The United States (US) injected funds of US $ 350 million to support Indonesia’s progress in the transportation sector. The funds will be used to repair damaged roads in various areas. The funds come from the Advancing Transport and Logistics Accessibility Service Project (ATLAS) Project ,which can be maximized for a five-year time limit. This project is one of three collaborative projects of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Indonesian government.

As is known, this collaboration was signed by the Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Janet Yellen and Sri Mulyani Indrawati, some time ago. The total amount of funds reached US $ 698 million, worth US $ 649 million which was a US contribution.

The Indonesian government has recommended five provinces to be top priorities, including South Sumatra, North Sulawesi, Riau, Riau Islands and Bali. The US Embassy official revealed that the governments of the five regions had previously discussed finding a viable old transportation project for the ATLAS Project. The construction of the Electric Railroad (KRL) line is also a potential target. “The focus of this project is related to improving commuter line stations, so that users can reach them more easily, especially for people with disabilities,” explained a US Embassy official who did not want to be named, Wednesday (19/4/2023).

He also explained that this project will improve logistics and reduce congestion in the market area and connect to the port area, build electric vehicle infrastructure, rehabilitate and repair roads. The US Embassy and MCC emphasized that the projects discussed together must be completed within five years according to the agreement.

If the project is not completed within the specified timeframe, the US will not provide additional funds. The US side emphasized that this project would go through a more stringent screening process than the Jakarta-Bandung fast train.