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SINGAPORE, 29 January – Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will renovate the Woodlands Checkpoint (WCP) to achieve more sustainable and chronic long-term congestion at the land crossing.
“The revamped WCP will be operational from 2028 and will not disrupt ongoing operations at the WCP,” the ICA said on its website today.
According to the ICA, since the opening of the existing WCP in 1999, the daily volume of travellers has increased.
“From about 230,000 travelers in 2000, the daily volume of travelers has now returned to pre-Covid levels of about 300,000 travelers and exceeds this point during long weekends and holiday periods,” the document says.
The ICA noted that the number of commuters transiting through WCP is expected to reach 400,000 per day until 2050.
Without renewing the WCP, the ICA said the travel time of car traffic could increase by 60 to 70 percent during peak periods until 2050.
The ICA said it has carried out extensive technical and feasibility studies to determine the optimal amount of land needed to meet long-term demand.
“It is estimated that the land needs for WCP redevelopment can only be met through land acquisition and reclamation,” he said, adding that JTC Corp, a government company for commercial development, has been appointed to carry out the reclamation work.
Once the WCP is renewed, the Authority said it will be about five times larger than the existing WCP.
“The revamped WCP aims, among other things, to improve the power of customs clearance across all modes of transport (freight vehicles, cars, motorcycles and buses), reducing average travel time from the current 60 minutes to 15 minutes at peak periods. ” the ICA said.
Given the need for existing operations at WCP and to adapt to existing site conditions, the ICA has conscientiously developed a plan for the redevelopment of WCP in stages over the next 10 to 15 years.
In Phase 1, the ICA will build an extension of the Old Woodlands Town Center (OWTC), which will see a really extensive development in customs clearance capacity for shipping vehicles, automobiles, and motorcycles.
21 two-way freight lanes and 78 arrival lanes will be built on the OWTC extension.
“This will increase shipment clearance capacity by 30 percent and inbound car dispatch capacity by 95 percent.
“The 78 car arrival lanes can also be converted into 156 motorcycle arrival lanes to give the ICA the operational flexibility to manage the traffic scenario during peak periods,” he said.
The Bukit Timah Highway (BKE) will also be extended to create a direct direction for cars leaving the WCP to access the BKE, in order to reduce congestion on local roads at rush hour.
The construction of the OWTC and BKE extension is expected to commence in 2025 and be completed progressively from 2028.
Following this, ICA said the Old Woodlands Checkpoint will be demolished, redeveloped, and integrated with the OWTC extension, which is expected to be fully operational from 2032.
Subsequent stages of the WCP redevelopment, subject to further design studies, will include the construction of clean-up facilities on the acquired and reclaimed land, as well as the modernization of the existing WCP.
More major points will be announced once additional studies are completed, the ICA said.