JOHOR BARU: A massive power outage at the Woodlands Checkpoint in Singapore has caused a heavy traffic jam on most major roads leading to the Malaysian checkpoint here.
Although all counters were operating at optimum level at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex (BSI) here, the jam lasted for many hours due to a buildup of vehicles from the Singapore side.
It is learnt that the issue started at about noon on the Singapore side.
A Home Ministry official said the situation was worsened by a lorry heading to Singapore experiencing mechanical failure.
At press time, it remains unclear what caused the power outage in Singapore.
However, authorities were doing their best to resolve the congestion, including opening additional lanes to clear immigration.
Additional police personnel have also been deployed around BSI and major access roads to manage the peak-hour rush of workers returning from Singapore.
Among the major roads affected were Jalan Tebrau, Jalan Skudai and Jalan Lingkaran Dalam.
At press time, the travel time into Johor Bahru was 32 minutes while travel into Singapore from Johor Bahru stood at one hour and 10 minutes.
Meanwhile Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in their Fecebook only mentioned that travellers planning to enter Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint should expect delays.
They said that two vehicles have broken down near the International Boundary along the Causeway towards Singapore.
It is blocking one out of three lanes.
