The trial operation of Simpang Siur underpass

Thejakartapost.com - The trial operation of Simpang Siur underpass would start with north to south routes connecting with Sunset Road on the way up to the Ngurah Rai Bypass, which leads to Ngurah Rai International Airport in Tuban, Satrio said. For traffic moving in the opposite direction, Satrio said, there would be no opening until the project was fully complete.

The construction of Simpang Siur underpass is one of the resort island’s efforts to cope with the severe traffic congestion that is choking its main tourist routes.


Construction began in Dec. 2011, along with the construction of the Benoa-Nusa Dua toll road. Simpang Siur on the Dewa Ruci intersection is a critical point of convergence for traffic traveling to and from the most important tourist sites, including Ngurah Rai International Airport, Nusa Dua, Kuta, Sanur, Denpasar and Ubud. Prolonged traffic gridlock is common at and around the intersection. The construction of the 450-meter-long road has cost around Rp 136 billion, with funds from the state budget.

On Friday afternoon, two days after the trial operation, traffic in the Simpang Siur area was still congested.
Made Budi, a Denpasar resident, still had to struggle through the underpass on his way to Ngurah Rai airport.

“As usual, we were trapped in a traffic jam when using the newly opened underpass. We were stuck for 10 minutes,” said Budi, who was accompanied by his family.

Budi, however, was fortunate. Some people end up waiting for hours to cross the Simpang Siur intersection before construction on the underpass began. Those living or staying in Denpasar had to add at least two hours to their schedules if they wanted to reach the airport on time.

The opening of the underpass, however, came as a surprise to other residents like Gede Suharsana, who expected to become trapped in severe traffic congestion. “I didn’t know the underpass was already in operation. No traffic jams, no crowds, it was a pleasant drive. I really enjoyed it,” exclaimed Suharsana.

Satrio admitted that the trial operation had not run too smoothly during the first few days. “We the project management are now working closely with the Bali Police’s Traffic Division to find other ways and methods to ease the heavy traffic here,” added Satrio.

Head of the Bali chapter of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agents (ASITA), Ketut Ardana, said the underpass was expected to solve traffic problems at the intersection. “Traffic congestion remains the most pressing problem for southern Bali. Many tourists lodge complaints [about the traffic] when visiting Bali,” Ardana said.

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The trial operation of Simpang Siur underpass : Sources : http://www.thejakartapost.com/bali-daily/2013-05-11/simpang-siur-underpass-begins-trial-operations.html