Jembrana, Bali.  A traffic nightmare that saw vehicle queues stretching up to 39 kilometers on the main road to Gilimanuk Port has begun to ease after authorities diverted heavy vehicles and prioritized holiday travelers, officials said Tuesday.

Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said congestion, which peaked earlier this week, was largely driven by the continued operation of large trucks alongside a surge in Eid al-Fitr homebound travelers.

“Besides the spike in travelers, one of the main causes of the long queues was heavy vehicles still operating,” Dudy said after a coordination meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

Traffic buildup reached around 30 kilometers on Tuesday morning before easing to about 10 kilometers by midday following police intervention. Officers rerouted logistics trucks into designated parking areas, allowing private cars, buses, and travel vehicles carrying passengers to move ahead.

Authorities also implemented a series of measures in recent days, including deploying larger ferries, optimizing buffer zones, and enforcing a system to accelerate loading and unloading at the port.

“With these steps, congestion that previously stretched for tens of kilometers has now been reduced significantly,” Dudy said, adding that officials aim to fully clear the port area before the Nyepi Day shutdown.

The port — a critical gateway linking Bali with Java via Ketapang Port — will be closed from Wednesday at 6 p.m. local time until Friday morning to observe Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence.

Authorities have prepared contingency plans for vehicles that may still be stranded when the closure begins. Passenger vehicles will be prioritized for crossing, while trucks will be held in buffer zones. Drivers of stranded trucks will be transported to Banyuwangi and provided accommodation until operations resume.

State ferry operator ASDP Indonesia Ferry has deployed 35 vessels out of a total fleet of 55 to handle the holiday exodus, calibrated to projected passenger and vehicle volumes.

Despite the easing, traffic remained heavy Tuesday night, with thousands of motorcycles, private cars, buses and trucks crowding the port area. Many travelers said they had been stuck in traffic since earlier in the day.

Haikal, a motorcyclist heading to Malang in East Java, said he had just started his journey after receiving leave from work. “I only got time off today, so I left immediately. I took the Singaraja route to avoid the worst congestion,” he said.

Another traveler, Pipin, who was heading to Banyuwangi, said the trip from Gianyar took far longer than usual. “Normally it’s about five hours, but today it took 12 hours. The traffic in Melaya and Mendoyo was the worst I’ve seen compared to last year,” he said, calling for additional docking capacity.

The congestion is part of the annual Eid exodus, which this year coincides with the temporary shutdown of Bali’s transport network for Nyepi, intensifying pressure on key crossing points.

Officials urged logistics operators to comply with temporary restrictions on heavy vehicles to prevent further bottlenecks as the holiday peak continues.