Construction has begun on the South Ring Road (Jalan Lingkar Selatan), a road network intended to resolve chronic congestion across south kuta, the district covering Uluwatu, Pecatu and Jimbaran. Governor Wayan Koster and Badung Regent I Wayan Adi Arnawa broke ground on 27 July 2026 at Labuan Sait and Jalan Pedati in Desa Pecatu. The total programme is valued at more than Rp2.9 trillion, roughly USD 161 million.
Project Details:
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Groundbreaking |
27 July 2026, Desa Pecatu, Kuta Selatan |
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Total budget |
Rp2.9 trillion (~USD 161 million) |
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Financing |
Loan facility from PT SMI |
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Phase 1 (2026 to 2027) |
10.89 km: Jalur Lingkar Selatan + Simpang Siligita, plus 4.77 km to Semer, and Teuku Umar Barat |
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Phase 2 (2027 to 2029) |
19.94 km, approx. Rp2.6 trillion |
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Full JLS length |
29.95 km |
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Congestion target |
End of 2027 |
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Lead agency |
Badung Regency Government |
Four Bottlenecks, One Peninsula
South Badung's road problem is concentrated and well understood. Regent Adi Arnawa identified four main congestion points, Simpang Udayana, GWK and Pecatu among them, driven by visitor volumes on a road network built for far less.
His assessment at the groundbreaking was blunt: without new road access, Badung's tourism would end up a memory. That framing reflects how directly the peninsula's economy depends on movement. The ubud to uluwatu run can consume half a day, and short hops within Pecatu and Jimbaran routinely exceed what the distance suggests. Access to uluwatu beach, padang padang and the clifftop venues along that stretch depends on roads that were never built for current volumes.
Badung is executing 15.6 kilometres of road works during 2026 alone, spanning both the ring road and the northern shortcut route.
Which Segments Are Being Built?
Phase 1 covers 10.89 kilometres of ring road plus the Simpang Siligita reorganisation, running 2026–2027. On a bali map, the segments trace the peninsula's western and southern edges:
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Jimbaran Hijau, Jimbaran
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Pantai Balangan, Jimbaran Hijau
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Jalan Pedati, Pantai Balangan
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Labuan Sait, Pedati (where groundbreaking took place)
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Pecatu, Pura Kulat, Labuan Sait
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Jalan Uluwatu, Pasar Desa Adat Pecatu
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Pecatu, Jalan Melasti
Phase 2 follows across 2027–2029, adding 19.94 kilometres at roughly Rp2.6 trillion. At full build-out the ring road reaches 29.95 kilometres, with a further 52.95 kilometres targeted for Central and North Badung across 2026–2029.
For anyone tracking development across south kuta bali, this represents the largest single road investment the district has seen.
The Canggu Connection
The same funding package covers the Shortcut Berawa (Umalas, Kedampang, Teuku Umar Barat), a 4.77-kilometre link between Semer and Teuku Umar Barat designed to relieve the Simpang Semer bottleneck.
For anyone who has crawled between Canggu and Denpasar, this is arguably the more immediately useful half of the programme. Berawa, Umalas and Kedampang sit on some of the most congested approaches in North Kuta, and the shortcut creates an alternative where none currently exists.
Land Secured Across All Segments
Land acquisition for JLS Segment 4 has reached 100%, clearing the way for construction across the full route.
Badung's PUPR office held consultations in January 2026 covering the final three segments: Pedati, Pantai Balangan and Jimbaran. According to section head I Putu Teddy Widnyana Putra, landowners across all three routes agreed and signed statements of consent to the development plan.
Regent Adi Arnawa credited community support for getting it done, noting that residents were ready for a solution to the congestion and backed the project accordingly. That consent is what moved the project from planning to construction on schedule.
What Does This Mean for Properties in Uluwatu?
Road access has been the Bukit's structural constraint, and this programme addresses it directly rather than incrementally.
Accessibility has been the ceiling on demand. uluwatu bali draws strong nightly rates on the strength of its clifftop position, but the drive has capped how many guests make the trip and how often owners visit. For uluwatu villa owners, removing four bottlenecks changes that calculation across Pecatu, Balangan, Jimbaran and the surrounding areas.
Phase 1 is reported to finish in 2027. Areas on the phase 1 segments (Labuan Sait, Pedati, Balangan, Jimbaran Hijau) will be able to see improvement first.
Construction has begun, which means that unlike projects still at agreement stage, this one has broken ground, secured financing through PT SMI, and completed land acquisition on Segment 4.
Fundamentals still decide the purchase. Zoning, legality, build quality and rental demand determine whether a property performs. Improved access is upside on top of those, not a replacement for them.
When Does Phase 1 Finish?
Adi Arnawa has stated a target of resolving congestion by the end of 2027, following completion of Phase 1.
That is a government target on a project with a history of acquisition delays, so treating it as a direction of travel rather than a fixed date is sensible. What has changed is that physical construction is now underway on multiple segments simultaneously, with funding secured and consent obtained.
