Bali sets a late-2026 target for the Pekutatan–Mengwi toll road tender

In brief: Bali's provincial public works office expects the investor tender for the Pekutatan–Mengwi toll road could begin towards the end of 2026; that is a planning target for a redesigned project, not confirmation that an investor has been selected or construction has started.

The update came from provincial public works chief Nusakti Yasa Wedha on 23 September. He said the project was still under central government review, with financing and land arrangements among the steps yet to be settled. For residents of western Bali, the most significant change is also geographical: the proposed toll road no longer begins at Gilimanuk.

The western approach will remain a national road

The original Gilimanuk–Mengwi scheme envisaged approximately 96 kilometres of new toll road. The revised plan reduces the new toll-road corridor to roughly 42 kilometres, beginning at Pekutatan in Jembrana, passing the Antosari or Soka area in Tabanan, and continuing to Mengwi in Badung.

Traffic coming from Gilimanuk would first use the existing national road to Pekutatan. Improvements to that stretch, including possible widening, are being considered separately. The September reporting did not establish a completed design or firm delivery schedule for those works.

This matters when judging potential journey times. A faster toll section may eventually change travel between western and southern Bali, but its practical value will depend on access points and the connecting roads. Nothing in the announcement supports a guaranteed reduction in commuting time for an individual village or property.

Central government will handle the investor and land processes

Responsibility for the revised procurement process sits with Indonesia's Ministry of Public Works and its Toll Road Regulatory Agency, BPJT. The project is now described as government-initiated, a departure from the earlier private-initiated investment arrangement.

According to Nusakti, the next phase of land acquisition for the redesigned route is intended to follow investor selection. The central government would handle the land funding through LMAN; Bali's provincial government is not setting aside its own land-acquisition budget for the toll road. The revised alignment also calls for updated location documentation. Earlier project work may have involved land acquisition in some areas, so the proposed sequence should not be read as a claim that no land was ever acquired.

For landowners near the proposed corridor, the distinction between a broad route announcement and a current, formally designated alignment is consequential. Plot-level impacts require the applicable official plans and notices, which cannot be inferred from a general description of the toll-road route.

The tender timetable has changed before

The September target is earlier than the schedule recorded in the Ministry of Public Works' SIMPUL KPBU project register. Its entry last updated on 13 May 2026 referred to a tender starting in the second quarter of 2027. The later provincial statement points to late 2026, but the materials reviewed do not contain a confirmed notice launching that tender.

Both dates are therefore best understood in their original context: they are planning milestones, not evidence of a signed construction contract. A revised feasibility assessment, approvals and land documents still matter to delivery. Someone planning to rent or buy a home in western Bali should assess present-day road access without assigning a definite opening date or price premium to the proposed toll road.

• Warta Bali Online — “Memasuki Tahap Penting, Tol Gilimanuk-Mengwi Tunggu Investor”, 23 September 2026.
• detikBali — “Koster: Gilimanuk-Pekutatan Jadi Jalan Nasional, Pekutatan-Mengwi Baru Tol”, 22 September 2026.
• Indonesian Ministry of Public Works — SIMPUL KPBU, Gilimanuk–Mengwi project record, last updated 13 May 2026.