ICA refutes report that Woodlands Checkpoint power outage resulted in Causeway, JB congestion

SINGAPORE: The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Thursday (Nov 5) refuted a report that a power outage at Woodlands Checkpoint caused traffic congestion along the Causeway and on several roads in Johor Bahru on Wednesday.

In its account of Wednesday's events, ICA said a build-up of Singapore-bound traffic occurred amid planned electrical maintenance works, while two vehicle breakdowns on the Malaysian side of the Causeway subsequently contributed to traffic tailing back into Malaysia.

Malaysian newspaper The Star had earlier reported that the congestion, which it said began at about noon on Wednesday, was caused by a "massive power outage" at Woodlands Checkpoint.

In response to queries from CNA, an ICA spokesperson said: "ICA would like to clarify that no power outage was experienced at Woodlands Checkpoint on that date."

The spokesperson said that the works were carried out at the Old Woodlands Checkpoint from 10am to 2pm on Wednesday.

While the Old Woodlands Checkpoint was temporarily unavailable for the clearance of arriving lorries during the works, lorry clearance continued at Woodlands Checkpoint, the spokesperson added.

During this period, some Singapore-bound cargo traffic built up on the Causeway before operations at the Old Woodlands Checkpoint resumed at around 4pm.

Later in the day, ICA observed that two lorries broke down on the Malaysian side of the Causeway towards Singapore at around 4.30pm and 6.30pm.

"The breakdowns blocked one of the three arrival lanes, contributing to traffic queues extending from the lorry breakdown sites into Malaysia," the spokesperson said.

"The congestion was exacerbated by the higher volume of vehicles during the evening peak period."

ICA observed that the first lorry was removed only at 9.50pm that evening, while the second was removed at around 12.22am on Thursday morning.

"During this period, traffic towards Woodlands Checkpoint was disrupted. ICA posted advisories on its Facebook page to alert travellers to the vehicle breakdowns and expected delays, and notify them when the affected lane reopened," the spokesperson said.

At 10.15pm on Wednesday, the travel time from Johor Bahru to Singapore was 60 to 90 minutes, while the travel time from Singapore to Johor Bahru was 50 to 70 minutes, according to ICA.

All counters were operating at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) customs, immigration and quarantine complex on the Malaysian side of the Causeway, The Star reported.

Malaysian authorities opened additional lanes in an effort to resolve the congestion, with additional police personnel deployed around BSI and major access roads to manage the peak-hour rush of workers leaving Singapore, it added.