Singapore to extend Woodlands Checkpoint to alleviate congestion

SINGAPORE: Singapore will be redeveloping and extending Woodlands Checkpoint to alleviate traffic congestion, improve travel time, and enhance security, at the land border crossing between the republic and and Malaysia.

While COVID-19 had impacted travel, the statement said, the full reopening of the land borders from April 1, 2022 has seen arrival volumes already returning to more than 90 per cent of the pre-COVID volume during weekends.

"We expect daily volumes to soon reach pre-COVID levels, and continue to increase thereafter. If the overall clearance capacity is not increased, the travel time for vehicular traffic could increase by more than 60-70 per cent during peak periods by 2050.

"Therefore, ICA will extend Woodlands Checkpoint beyond Old Woodlands Town Centre to better alleviate traffic congestion and future-proof Woodlands Checkpoint for the projected increase in traffic volume," said the statement.

In 2017, ICA and SLA had jointly announced that an extension of Woodlands Checkpoint would be built at the Old Woodlands Town Centre.

"A study is currently ongoing to determine the optimal design of this Woodlands Checkpoint extension to clear heavy goods vehicles and motorcycles.

"To support this, the Bukit Timah Expressway will be extended and enhanced to channel traffic directly to and from the Old Woodlands Town Centre extension. The immediate and surrounding local road networks will also be upgraded," it said.

-- BERNAMA