The 115-metre-tall broadcasting and observation tower is expected to become a new iconic landmark in the northern part of Bali. - PT Hutama Karya (Persero)
DENPASAR: The Bali administration launched on Friday (Dec 27) the Turyapada Tower, a 115-metre-tall broadcasting and observation tower which is expected to be a new iconic landmark in the northern part of the popular holiday island.
The tower is located on top of a 1,521-metre hill at the Pegayaman village in Buleleng regency, which is known as the oldest Muslim village in Hindu majority Bali.
The tower will be the second highest man-made structure on the island, behind the 121-metre-tall Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue in Badung regency, which was launched in 2018.
Tall structures are extremely rare on the island after the Bali administration issued a building code in the 1970s setting the maximum height of buildings on the island at 15 metres -- which is roughly the height of a mature coconut tree -- for cultural and environmental reasons.
The Bali administration allocated approximately Rp 330 billion (US$20.4 million) for the tower's construction, which began in 2022 by the state-owned construction company PT Hutama Karya.
Originally slated for completion in August last year, the project was delayed because of various factors including poor weather conditions and financial challenges.
Once fully operational, the Turyapada tower will provide TV, internet, cell phone and radio signals that can cover 80 per cent of Buleleng regency along with the nearby Jembrana and Karangasem regencies.
"We hope that the tower can provide [telecommunication] signals to blank spots around the Buleleng regency," Acting Bali Governor Sang Made Mahendra Jaya said during the tower’s launch.
The term blank spots refers to areas with extremely poor or non-existent cellular and TV broadcasting signals. Although the southern part of Bali is very developed -- with luxury hotels and villas lining the shores -- the northern part of the island is quieter, less trafficked by tourists and has a more limited access to internet and other communications.
Mahendra said that even though the Turyapada Tower's main purpose was to provide communication signals to people living in the northern part of Bali, the tower was also planned to be a new tourist hot spot in Buleleng regency.
"The tower is beautiful. It will be an extraordinary tourist destination," he said.
The base of the Turyapada tower features a tiered structure similar to the Inca pyramids in Latin America. Several cylindrical observation decks also adorn the red and white structure.
The tower is equipped with a planetarium, a revolving restaurant, a museum dedicated to Balinese culture, a sky walk, a flower and fruit garden, a children's playground and a zipline.
It also features a glass bridge with a transparent circular observation deck at the end, giving visitors a direct downward view of the lush green hill below.
The Bali administration stated that the glass bridge was constructed using high-strength glass to ensure the safety of visitors.
From the highest part of the tower, visitors can enjoy beautiful scenery of the Beratan, Tamblingan and Buyan lakes as well as the Bali Sea.
Officials previously claimed that the new tower would be on-par with other famous towers across the globe such as the Tokyo Tower, Macau Tower and even the Eiffel tower.
The Bali administration opened the Turyapada Tower to the public with a limited capacity of 60 visitors per day on Friday.
The entrance is free during the soft opening period, and those wishing to visit the tower can register at www.turyapada.baliprov.go.id.
Acting governor Mahendra Jaya said the authorities had not fully opened the tower for the public because construction was still ongoing.
"The tower needs some minor improvements," he said.
Bali is expected to see a 20 per cent increase in visitors during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. However, flights to the country’s most popular tourist destination have recently been disrupted by poor weather.
Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, the General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, announced on Saturday that five domestic and two international flights were diverted to other airports because of heavy rain and strong winds near the airport.
The inclement weather also resulted in delays for at least 10 domestic and four international flights, with delays ranging from 60 to 120 minutes. Operations at the airport returned to normal by 3pm after the rain and winds subsided. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
