SINGAPORE: Two land parcels totalling about 0.79ha owned by the Malaysian government will be acquired to facilitate the redevelopment of the Woodlands Checkpoint, says Singapore authorities.
The island-republic’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said in a statement that Singapore had previously written to Malaysia in May 2022 and November 2023 to propose the purchase.
The land parcels, which are located near the middle of the redevelopment profile, are vegetated and not in use, the statement said, adding that SLA has gazetted the acquisition of the land parcels on June 4.
“SLA and ICA will work closely with the Malaysian government through the acquisition process,” the two authorities said in a joint statement.
The statement said the Woodlands Checkpoint would be redeveloped and extended over the next 10 to 15 years, with the first phase of construction set to begin in the third quarter of this year.
This will serve as a long-term solution to the chronic congestion at the land crossing and the first phase of redevelopment will involve extending the Woodlands Checkpoint at the Old Woodlands Town Centre.
The Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) will also be extended to create a direct route for vehicles exiting the checkpoint to access the expressway, so as to reduce traffic congestion on local roads during peak hours, it added.
Daily traveller volume at the Woodlands Checkpoint increased by 22% to 327,000 in 2024 from 269,000 in 2023.
By 2050, the average daily number of travellers passing through the checkpoint is projected to reach 400,000.
Subsequent phases will include the building of additional clearance facilities and retrofitting the existing checkpoint.
Once completed, the redeveloped checkpoint will allow ICA to improve clearance efficiency across all transport modes and reduce the average travel time from the current one hour to 15 minutes during peak periods.
Additionally, the authority will also be able to incorporate more automation to increase efficiency, conduct security checks away from the checkpoint’s core structure to mitigate security risks and provide holding areas for traffic within the checkpoint to reduce congestion on the BKE and along the peripheral roads.
“The redeveloped Woodlands Checkpoint will enhance the immigration clearance experience for travellers crossing the Causeway,” the statement said. — The Straits Times/ANN
