TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Toll road operator PT Jasamarga Bali Tol (JBT) assured that the traffic on the Mandara toll road has returned to normal. The ten-kilometer toll road connecting strategic areas on the island has been heavily congested recently, prompting dozens of travelers to leave their cars and walk to the Ngurah Rai Airport with their suitcases.

“Traffic conditions on the Ngurah Rai-Nusa Dua-Benoa Toll Road from Dec. 31 to this morning (Jan. 1) are monitored smoothly at both entry and exit gates,” PT JBT President Director, I Ketut Adiputra Karang, told Tempo on Monday, January 1.

He denied the issue that the traffic jam at the Ngurah Rai exit toll gate on Friday, Dec. 29, was caused by many users who did not have enough credit on their toll cards. He confirmed that payment transactions for the toll towards Ngurah Rai are made at the Nusa Dua and Benoa toll gates, which means that users do not need to tap out when exiting the toll road.

“The congestion was caused by heavy traffic on the arterial road at the Ngurah Rai roundabout leading to I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and the rising mobility of people in South Bali,” Adiputra said.

Videos of the traffic nightmare on Bali’s Mandara toll road on Friday night, Dec. 29, went viral on social media platforms.

IGW Samsi Gunarta, the head of the Bali Transportation Agency, said the road leading to the airport had started to fill up since Friday afternoon and that the evening congestion was unpredictable. The authorities managed to clear the traffic around the airport by 00:45 local time on Saturday, while the traffic at the airport returned to normal from 02:00 local time.

AMELIA RAHIMA | ANTARA

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