State toll road company Jasa Marga is optimistic that Bali Toll Road Project, the 11-kilometer toll road linking Nusa Dua to Bali’s Ngurah Rai international airport can be completed by May 2013 and operating two months later.
“We are projecting that the elevated toll road that is built over the sea will be able to become fully operational in July 2013,” Jasa Marga director for commercial development Abdul Hadi said on Wednesday.
The groundbreaking ceremony of the Rp 2.3 trillion ($244 million) toll road project took place in December.
Abdul said that the main obstacle faced by the contractor at this point was the various tide levels, but he did not expect a delay.
“We are still optimistic that the physical work can be completed by May 2013,” he stated.
The project is being built by four state construction firms — Wijaya Karya, Adhi Karya, Hutama Karya and Waskita Karya — with about 5 percent of the work completed thus far.
“From our visit last week, all contractors at the four segments have already built the supporting pillars in the sea,” Hadi added.
He said that land purchasing did not pose any serious problem because initial resistance from local residents had died down.
The toll road will have a special lane for motorcycles and a three-tiered elevated intersection. The Nusa Dua-Ngurah Rai-Tanjung Benoa toll will cost between Rp 4,000 and Rp 10,000 per vehicle, and Jasa Marga Bali Toll has a 45-year concession period from the government to operate the road.
Jasa Marga Bali Toll has obtained a Rp 1.6 trillion syndicated loan from a number of state banks led by Bank Mandiri.
Jasa Marga has a 60 percent stake in Jasa Marga Bali Toll.
