KUTA

The authorities are moving ahead with acquisition of the land around the Dewa Ruci intersection on the outskirts of Kuta — a notorious congestion black-spot — in preparation for an underpass project designed to improve traffic flow.

Regent of Badung AA Gede Agung said work on the underpass would start soon, and that the process of land acquisition was already underway.

The regency government was in the process of freeing up 6,200 square metres of land around the intersection on Jl Bypass Ngurah Rai, popularly known as Simpang Siur, or “Chaos Junction,” Agung said.

“The underpass project is now at the measurement stage. The Badung government has already acquired around 62 are of land from 42 different owners,” he said.

“We are currently in the process of freeing up the land, so hopefully the underpass will soon be realised,” Agung said, adding that some buildings would probably need to be demolished during the work, which is designed to allow vehicles not leaving the main duel carriageway at Dewa Ruci to avoid going through the intersection’s existing traffic light system.

Work is expected to begin in August.