Work to redevelop and expand Woodlands Checkpoint to begin in 2025

SINGAPORE: The redevelopment of Woodlands Checkpoint is set to start in 2025 and will be completed in several phases over the next 10 to 15 years, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Monday (Jan 29).

Once fully redeveloped, the new checkpoint will be about five times the current size. ICA said the revamped checkpoint aims to cut the average clearance time from one hour to 15 minutes during peak periods.

It also aims to incorporate more automation, such as automated in-car immigration clearance systems, and conduct security checks away from the "checkpoint core structure".

The new site may also provide holding areas for vehicles, with the aim of reducing congestion extending onto roads in the area and the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE).

PHASE ONE

The first stage of the project will involve the construction of 21 bidirectional cargo lanes and 78 arrival car lanes at an extension in the Old Woodlands Town Centre. 

ICA said that the additions would increase cargo clearance capacity by 30 per cent and arrival car clearance capacity by 95 per cent. 

The new arrival car lanes can also be converted into 156 arrival motorcycle lanes when required. This will provide "operational flexibility" to manage the traffic situation during peak periods. 

Once completed, the lanes at the new extension will be automated, said ICA.

The BKE will also be extended to create a direct route for vehicles exiting Woodlands Checkpoint onto the expressway. This will help to reduce traffic congestion on roads in the area during peak hours, said ICA.

The extended expressway will be aligned with the eastern edge of Marsiling Park to "minimise the impact on the sensitive ecological site" at the western side of the park. 

The surrounding road network will also be upgraded.

The Old Woodlands Town Centre and BKE extensions are expected to be completed progressively from 2028. 

The old Woodlands Checkpoint will then be demolished, redeveloped and integrated with the extension at the Old Woodlands Town Centre, which is expected to be fully operational from 2032.

Subsequent phases of the redevelopment are subject to further design studies. They will include building clearance facilities on both acquired and reclaimed land, as well as retrofitting the current Woodlands Checkpoint.

"More details will be announced once the further studies are completed," said ICA.

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION

Redeveloping the checkpoint offers a “more sustainable and long-term solution to the chronic congestion at this land crossing”, said ICA. 

It expects daily traveller volume passing through Woodlands Checkpoint to rise from about 300,000 currently to about 400,000 by 2050.

The Causeway between Singapore and Johor Bahru is considered one of the busiest land checkpoints in the world.

Various efforts have been made to increase clearance efficiency and throughput at the checkpoint. 

"These include deploying officers dynamically, and reconfiguring the clearance lanes to clear different modes of conveyance, depending on the prevailing situation, and installing many more automated and flexi bidirectional lanes in the bus halls," said ICA.

"However, there is a limit to how much these initiatives can alleviate the congestion, given existing space and infrastructural constraints."

It added that without the redevelopment, travel time could increase by more than 60 per cent to 70 per cent during peak periods by 2050.

The authority said it has conducted "extensive feasibility and technical studies" to determine the optimal amount of land needed to meet future demands.

The land needed for the redevelopment can only be met through land acquisition and reclamation, it added.

In May 2022, ICA announced the expansion would involve the acquisition of nine Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats. 

Owners of flats in seven of the blocks will be compensated based on the market value of their unit at the date of acquisition, and they will also have the option to buy a new flat with a fresh 99-year lease at subsidised prices.

Tenants at two of the blocks, which include rental flats, will also get rehousing and clearance benefits.

JTC has been appointed to carry out reclamation works. An environmental impact assessment was done to look at the potential impact of the proposed works.

The report recommended mitigation measures that can be implemented to reduce the impact, said ICA.

"Based on the report’s findings, we do not expect any major environmental concerns arising from the works," said the authority.

Since 2022, ICA and HDB have engaged residents in the Marsiling area about the upcoming developments.

Noise barriers will be constructed to reduce noise to residential areas near the development sites. 

As the local road networks will be affected during redevelopment works, traffic signs will also be put up to guide road users during the construction.