Rp40 billion road plan linked to Bari cargo port north of Labuan Bajo

Labuan Bajo — A former West Manggarai regent said in 2018 that the central government had allocated more than Rp40 billion to build a road linking Labuan Bajo to a planned cargo port site in Bari, north of the town, as part of wider infrastructure upgrades tied to tourism and logistics.

Agustinus Ch. Dulla, then regent of West Manggarai, told local media that the funds had been included in a Daftar Isian Pelaksanaan Anggaran (DIPA), or budget execution document, issued by the central government in Jakarta. He said the planned road would connect Labuan Bajo to a new multipurpose berth outside the urban area, envisaged as a container and cargo facility serving northern Flores.

According to Agustinus Dulla, the road budget was linked to plans by the Ministry of Transportation to develop a new cargo port in Bari starting in 2019, shifting freight activities away from the existing Labuan Bajo port so that the town’s harbour could focus on passenger and tourism traffic.

Officials in East Nusa Tenggara later reiterated that cargo operations for Manggarai Barat were intended to move from Labuan Bajo to Bari, aligning with regional spatial planning that designates Bari as a commercial and container port and Labuan Bajo as an international passenger and tourism port.

Planned road and port

In his 2018 statement, Dulla said the road would run roughly north from Labuan Bajo toward Bari, with an allocation of more than Rp40 billion listed in the DIPA. The corridor was framed as a strategic connector for cargo movements to the planned port and as a way to improve overland access for residents and visitors in northern parts of West Manggarai.

Local reporting in 2021 on the Bari and Rangko port projects indicates that a dedicated cargo port at Bari had been planned since at least 2012, backed by technical studies from the Ministry of Transportation and central-government funding proposals. The same reporting notes that earlier national budget allocations for Bari were not fully realised because road access from Labuan Bajo toward the site was inadequate, underscoring the importance of the connector road mentioned by Dulla.

Regional planning documents and academic analyses describe Bari as a designated commercial and container hub under Manggarai Barat’s spatial plan through 2032, while Labuan Bajo’s waterfront is reserved for passenger and tourism uses. This division is consistent with the national strategy to develop Labuan Bajo as a premium tourism destination, with cargo activities moved to a separate site to reduce congestion and support the visitor economy.

Tourism and logistics context

Dulla’s 2018 comments on the Labuan Bajo–Bari road came as the town’s roads, sidewalks and street lighting were being upgraded to host international visitors following major meetings and to support its status as a priority tourism destination. Central and local governments have since pursued a broader programme of transport investment in and around Labuan Bajo, including new road links to tourism areas and port upgrades designed to separate freight from passenger and cruise traffic.

Policy papers and official communications from national infrastructure agencies describe plans for a new terminal for cargo away from the town centre, citing Bari as one of the main alternatives because its road access is described as good and its sea depth suitable for larger vessels. Under this framework, the Labuan Bajo–Bari road is presented as a key link for moving goods and construction materials and for connecting inland communities to port services.

Later reports from church and civil-society research institutes track ongoing debates over whether the commercial port should ultimately be built at Bari or at Rangko closer to Labuan Bajo, including concerns about environmental impacts and allegations of irregularities in project planning. These sources confirm that the strategy of shifting cargo away from the town centre remains active, though they do not provide a detailed construction history for the specific road budgeted in 2018.

Sources

• Tempo.co feature on Labuan Bajo port and road upgrades
• Ekorantt.com article on Bari and Wae Kelambu terminals
• IFTK Ledalero paper on Labuan Bajo commercial port development
• Indonesian Ministry of Public Works/BPIW article on Puncak Waringin and cargo terminal options
• Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK) NTT briefing on Labuan Bajo infrastructure and PAD