Bali only tollway – The Bali Mandara Toll Road connecting Sanur-Airport-Nusa Dua is undergoing a “greening” transformation in preparation for the G20 Summit set to be held on the Island in late October 2022.
The upgrading of what will be the most traveled highway during the major Summit, expected to bring world leaders and more than 7,000 participants, is intended to leave a positive green impression about Bali to the broader world.
As reported by finance.detik.com, The Bali Mandara Toll Road is the only Indonesian toll road with dedicated motorcycle lanes.
The highway has 22 toll gates comprised of:
- 8 in Nusa Dua (4 for four-wheeled vehicles and four for motorcycles)
- 8 at the Ngurah Rai Airport 4 for four-wheeled vehicles and three for motorcycles), and
- 7 at Benoa (4 for four-wheeled vehicles and three for motorcycles).
The Minister of Public Works and Housing (PUPR), Basuki Hadimuljono, speaking on Saturday, 08 January 2022, lauded the greening of the road, saying: “the beautification will make the area appear more lush using landscape architecture to achieve a green design.”
The highway built on a suspended platform over the waters of Benoa Bay is partially powered by solar panels. Seventy-two thousand trees are being planted in the surrounding mangrove forest. Public education programs are underway to eliminate or reduce the use of plastic trash in Bali.
To enhance public safety, the toll operators have installed wind vanes that measure the speed of winds in the area. Automated warnings to toll users are triggered when wind speeds exceed 40 kilometers per hour. If winds reach 60 kilometers per hour, the toll road will be closed to motorcycles. In the rare instance when winds are measured at 80 kilometers per hour, the toll road is closed to all vehicular traffic.
The Bali Mandara Toll Road is equipped with 50 CCTV camera monitors providing 24-hours surveillance of the entire roadway connected to the Internet and a central control station. Monitors regulate electricity, sea, and current conditions, alerting about power outages and traffic control light malfunctions.
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