SINGAPORE: Singapore will be acquiring two land parcels owned by the Malaysian Government as a long-term solution to the chronic congestion at Woodlands Checkpoint (WCP). The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) officially gazetted the acquisition of two vegetated and unused land parcels, covering about 0.79 hectares in total, on Wednesday (Jun 4).
In a joint press release, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the SLA stated that they will work closely with the Malaysian Government throughout the acquisition process, affirming, “We will continue our strong partnership with the Malaysian Government to strengthen connectivity and people-to-people links.”
The WCP expansion will be done in phases over the next 10 to 15 years, it added.
The first phase of construction is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2025 (Q3 2025). ICA will build an extension at Old Woodlands Town Centre, including new automated clearance facilities for cargo vehicles, arriving cars, and motorcycles. The Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) will also be extended to ease traffic on local roads during peak hours.
Subsequent phases will include additional clearance facilities and retrofitting the existing WCP.
When complete, WCP aims to reduce peak wait times for vehicles from 60 to 15 minutes, increase automation by adding more automated in-car immigration clearance systems, enhance security checks by conducting them away from the main checkpoint structure, and alleviate congestion around the checkpoint by providing holding areas for traffic within the checkpoint.
Last year, daily traveller volume at WCP rose 22% to 327,000 from 269,000 in 2023. In Dec 20, the checkpoint saw a record high of 376,000 travellers in a single day during the year-end school holidays. By 2050, the average daily number of travellers is expected to reach 400,000. /TISG
Read also: SMRT fined S$3M for September’s train disruption; funds to help low-income families
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