared, “Hopefully, the construction of the West Ring Road, which is more than 10 kilometers long, will be a solution to the traffic jams along the Uluwatu highway, especially at the Polytechnic, GWK, Nirmala, all the way to Uluwatu.”
He added, “This will be a resource for us to implement traffic management for New Year’s Eve, when Uluwatu will likely see an even greater influx of visitors. We won’t be able to complete everything, as we don’t have enough time to fully implement the plan.”
“This stretch is 10 kilometers long, and the challenges are quite significant. There are cliff cuts on this hill, bridge construction cannot be rushed, and access to the Udayana campus will be expanded.”
He confirmed that the newly constructed road will be free of cables and utility lines to enhance its aesthetic appeal. He noted that he has instructed the Tirta Mangutama Regional Drinking Water Company to immediately install a pipeline network to address the water problem in South Badung.
This is another issue that has been frustrating both local community members and regularly returning tourists to Bali.
He concluded, “I also asked the Public Works and Housing Agency to remove all cables. From the beginning, I also instructed the Regional Water Company (PDAM) to directly install water pipes and utilities.”
“The water problem is a very urgent matter. This program is also in parallel; PDAM is also working to address water issues in South Badung. After all, building such representative infrastructure will have an impact on economic growth.”
On a day-to-day basis, for tourists these updates won’t make much difference to a vacation, but it’s important context to be aware of.
If there are road closures, diversions, or even more traffic congestion in the coming months in these areas, this is why. Be patient, bring snacks for long car rides, and know that there is light at the end of the tunnel for Bali’s traffic woes.
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