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.