CANGGU, Bali – Bali’s provincial government is preparing a sea taxi route connecting I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport to Canggu as traffic congestion in the popular tourism area continues to worsen.

In recent months, videos showing heavy traffic across Canggu have spread widely on social media, with many tourists and residents complaining about long delays on roads leading into the area. Congestion is especially severe along the narrow “Canggu Shortcut” routes, which frequently experience gridlock during peak hours.

Bali Deputy Governor I Nyoman Giri Prasta said the planned sea taxi service is expected to become an alternative transportation option for travelers heading to Canggu from the airport.

“The sea taxi route is necessary and has already been planned, so people traveling from Ngurah Rai Airport to Canggu can go directly by sea instead of relying entirely on land transportation,” Giri said following a Bali Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) plenary session on Monday, May 18, 2026.

The plan emerged as traffic congestion in Canggu continues to draw widespread complaints amid rapid tourism growth and increasing vehicle numbers in the area.

Giri, who previously served as Regent of Badung, acknowledged that efforts to address congestion in Canggu have not yet been fully effective.

According to him, widening roads around the Canggu Shortcut is difficult due to limited land availability and the presence of Hindu family shrines and temples near the roadside.

“Since I took office, I’ve only been able to complete one shortcut project, and even that was not fully optimal because the road conditions were already limited. It also could not be widened further because there are Hindu shrines and family temples that cannot simply be relocated,” he said.

As part of the project, the Bali Provincial Government, together with the Badung Regency Government and the central government, plans to develop several stopover points along the sea taxi route.

According to Giri, the structures are expected to serve both as passenger transit points and as breakwaters to help reduce wave impact along the coastline.

Officials hope the sea route can ease pressure on overcrowded roads leading into Canggu, which has become one of Bali’s busiest tourism hubs in recent years.

Alongside the sea taxi project, the Bali Provincial Government said it will continue developing road infrastructure in several other areas across the island, including planned underpass projects in Jimbaran and Tohpati.