Heavy traffic through Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints expected for the rest of June: ICA

SINGAPORE: Heavy traffic through the Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints is expected to continue for the rest of June, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Wednesday (Jun 15).

"Travellers can expect delays during this period and are advised to adjust their travel plans, where possible, to avoid being caught in the traffic jams," the authority said.

The traffic situation has remained "consistently heavy" since the start of the June school holidays, it added.

Traveller volume over the recent weekend of Jun 10 to 12 increased to 267,000 per day as compared to 262,000 per day during the previous weekend.

ICA previously said that the first weekend of June saw the largest number of travellers crossing the land checkpoints since the reopening of the land borders on Apr 1.

The number of travellers over the recent weekend is also higher than the daily traffic volume on the weekends of Vesak Day, which saw 224,000 travellers, as well as Good Friday, which had 149,000. 

The authority advised travellers to factor in additional time for immigration clearance and to avoid the following peak hours:

Departing Singapore

• Fridays (Jun 17 and 24), 6pm to 11.59pm 
• Saturdays (Jun 18 and 25), 6am to 9am, 9pm to 11.59pm
• Sundays (Jun 19 and 26), 6am to 8am

Arriving in Singapore

• Weekdays (until Jun 24), 10pm to 11.59pm
• Saturdays (Jun 18 and 25), 9pm to 11.59pm
• Sundays (Jun 19 and 26), 6pm to 11.59pm

Additionally, travellers departing via the Woodlands Checkpoint should note that upgrading works on arrival immigration car booths have been ongoing at Malaysia's Bangunan Sultan Iskandar since Jun 6. During this period, booths undergoing upgrading will not be in operation.

ICA also advised motorists to check the traffic situation at the land checkpoints through the Land Transport Authority’s One Motoring website or via the Expressway Monitoring & Advisory System (EMAS) installed along the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) and Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) respectively.

Motorists can also check ICA’s Facebook and Twitter accounts for updates on the traffic situation at both land checkpoints.

"To avoid getting caught in traffic jams at the land checkpoints, travellers can take the cross-border bus services provided by public bus operators, instead of driving into Malaysia via private vehicles," ICA added.